What Type of Lawyer Should I Be? The 6 Main Types

Recently, I spoke with a third-seat trainee who’d realised she didn’t fit at the firm where she was training. The work was out of line with who she was and what she valued.

Looking back, she’d never properly thought about the type of lawyer she wanted to be before deciding where to apply. She’d chosen the firm more for its prestige and salary than for whether it fitted her.

Having spent nearly 20 years coaching and mentoring candidates, I can tell you the ones who struggle in the TC process are almost always the ones who never sat with this question.

So, before you apply, I recommend you carefully consider the question “what type of lawyer should I be?” Answer it in two parts: (1) the kind of work that fits you, and (2) the kind of firm and life you’d do it in. And try not to be influenced by firms deemed “best” by external measures such as prestige and salary.

The added bonus of this approach is that fit is exactly what firms assess for in their TC recruitment processes. Demonstrating fit is what makes your “why this firm?” answer stand out.

In this article, I’ll walk you through the main types of lawyer (solicitors, not barristers), the areas of law and sectors that best fit each type, some life trade-offs most people undervalue, and the questions to sit with as you decide.

A quick note first.

The types will always overlap

Any attempt to put lawyers into rigid categories will never be perfect. There’s huge variety in what solicitors do, so the definitions of types will overlap. And most lawyers are a blend of more than one, as you’ll see.

As you read the types, ask yourself which of these feels most like you, and which least. That alone lets you rule some out and narrow the field.

At the highest level, notice which of three broad work categories appeals to you:

1. Transactional – corporate deals and larger commercial and finance transactions.
2. Contentious – disputes work (litigation, arbitration, mediation, investigations).
3. Advisory – specialist advice across specific areas and sectors, sometimes supporting others’ deals or disputes, sometimes directly for your own clients.

With those preferences in mind, look at the more specific types below. For each, I’ll cover these things: (a) what energises this lawyer, (b) what the work’s really like, (c) the areas and sectors it covers, and (d) an honest reality check.

So, let’s dive into the types.

Type #1 – The Advocate

The Advocate works on disputes and investigations.

They’re energised by the difference between their client and the other side’s arguments, and they get a buzz from the adversarial side of the work. It isn’t always acrimonious, but the desire to right a wrong or to win is a core driver, along with a thirst for persuasion and collating the evidence.

Disputes tend to run longer than transactional work, and the scale and complexity of big commercial disputes is part of the draw. The hours can be steadier too, except in the run-up to and during a trial. The work spans areas such as commercial litigation and arbitration, contentious employment, family, crime, contentious construction and personal injury.

The reality is there’s far less court time than most people picture. Most of the work happens in the office, dealing with colleagues, witnesses, experts, and the other side’s lawyers.

You’ll know this is you if you enjoyed arguing your corner (for example, in debating or mooting), and conflict energises you rather than drains you. If it’s the opposite, rule this one out.

Type #2 – The Dealmaker

The Dealmaker works on commercial, corporate and finance transactions, often called ‘deals’.

They’re energised by the fast pace of working on business-critical matters with clients and by the drive to get a deal over the line. Typical deals include:

1. Mergers and acquisitions (buying, selling or combining businesses)
2. Restructuring (when business strategy needs to change, or to react to financial difficulties)
3. Banking and finance (complex financing structures involving banks, private equity houses, etc)
4. Capital markets (for example, public offerings)
5. Transactional real estate (buying, selling and financing property)

The big firms with the largest graduate recruitment budgets do this type of work, so they’re the most visible to aspiring solicitors. The household-name clients and headline deals are real, but weigh them against the rest of the picture.

The reality is that when a deal is live, the hours can be brutal. Plenty of junior lawyers thought they understood that, yet were still floored by the late nights, early mornings and weekends. Investigate the work-life balance thoroughly before you commit, including by speaking with trainees.

You’ll know this is you if you like business and pressure, the variety of moving from one deal to the next, and the buzz of a ‘win’ each time you close a deal. There’s real adrenaline in it.

Type #3 – The Builder

The Builder is energised by helping create something large and tangible over time.

The work is big, complex projects in areas such as construction, infrastructure, energy, transport and real estate development. They have many moving parts and usually involve financing.

There’s an overlap with the Dealmaker, because both work on ‘deals’. The Dealmaker runs shorter, fast commercial transactions, while the Builder supports longer-term work around a single large project, so progress is slower and steadier.

This means you live with a matter for a long time before you see the result.

You’ll know this is you if you’d rather help build something solid and lasting than do pure finance work, and you’d like to be able to point to the finished thing.

Type #4 – The Adviser

Every lawyer advises, but the Adviser does it as the main job.

They provide ongoing and ad hoc counsel to clients as they get to grips with the areas of law that affect their business and plans. These are the trusted advisers clients lean on again and again for matters such as strategy, risk and compliance. Some of their work supports colleagues’ deals and disputes, but much of it is rooted in their own client relationships. Common areas include regulatory, employment, data protection, pensions and competition.

This means there are fewer of the peaks and troughs that come with closing deals or winning cases. The value is steady judgement over time, and many enjoy the more balanced lifestyle that often comes with it (though they still work hard).

You’ll know this is you if you enjoy being the person others rely on to help solve their problems and pursue ambitious goals.

Type #5 – The Specialist

The Specialist is defined by depth in one technical area of law or sector.

There’s an overlap with the Adviser, because specialists do plenty of advisory work too. The Specialist is the go-to expert in a specific area, handling work for their own clients and supporting colleagues on their deals and disputes.

Some specialise in an area of law, such as tax, IP, or competition. Others go deep on a sector, such as aviation, technology or life sciences. Some firms build their whole identity around a specialism. For example, Bristows is known for IP, Vinson & Elkins for energy, and HFW for shipping.

This type of lawyer values depth over breadth. Where the Dealmaker is an M&A expert but a generalist across sectors and areas of law, the Specialist goes deeper into a single area.

You’ll know this is you if you’d rather be the expert who loves knowing one thing in-depth than a generalist who knows a bit of everything.

Type #6 – The Difference Maker

The Difference Maker is the lawyer many people picture first. They’re the one seeking justice for an individual, or working in the public interest.

They’re driven by justice and fairness, and by making a difference to a person or to wider society. The technical legal work matters, but so do purpose and, in many of these areas, real empathy and sensitivity.

The work splits two ways. Some of it is people-focused, in areas such as family, crime, immigration, human rights, personal injury, and wills and probate. The rest is public-facing, through public law or otherwise working in the public sector, for example acting for local authorities, where the draw is the impact on society as much as on any one person.

The reality of this work can surprise candidates. There are legal-aid funding pressures, lower salaries and emotionally demanding days, so explore these areas well before committing.

You’ll know this is you if you have a strong sense of justice or public service, or you can carry the emotional side of supporting people through hard moments.

What if you’re drawn to more than one type?

Most aspiring solicitors are, so don’t worry if that’s you.

Explore the types properly and reflect on what truly resonates with who you are. And be honest about where outside influences (prestige, brand, salary, parental expectations) might be clouding what you actually want.

But knowing your type is only half the decision. The other half is the life around the work.

The life around the work matters just as much

The same type of work, at two different firms, can mean two completely different lives.

Compare a corporate lawyer at a magic circle firm with one at a mid-sized commercial firm, and there will be stark differences. Overlooking that is a big reason trainees end up at the wrong firm. It’s exactly what the third-seat trainee I mentioned earlier got wrong.

So alongside the type of work, consider three areas that will shape your day-to-day experience and your life more broadly:

1. Earnings
2. Work-life balance
3. Working environment and culture

There’s no better or worse here, only what’s better for you. Firms vary enormously across all three, so understand the differences and choose the fit that suits you.

(1) Earnings

Decide how much earnings really matter to you.

It’s easy to default to ‘as much as I can’, but that skips the trade-off. You need to understand what’s expected of you in return, and what else comes with the pay.

I think of it in three broad levels:

1. Top-of-market – City firms, some national and regional transactional and finance firms, and US firms. Up to £70,000 for a first-year trainee and £189,000 for a newly qualified solicitor (regional salaries are typically lower).
2. Mid-market – Solid pay at medium-sized firms in London or the regions. Around £35,000 to £50,000 for a first-year trainee and £80,000 to £110,000 for a newly qualified solicitor (regional salaries are typically lower).
3. Lower – Purpose over pay, in the public and third sector, or commoditised and high-street work like residential conveyancing. Around £16,000 to £28,000 for a first-year trainee and £30,000 to £40,000 for a newly qualified solicitor (these vary widely, so do your research).

We all have our own relationship with money, and there’s no right answer. Just understand the differences and the trade-offs before you choose. Otherwise you may find out mid-training contract, as the third-seat trainee did, that you’d weighted salary too heavily.

(2) Work-life balance

A critical aspect to consider carefully is working hours, and not just office hours.

Work increasingly bleeds into personal time, so factor in working from home and flexibility too. Weigh the hours against the importance you place on having time for friends, family and hobbies, and the predictability to plan them (at large firms work can regularly spill into weekends and holidays).

Having spoken with hundreds of trainees, I can’t tell you how many say the worst part of a long-hours firm is how often it means having to cancel or change their plans outside of work.

Whatever you decide, make it deliberate. So many candidates default to the same line: ‘I’ve worked hard through my studies, I’m a high achiever, so long hours won’t be a problem.’ Don’t be one of them. Speak to people who’ve actually lived it, and picture the whole life you want, with work as one part of it.

Long hours suit some people. For many others, they lead to unhappiness, burnout and worse, more often than the profession cares to admit.

(3) Working environment and culture

You’ll spend more waking hours at work than anywhere else, so the culture shapes your whole life, not just your job. If you don’t enjoy it, that gets hard to live with over time.

Culture varies by lawyer type and, above all, by firm. Here are some broad patterns to consider (with the caveat that you should always check firm by firm):

• Large City and international firms – Big-ticket transactional work, big teams, long hours and high intensity. Trainee cohorts are larger, so you get more peer support and more structured, academic-style training.
• US firms – Similar high-end work and hours, but smaller teams, less structured training and high responsibility early. Their recruitment is built to filter for that type of person.
• Mid-size London commercial firms – Some long hours in transactional work, but generally more balance and a more collegiate feel, partly as a trade-off for lower pay than City and US firms.
• Boutique and niche firms – A specialist focus on particular areas or sectors, smaller teams, and distinct cultures built to attract their type of lawyer.
• Regional and national firms – There’s a myth that regional means an easier ride. The truth is more mixed. Lower salaries often do buy more balance, but plenty of national firms have large London offices doing work much like that of the City firms above, with similar demands and cultures.

So culture maps to firm type as much as to the area of law. A corporate lawyer at Clifford Chance and one at a mid-sized regional firm will live different lives. So ‘what type of lawyer should I be?’ and ‘what life do I want?’ are inextricably linked, and you should answer them together.

Some other questions to sit with

No quiz can answer what type of lawyer you should be. But the right questions, if you’re honest with yourself, will help you start to see where you fit:

• Which lawyer types do you recognise yourself in, and why? Which did you instinctively rule out, and why?
• Which lawyers feel most like you, in their interests, strengths and values?
• Are you choosing this for the work itself and how it fits who you are, or for the salary, prestige or what you think you should do? Be honest.
• On earnings, hours and culture, what will you trade, and what won’t you? Write down your actual criteria and use them to filter the firms you apply to.
• If you could never tell anyone what type of lawyer you were or firm you worked for, would you still choose it?

Sit with the questions for a while and let the answers percolate. Keep notes as you explore and research, like a journal about you and your interests.

Make a well-informed and considered decision

Being 100% certain about any of this isn’t the goal.

The goal is to explore it more deeply than most candidates ever do, then intentionally choose the firms to apply to. And remember, a training contract lets you try different types too, so you still have room to make your final decision later in your training.

For now, you just need to make an informed decision around the direction that best fits you as a unique individual.