But it isn’t a bar admission that has me recalling what it was like to be an articling student or young lawyer, filled with both joy and dread. I recently attended the funeral of the first judge I worked with when I articled at the courts, so this is very much a perspective from the other end of a long legal career.
I have never attended a retired judge’s funeral before and wasn’t surprised to see sitting judges, retired judges and lawyers of many vintages. But funerals are only in small part about a person’s career highlights and much more so about the person.
When I was articling in 1986-87, the Charter of Rights and Freedoms was in its infancy—the Charter and our Constitution were adopted in 1982. Charter cases had made their way into the courts, and I was thrilled to work on early decisions. My first assignment was with a fairly new judge, and I was so green behind the ears that I’m sure that colour permeated all aspects of my personhood. I learned so much about law generally and decision-making in particular from this kind judge, who I have only encountered a handful of times since 1987, since I moved into solicitor’s work by 1988.
Anyway, the decision on this first Charter case I worked on was released after my ten-month court articles ended, and I watched as the decision was appealed and then upheld. I reread the decision from QB (as it then was) this week and then the appeal decision and I remember almost nothing of the content. In fact, contrary to what I remembered, the Charter issue was only a small part of the case. But I remember my learning process as I tackled my first professional assignment and reading counsels’ written submissions with a view to organizing the arguments and researching what still needed consideration.
When I was articling, I felt that my job was to be seen and not heard, and to do my assignments without bothering the judges—I was quite shy. My six peers, however, chatted with the judges and even forged relationships with them, but that just wasn’t me. It took time for me to develop my confidence to engage with judges, and other lawyers, beyond discussing legal issues. And do I ever regret that.
Law is a community. It took time for me to develop my confidence to engage with judges, and other lawyers, beyond discussing legal issues. Articling students and juniors belong in our community. It is important to be respectful of our more senior colleagues (and of course always civil), but it is also important to relate to others as human beings and not just other cogs in the machinery that is our legal system.
If you, like me, are shy or introverted, please know that any outreaches you make will undoubtedly be received with kindness. As in any group, the legal community includes people who are intimidating and a few who are downright mean—but the vast majority like to develop social relationships with those with whom they work, even on contentious files. And I have learned that it is okay to tell people that you are a bit shy or introverted, using whatever term best describes you, if you don’t want people to think you are standoffish.
There are many excellent resources for lawyers who are introverts because, surprise, more of us are introverts than extroverts. Dr. Larry Richard, a leading lawyer-researcher, found that about 60% of lawyers prefer the introversion style over extroversion (https://www.lawyerbrain.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/the_lawyer_types_mbti.pdf) while a majority of Americans (he studies American lawyers).
Dr. Richard wrote:
Because extraverts so greatly outnumber introverts, they often fail to realize that such a thing as introversion even exists. They can unwittingly bring this myopia with them into daily firm life. Consider, for example, the extraverted partner who asks an associate for an off-the-cull opinion about a legal point and then grows impatient when a glib verbal reply is not immediately forthcoming.
These preferences also have a modest influence on the kind of practice area chosen by lawyers. For example, my research showed that labor law attracted the greatest number of extroverts, while real estate law and tax work seem to draw more introverts.
One strategy he advocates is “to adapt your own style of communication to be more like that of the individual you wish to influence.”
While we may perceive that the “glib” associate is viewed more favorably, it is important to remember the strengths that introverts bring. According to an article in the Georgetown Journal of Legal Ethics (https://www.law.georgetown.edu/legal-ethics-journal/in-print/volume-36-issue-1-winter-2023/introverted-lawyers-agents-of-change-in-the-legal-profession/):
introverts bring powerful qualities and prized skills to the practice of law, such as empathy, collaborative leadership and negotiation styles, intrinsic and ethically centered motivation, and complex problem-solving skills. By recognizing the value of these qualities and embracing authentic styles of advocacy in general, we can strengthen the profession.
Last week, I shared that New York Law School Professor Heidi Brown, the author of The Flourishing Lawyer, will be our keynote speaker at Assist’s upcoming Hand to Hand event in Calgary on January 29, 2026. She is also the author of The Introverted Lawyer (https://www.theintrovertedlawyer.com/) in which she outlines a seven-point strategy for introverts to develop authentic lawyer voices. Please check out the link for many great resources for introverted lawyers. Perhaps she will touch on this as she speaks to us about how engaging in creative activities can enhance our well-being.
As Professor Brown is quoted as saying in one interview:
I strongly feel that if we only cater to or encourage or promote the extroverted persona in law, we’re going to miss out on a really important group of voices. We’ll miss out on people who are great at active listening, deliberate thinking, thoughtful writing, and creative problem solving. We need those voices in our classrooms and law offices to solve problems that, so far, we haven’t been able to solve. https://mdash.mmlafleur.com/introverted-lawyer-advantages?utm_source=rakuten&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=3624890&ranMID=44337&ranEAID=3624890&ranSiteID=msYS1Nvjv4c-DwvJZ.8EQYnPjv3HwPOxXA
And here she is on another podcast discussing how introverted lawyers can harness their innate traits for success in the legal profession: https://legaltalknetwork.com/podcasts/aba-journal-modern-law-library/2019/01/how-introverted-lawyers-can-harness-their-traits-for-success/.
Details of our exciting H2H event will be forthcoming in the coming weeks. Please stay tuned.
As you attend professional events and have files with other lawyers, please don’t be afraid to be your introverted self. It is perfectly acceptable to tell another lawyer that you have really enjoyed getting to know them on a file or suggesting that you have lunch (or coffee) once the file is complete. If you have an opportunity to work on a project—like a professional board—please remember that at least half of the other lawyers who are involved are likely introverts, too, and that someone has to make the first move.
And remember that Assist has peer support volunteers who can share how they overcame their internal resistance to speaking out in an authentic and enduring way. If you feel that your introversion is disabling or is negatively impacting you and your career progression, please consider meeting with a counsellor who can provide excellent strategies.
A few years ago, I had an encounter with the judge whose funeral I attended. I debated reminding him that I had worked with him on that case thirty-odd years before. The negative angel on my shoulder convinced me that he wouldn’t remember me or that he might even have a poor opinion of me, so I didn’t say anything. I profoundly regret not speaking up.
I often deal with these situations by thinking through what the worst possible outcome would be: he could have said that he didn’t really remember me and there would have been no shame in that—he was elderly, and it was a long time ago. But I psyched myself out just as I did when I was a student and a young lawyer, preferring to assume that I was insignificant and that other people wouldn’t want to engage with me. As an introvert, this is like the road not taken in Robert Frost’s poem
“The Road Not Taken:”
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
We don’t have to take dangerous paths, but we can plan to make an outreach at least say once per month . But you don’t have to do this alone—Assist is here to provide encouragement, and we offer a very easy and safe entryway for lawyers and students to develop community. Our Red Mug Coffee Circles occur every Monday, online, at noon. Request a link and log on, and you will meet kind and helpful lawyers who will meet you where you are. It’s that easy to take the first step.
Loraine