How Do I Even Start? A Power Tool for Unhappy Lawyers

Sometimes, signature strengths help clients see themselves in a whole new light. One client, who had worked in a big law firm and then in an attorney general’s office, found that “creativity” was one of his top, or signature, strengths. At first, he thought, “but I’m not artistic!” When he read the description of creativity, though, his world changed in an instant.
He realized that opening a business aimed at an emerging type of health and wellness was highly creative, and went off to do just that.

Choosing the Right Job Match for Your Lawyer Personality

being in an environment that pushes you way past your default personality traits can make you hostilejudgmental, anxious, brittle and impatient. You can find the job that aligns really well with your purpose and gives your life meaning, but if the daily environment doesn’t match your personality needs, you’ll end up stressed and possibly confused about why.

How Ignoring Feelings Makes Lawyers Look Like Idiots: The Donald Sterling Edition

This key difference between the commentators and Silver? From where I sit, Silver, with his Feeler talents, saw that he couldn’t just (publicly) lawyer through all the contracts and what-not that McCann and Shropshire were agonizing about. He saw clearly that the damage to the NBA was going to be severe if he didn’t act to make Dennis Sterling a pariah. Having deeply outraged players and fans, and having the NBA appear more concerned about its pocketbook than its morals, was in the long term going to cause a much deeper crisis for the league than whatever millions any lawsuit might cost. Feelings were in the driver’s seat, and in Silver, the NBA had a lawyer who understood that.

Growing Your Alternative Legal Career, Organically

Much like using chemicals in the garden produces impressive-looking results at first, but ultimately robs the soil and plants of what they need to survive. They become dependent on chemical help just to survive. So instead, plant yourself in the right light, soil and water. Then work on growing where you are planted.

Does Your Personality Fit into Law?

Law is filled with people who didn’t or couldn’t see that they were beautiful lilies sending themselves off to be planted with the cacti. The good news is, you don’t have to hope, like the lilly does, that someone will come along, uproot you from the desert and plant you in the right place. You are the one who wields the shovel.

The Other Key Lawyer Personality Trait: Think, Don’t Feel

The Thinking/Feeling preference in the Myers-Briggs typology is a biggie for happiness and satisfaction at work. If you’re a Feeling type and a lawyer, you’re probably miserable. That’s why knowing whether you’re a Feeler or a Thinker is important to assessing whether to stay in law.

Yet More on the Lawyer Personality

The Myers-Briggs Extravert/Introvert and Judging/Perceiving preferences are all about how you prefer to interact with the world. They boil down to what kind of world you like to live in, and what structure you want it to have. Kind of fundamental questions for everyone, including unhappy lawyers.

More on the Lawyer Personality

Of the 16 Myers-Briggs personality types, 6 dominate in law. In fact, those 6 types make up close to 70% of the personality types found in law. Are you the right type for law, or are you better suited for something else?