If you are looking for love, whether or not a lawyer is the right match for you might depend on your preferences. The truth is, while all lawyers are different, they do tend to share some pretty strong characteristics that can either rub your the right or very wrong way.
Lawyers have to be smart, determined, and if they’re a trial lawyer they’ll also have to be silver-tongued to boot.
Sure, there are differences, but on the whole, here are some pros and cons to be aware of if you’re thinking about dating a lawyer.
The Pros
They’re determined and devoted
One of the great things about attorneys is that they are typically quite steadfast and quite loyal. Their profession requires them to be upfront and honest. They’re not known for sugarcoating things and they’re not known for playing games. They’re reliable partners.
They can be great at giving advice
Because lawyers are essentially trained to give legal advice, they can extend the same kind of analytical thinking to their private life. They’re able to pick up on minute details and can help you come to answers that you might otherwise not be aware of.
They have incredible wardrobes
This is a bit shallow, but hey everyone can be shallow everyone now and then. The truth is, attorneys have to drive to the nines when they are on the job and also have to present themselves well when in public. Thanks to that (and thanks to the nice paycheck that comes with a lot of legal professions), you can expect your lawyerly partner to always be dressed with the best.
The know how to compromise
A lot of times, a job of a lawyer is not to win outright in the court room, but to come to some kind of agreement of settlement before a case goes to court. They can use that skill set in their personal life as well, managing to come to a compromise in their personal relationships just like they do in their work.
They’re great at communicating
Part of the job is making speeches in front of large group – sometimes very powerful – people. They have to be able to argue points of views with people’s lives and money on the line.
That kind of skill could help pay huge dividends when you and your partner are working to come to a conclusion in your private lives.
They work hard
Simply to get accepted into law school requires years of incredibly hard work. After that, it’s no cake walk to be a successful, practicing lawyer either. It all takes work, and if you are with a lawyer, it won’t take long for you to learn just how hard they work.
They’re smart
This fact goes hand-in-hand with how hard lawyers work. If you find intelligence a total turn on, a lawyer is a great person to seek out. Members of the bar are some of the smartest people in the workforce.
They make a lot of money
Again, this one might seem a little shallow, but hey – money is important! No matter what you’re income is, if you end up with a lawyer, you can rest assured that they’ll be bringing home the bacon.
The Cons
No matter how great lawyers can be, it’s not all butterflies and rainbows. There are some definite cons of dating a lawyer as well. Here are some of the major negatives you’ll want to consider if you’re serious about shacking up with an attorney.
You’re going to need to match them when it comes to intelligence
Lawyers typically need to be matched when it comes to intelligence and wit when choosing partners. They want to be engaged and feel challenged at work and at home. In a romantic partnership, they can get bored of people who are unable to hold an intellectual or logical conversation.
They log incredibly long hours
Young aspiring partners in a law firm work mornings, days, evenings, nights, weekends, and everything in between. Once they’ve made partner, things tends to calm down a bit in terms of day-to-day tasks but they’re also expected to take on more of a leadership role and have more responsibility.
That means that they’ll be logging serious hours in the office. Even when they’re home, they often have to work before and after dinner to get their job done. To be successful, they will need your support and understanding to deliver the results that are expected of them and continue to deliver their clients the kind of high quality work that is expected of them.
They’re human lie detectors
Hopefully this isn’t an issue for you, but lawyers can see right through you and any lie they try to tell you. Knowing when a person is telling a lie is an industry skill and if you lie even once, you could risk breaking trust with your lawyer lover forever.
They may be overly analytical and risk averse
If you’re looking for a partner who will go sky diving with you or join in on swimming with sharks, you may want to look for a partner who is not an attorney. They ten to heavily analyze and dissect things. That might make them apprehensive to take risk or get involved in something that they aren’t able to full understand before taking part in.
They may take time to trust you
Lawyers tend to always be wary of a new person of their intents at first. In order to fully trust someone, they need sufficient grounds to be able to trust them. When getting involved in a lawyer, it is always wise to match them when it comes to honesty and being upfront. Not only will they feel more comfortable with you if you are totally honest, that kind of transparency is the best way to start a new relationship with anyone.