Who Likes Being a Lawyer and Who Doesn't

Let’s be honest: law is not one of those professions people “fall into.” It’s not plumbing. It’s not restaurant work. People go to law school on purpose — usually with ambition, anxiety, or desperation riding shotgun. So it’s worth asking: once they get there, who actually likes being a lawyer?

You might assume no one does. After all, plenty of lawyers will tell you they’re miserable. But that’s only part of the story. Some lawyers — in fact, many — seem perfectly content. They’re not euphoric, but they’re settled. They make peace with the system. Some even seem to like it.

So what’s the difference?

I think I know. And it has nothing to do with salary, prestige, or practice area.

It has to do with truth.

⚖️ Law Is Not About Truth

Here’s the uncomfortable reality: the legal system is not designed to find the truth. It’s designed to follow procedure. Evidence doesn’t matter unless it meets the rules. Reality doesn’t matter unless it conforms to the form. Truth, if it arrives at all, arrives by accident.

Now ask yourself: who finds that unbearable?And who finds it comforting?

🧠 Two Types of People Go Into Law

1. Truth-Oriented People

These are the people who care — deeply — about what’s real. They want to know what happened. They want to reconcile facts. They want to understand. For them, truth isn’t optional; it’s the whole point.

These people suffer in law.

They suffer because the system constantly tells them:

“That’s not relevant.”“That’s inadmissible.”“That’s not how it works.”

They want to resolve the actual situation. The system wants them to file the correct paperwork.

Over time, they either burn out, become bitter, or escape the profession altogether. Law becomes a moral and intellectual suffocation chamber.

2. Insulation-Oriented People

These are people who don’t want exposure to raw truth. They don’t want to stare into the jagged face of reality. They want structure, procedure, and rules that tell them what counts.

For them, law is perfect. They don’t have to think in terms of what’s right — only what’s allowed. They don’t need to know what really happened — only whether it can be proven in court. They don’t care if the law makes sense — only that it’s “on their side.”

These people do well in law. They’re not necessarily happy, but they’re safe. They find comfort in the insulation that proceduralism provides. They’re content to be agents of the system, not interrogators of reality.

🛡️ Law as a Psychological Shield

This is the real story. Proceduralism doesn’t just shape the law — it shapes the people who can survive in it. It selects for those who don’t need truth to function, and it burns out those who do.

That’s why your brilliant friend from undergrad flamed out of law school.That’s why your smarmy classmate with no convictions is now a partner at a firm.That’s why you — if you care about what’s real — probably found the profession intolerable.

🎯 The Bottom Line

If you love truth, law will break your heart.If you love rules, law will make you whole.

So who likes being a lawyer?The ones who never needed truth to begin with.

And who doesn’t?The ones who did.