Is law good for introverts?
It depends on the role. Of the 5 law roles we compared, arbitrators, mediators, and conciliators report the least contact with others and lawyers the most.
Law combines detailed document work with conflict, and the ratings show which roles carry more of the conflict.
Moving between these roles is not simple. Lawyers, clerks and paralegals have very different entry routes, shown in the education column.
We compared lawyers with four other legal roles: judicial law clerks, mediators, paralegals and title examiners. The federal data does not split lawyers by practice area, so it can't compare litigation with tax or corporate work. The ratings come from O*NET, the US Department of Labor's occupation database, where workers answer questions about what their job involves.
What the data shows
- Contact with others ranges from 3.6 out of 5 for arbitrators, mediators, and conciliators (closest to "contact most of the time") to 4.8 for lawyers (closest to "constant contact").
- After contact, the biggest difference is in working in a team: 2.1 out of 5 for arbitrators, mediators, and conciliators, against 4.3 for paralegals and legal assistants.
- The next biggest is conflict situations: 2.1 out of 5 for paralegals and legal assistants, against 3.9 for arbitrators, mediators, and conciliators.
- 2 of the 5 occupations with their own pay data involve more contact with others than the typical US occupation.
- 11% of arbitrators, mediators, and conciliators say they have face-to-face discussions every day, compared with 75% of paralegals and legal assistants.
- 2 of the 5 rate working in a team as very important or more.
- Among occupations with their own pay data, the lowest-contact one is arbitrators, mediators, and conciliators, at a median $75,530 a year. The best paid is lawyers, at $159,670.
Social demands, side by side
Each figure is an O*NET average on a 1 to 5 scale. Lower means less of it. Hover a heading for the exact question.
| Role | Contact | Face-to-face | Phone | Speaking | Customers | Teamwork | Conflict | Noise |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lawyers | 4.8 | 4.4 | 4.9 | 2.7 | 3.9 | 3.6 | 3.4 | 2.2 |
| Judicial Law Clerks | 4.1 | 4.6 | 4.4 | 1.8 | 3.4 | 3.8 | 2.4 | 2.1 |
| Arbitrators, Mediators, and Conciliators | 3.6 | 3.7 | 3.5 | 2.0 | 2.3 | 2.1 | 3.9 | 1.8 |
| Paralegals and Legal Assistants | 4.5 | 4.7 | 4.5 | 1.8 | 3.2 | 4.3 | 2.1 | 1.6 |
| Title Examiners, Abstractors, and Searchers | 4.2 | 4.1 | 4.5 | 1.5 | 3.5 | 4.0 | 3.0 | 1.7 |
Pay, entry and outlook
| Role | Median pay | Typical entry education | Typical training | Growth 2025-35 | Projected openings a year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lawyers | $159,670 | Doctoral or professional degree | None | +4.7% | 28,700 |
| Judicial Law Clerks | $64,920 | Doctoral or professional degree | None | +2.8% | 1,500 |
| Arbitrators, Mediators, and Conciliators | $75,530 | Bachelor's degree | Moderate-term on-the-job training | +4.7% | 300 |
| Paralegals and Legal Assistants | $62,890 | Associate's degree | None | -0.3% | 40,800 |
| Title Examiners, Abstractors, and Searchers | $58,650 | High school diploma or equivalent | Moderate-term on-the-job training | +2.1% | 5,300 |
Each role in detail
Lawyers
Contact with others: 4.8 out of 5, closest to "constant contact", more than 81% of ranked occupations. Face-to-face discussions every day for 49% of workers. Phone calls: closest to "every day". Public speaking: closest to "once a month or more". Teamwork rated "very important"; dealing with customers or the public "very important". Distracting noise: closest to "once a year or more".
Median pay $159,670 a year. Typical entry education: doctoral or professional degree. About 28,700 projected openings a year.
Core tasks, as listed by O*NET:
- Interpret laws, rulings and regulations for individuals and businesses.
- Analyze the probable outcomes of cases, using knowledge of legal precedents.
- Gather evidence to formulate defense or to initiate legal actions by such means as interviewing clients and witnesses to ascertain the facts of a case.
Judicial Law Clerks
Contact with others: 4.1 out of 5, closest to "contact most of the time", more than 28% of ranked occupations. Face-to-face discussions every day for 75% of workers. Phone calls: closest to "once a week or more". Public speaking: closest to "once a year or more". Teamwork rated "very important"; dealing with customers or the public "important". Distracting noise: closest to "once a year or more".
Median pay $64,920 a year. Typical entry education: doctoral or professional degree. About 1,500 projected openings a year.
Core tasks, as listed by O*NET:
- Prepare briefs, legal memoranda, or statements of issues involved in cases, including appropriate suggestions or recommendations.
- Research laws, court decisions, documents, opinions, briefs, or other information related to cases before the court.
- Draft or proofread judicial opinions, decisions, or citations.
Arbitrators, Mediators, and Conciliators
Contact with others: 3.6 out of 5, closest to "contact most of the time", more than 9% of ranked occupations. Face-to-face discussions every day for 11% of workers. Phone calls: closest to "once a month or more". Public speaking: closest to "once a year or more". Teamwork rated "fairly important"; dealing with customers or the public "fairly important". Distracting noise: closest to "once a year or more".
Median pay $75,530 a year. Typical entry education: bachelor's degree, with moderate-term on-the-job training. About 300 projected openings a year.
Core tasks, as listed by O*NET:
- Prepare written opinions or decisions regarding cases.
- Apply relevant laws, regulations, policies, or precedents to reach conclusions.
- Conduct hearings to obtain information or evidence relative to disposition of claims.
Paralegals and Legal Assistants
Contact with others: 4.5 out of 5, closest to "constant contact", more than 62% of ranked occupations. Face-to-face discussions every day for 75% of workers. Phone calls: closest to "every day". Public speaking: closest to "once a year or more". Teamwork rated "very important"; dealing with customers or the public "important". Distracting noise: closest to "once a year or more".
Median pay $62,890 a year. Typical entry education: associate's degree. About 40,800 projected openings a year.
Core tasks, as listed by O*NET:
- Prepare affidavits or other documents, such as legal correspondence, and organize and maintain documents in paper or electronic filing system.
- Prepare, edit, or review legal documents, including legislation, briefs, pleadings, appeals, wills, contracts, and real estate closing statements.
- Investigate facts and law of cases and search pertinent sources, such as public records and internet sources, to determine causes of action and to prepare cases.
Title Examiners, Abstractors, and Searchers
Contact with others: 4.2 out of 5, closest to "contact most of the time", more than 34% of ranked occupations. Face-to-face discussions every day for 46% of workers. Phone calls: closest to "once a week or more". Public speaking: closest to "never". Teamwork rated "very important"; dealing with customers or the public "important". Distracting noise: closest to "once a year or more".
Median pay $58,650 a year. Typical entry education: high school diploma or equivalent, with moderate-term on-the-job training. About 5,300 projected openings a year.
Core tasks, as listed by O*NET:
- Prepare and issue title commitments and title insurance policies, based on information compiled from title searches.
- Examine documentation such as mortgages, liens, judgments, easements, plat books, maps, contracts, and agreements to verify factors such as properties' legal descriptions, ownership, or restrictions.
- Examine individual titles to determine if restrictions, such as delinquent taxes, will affect titles and limit property use.
What the numbers can't tell you
- O*NET ratings are averages of worker answers on a 1 to 5 scale. Some questions ask how much (contact), some how often (face-to-face, phone, public speaking, conflict, noise) and some how important (teamwork, customers). They are shown on their own scales.
- The ratings describe the job, averaged across workers and workplaces. A particular employer, team or shift can be very different.
- They don't measure personality, and they are not career, medical or psychological advice.
- Pay and openings are national figures from the BLS. Local pay varies.
Common questions
Which law job involves the least contact with others?
Of the 5 roles compared here, arbitrators, mediators, and conciliators report the least, at 3.6 out of 5 on O*NET's contact rating, closest to "contact most of the time".
Do these law jobs need a degree?
1 of the 5 occupations with BLS education data typically need no more than a high school diploma: title examiners, abstractors, and searchers.
Do these ratings measure personality?
No. They are averages of what workers say their job asks of them. They describe the work, not the people doing it, and they are not career, medical or psychological advice.