What Type Of Person Thrives In The Legal Industry, According To An Associate At Haynes And Boone, LLP
Alexander, an Associate at Haynes and Boone, LLP, notes that success in the legal industry hinges on both personality and work ethic, highlighting the stark contrast between "litigators [who] want to win" and transactional lawyers who "want to work together." The willingness "to grind" is also a key factor determining success in this field.
Litigation, Transactional, Problem-Solving, Teamwork, Resilience
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Alexander Clark
Associate
Haynes and Boone, LLP
Austin College, 2012
The University of Texas School of Law, J.D.
Legal & Policy, Political Science, American Studies
Law
Legal
Honors Student, Scholarship Recipient, Took Out Loans, Greek Life Member, Veteran, First Generation College Student
Video Highlights
1. There is variety in legal work beyond the typical portrayal in media.
2. The legal field has two main tracks: transactional (collaborative, deal-making) and litigation (competitive, win-oriented).
3. Success in law often involves a significant amount of hard work and dedication, sometimes described as "grinding".
Transcript
How would you describe people who typically thrive in this industry?
Well, I guess it depends on what you're doing within the industry. Different personalities can be geared towards different kinds of work. People think all lawyers are basically what they see on *Law & Order*, but there's a lot more variety than that.
For example, the two big things we kind of decide early on are litigation or transactional work, and those attract very different kinds of personalities. Litigators want to win; they want to be the other side.
Generally speaking, in transactional work, they want to work together. They want to come together and get a deal done. So it really just depends on where you want to work and how you want to work within the industry, but also just the degree to which you're willing to grind, I guess.