These days there are many legal shows on TV. Often, the stereotype and public perception is that all lawyers are rich, confident and glamorous. Wrong! People imagine, well I can’t go to law school myself so then I’ll date a lawyer as the next best thing. Maybe!
Cosmo magazine listed 5 reasons to date a lawyer saying that lawyers “…are a perfect mix of class and elegance!” Not the attorneys that I know. Maybe the writer never hung out with an attorney but it’s interesting to read the reasons why a lawyer would be a good date.
Reason 1: “Lawyers are witty and well mannered.”
Some attorneys are intelligent or at least have some degree of brain power to get into law school, graduate, pass the bar exam and then make a living. This has no connection with developing social skills to match book smarts.
Reason 2: “They always look good.”
True lawyers dress in suits more than most other professions. Historically, they have been conservative, less than trendy. But a nice suit can elevate anyone’s appearance especially threads on an already handsome man or woman. Experience in the courtroom tells us otherwise as a vast majority of attorneys are boringly conservative looking.
Reason 3: “Lawyers have financial stability and good prospects.”
Many of the attorneys we encounter work hard to maintain their practices, support their families and are not rolling in dough. Sure lawyers at the big, white shoe firms pull in six figures annually but there are thousands of attorneys carrying student loan debt and struggling day to day to pay their overhead. So if you are a gold digger, dating the average lawyer doesn’t equate to a gold ring date.
Reason 4: “Lawyers are very supportive.”
Many lawyers we know have very poor social skills. They are not trained in empathizing with clients. This is not a generalization but it is all too frequent that attorneys after work are burned out, overworked and exhausted which would make them less than stellar company on a date – especially after two drinks when they might fade into oblivion.
Reason 5: “Lawyers love discussions and arguments so you will never get bored.”
You might not get bored but you might be thinking when is this lawyer going to shut up and really relate to me as a person instead of it all being about him or her. Many lawyers will bore you to death talking about their cases e.g. the biggest deal ever, the unexpected verdict, but don’t necessarily hold your breath because, newsflash, it’s not always about them. You want it to be about you and him or her on a date and lawyers might not fit this bill.
So the Cosmo article is hyperbole just “shtick” and based on false assumptions. Lawyers are people like anyone else, although my friend hearing me putting this piece together just said “they are!” Yes, they are. Some will connect with you on an emotional level, some on an intellectual level, some will be argumentative, some will be boring, others will make you laugh, make you cry or want to make you get up and leave Starbucks after the first two minutes of conversation. Don’t buy into labels and stereotypes because not all lawyers are Atticus Finch or Clarence Darrow.
The lawyers at Fellows Hymowitz Rice, PC are not what you expect. We actually care about our clients. We will listen to your concerns and figure out a way, if you have been injured through the fault of someone else, to get you the just compensation you deserve. We do this regardless of whether we would make a good or bad date. We are here to help you, to stand by you whether inside or outside of a courtroom and make sure that at the end of your case the false stereotypes and assumptions about who lawyers are will be debunked.
Fellows Hymowitz Rice – The Right Lawyers Make a Real Difference