In many respects, the legal profession is like any other. Walk up and down the aisle at a law firm or attend the bar association convention, and you’ll meet personalities as diverse as any other gathering, and maybe more so. There is no single lawyer personality.
Actually, there are certain personality traits that you must have to succeed in law. They don’t have to do with how you deal with other people, or the kind of superficial impression with which you leave them. Rather, they are fundamental to the way you go through life. These traits are known collectively as "attitude."
So what makes up attitude? There are numerous ways to divide it up. The scheme here is a three-part test. If you’re missing any one of these, you may last in the legal profession. But not very long--brains or not. They are:
You don’t need this book to define these terms. But we will consider how they apply to being a lawyer, particularly during the early years of an attorney’s career.