Aspie = good lawyer?

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I often look up and memorise laws for fun, and I think it's interesting. But when you think about the way law operates, it seems very ideal for the way Aspies think, because it's all about following exactly what the laws say and being very logical about it, and of course using any technicality in the law to your advantage.

I dunno about you, but to me this mirrors the way Aspies naturally think.

This is just a passing thought really, but do you think Aspies could make good lawyers for this reason?

There's two ways to look at this.

An aspie lawyer might do well dealing with the fine details of law. Certainly there are firms that hire people skilled at debating how many angels can dance on the head of a pin, but such people tend to make poor litigators.

In litigation, much of it is straightforward, common sense, black and white. Fancy legal reasoning won't apply or be appreciated because the law is meant to preserve order, not allow people avenues to define new rights or privileges the law would otherwise not allow.

Anyone can give legal advice, but your clients need to know that the real consequences of their choices would likely be. A lawyer who is not in touch with real life can give lousy advice and complicate the lives of his client. This happens way too often as it is.

Likewise, much of the practice of law is monotony and pressure to produce for pay. This can be very stressful and it's why many NT lawyers burn out and quit the profession.

So, unless an aspie was extremely focused on the whole practice of law, I don't know how happy they'd be in doing it. The few elements that are liked may not outweigh all the elements that are despised.

I have a law degree, but I chose not to practice because the actual practice of law is repulsive to me. At every opportunity to work assisting a lawyer, while I found the work interesting, the monotony of it bored me to death...never mind the pressure to not make an error that could cost our client the case.

I know I couldn't do it, since I'm a terrible liar.

Just as has been explained:

An aspie with special interest in Law could be an awesome lawyer, as well as a bad one if he/she didnt have the social know how to "work" the law. Same goes for a NT; Could be the greatest people reader ever, but without the capacity to hold more than 3 § in their head, they would suck too.

Its all up to the individual.

Lawyer may not be a good fit but you could look into being a paralegal where you do not meet with clients. The ideal would consist of doing legal research and filling in the forms and verifying they are correct. A good grasp of the court rules would also help to keep the lawyer in line too.

The biggest thing is knowing the court rules (which if they change, give well enough advance notice to incorporate the change) and knowing how our legal system works and how previous rulings fit into the current research subject.

Realize that most lawyers are simply there to make sure the correct filing goes to the correct place and to do the actual litigation if necessary. Most of the real legal work is done by para-legals and law clerks.

There are a lot of different jobs in the legal field - some may be a good fit, some aren't. It can be awesome if you find work involving your special interest but that can be hard to find.
I have a law degree but I've had a terrible time finding work with it as many law jobs for graduates involve a lot of work with clients or require many hours of very stressful work. I'm currently trying to find something involving legal research or writing, but I regret having the degree in the first place.

Doesn't matter how well you've memorized the statutes, or how reasonable your argument, you have to be able to build each case from the ground up, fitting it into that immense puzzle of interpretation and precedent, without missing a trick. Once all that complicated Executive Function work is done, you have to go into a room full of people, some of whom are there for the express purpose of making you look like an idiot and proving that you're a bumbling imbecile. In order to counter that attempt, you have to be able to think fast on your feet while being watched by both people who are actively opposing your every move, but an unknown number of strangers as well.

You must then plead your case convincingly to an authority figure who feels that he is every bit as important and possibly more powerful than God almighty. This authority figure can cut you off in mid sentence, refuse to listen to your argument, or bar you from presenting proof to support it. Your every move and facial expression may be interpreted by this authority figure, prejudicing their opinion of your argument, and should you ever display anything that could be interpreted as insolence or hostility, even by muttering under your breath, you could be fined or jailed.

I think someone with AS might be okay doing the clerical side of law in the office, but I don't see them functioning well in open court.

There are all kinds of different areas of law, though. Many lawyers, even if they aren't "certified" in a specific area, will only take certain types of cases. MOST legal cases are in the areas of family law, not to mention bankruptcy and Social Security Administration. Criminal law and litigation is a whole different animal.

So if you're going into some of the less dramatic areas of law, being an aspie might give you an edge. If you think you might like getting into litigation, start out by taking justice court cases (traffic tickets, domestic violence, etc.). Your typical JP is an elected official with no formal legal training. They are good at relating to REAL people, so they tend to side with the accuser. Any defendant who goes before a JP and brings a lawyer has a better chance of fighting and winning. But then again, a lot of accusers and defendants that end up in JC are idiots that just want to use the court to straighten out their relational/marital issues, and JC is not the proper place for this. On the other hand, it's a great place if you want a quick and quiet wedding ceremony--you know, the kind that involves shotguns, and many a courthouse janitor has signed as a witness to weddings...

My wife is a bankruptcy paralegal, so I get to hear all kinds of bizarre stories. Bankruptcy is a kind of dark, secret side of law, and it's highly procedural. So if you don't think you could handle being an actual lawyer in federal bankruptcy court, hire yourself out as a bankruptcy preparer. My wife has gotten so good at this she actually goes to 1041 hearings and has other lawyers competing to steal her away from her employer!

If you're interested in law, seriously, study to be a paralegal (you don't really need a degree for this, any high school student can do it, but it helps). You get a taste of what it's like to be a lawyer without all the responsibilities. But one thing you'll find out is why there are so many lawyers in politics!

When I was little I first wanted to be an architect and then a lawyer...unfortunately, I am neither...but I am always still trying to learn about both...

I have a friend who's Aspire and a lawyer. Graduated from the Tulane Law School, admitted to the bar in New York and Louisiana.

He currently drives trucks for Schneider.