Are lawyers typically liberal, conservative, or both?
You’ve probably heard it before – lawyers lean to the left; they‘re a bunch of flaming liberals. Right? Well, not so fast. The reality is more nuanced than that simplistic characterization.Let’s start with the conventional wisdom: yes, studies show that as a whole, lawyers do tend to be more liberal than the general population. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. There’s a lot more going on beneath the surface when you dig into the details.
Contents
- 1 The Data Doesn’t Lie
- 2 A Hypothetical Scenario
- 3 Digging Deeper – Factors Shaping Lawyers’ Ideologies
- 4 Geography Matters
- 5 Hypothetical: A Tale of Two Cities
- 6 The Academy Skews Left
- 7 Hypothetical: A Law Student’s Journey
- 8 The Allure of Big Law
- 9 Hypotheticals – Considering Alternative Perspectives
- 10 The Partisan Divide Deepens
- 11 A Hypothetical Scenario of Polarization
- 12 Ideological Diversity: A Cause for Concern?
- 13 The Counterargument
- 14 A Hypothetical Scenario to Consider
- 15 The Way Forward
- 16 The Ongoing Debate
The Data Doesn’t Lie
Hard data from campaign contributions and other metrics reveals a more complex picture:
- While lawyers as a group lean left, there is actually a bimodal distribution – in other words, two peaks. One peak is center-left, the other is center-right.
- Very few lawyers are at the extreme ends of the political spectrum, either far-left or far-right.
- Certain legal specialties and sectors tend to be more conservative, like oil/gas and mergers/acquisitions attorneys.
- Other practice areas like entertainment law and civil rights tend to be more liberal.
So in reality, the legal profession encompasses both liberal and conservative viewpoints in significant numbers. It’s an oversimplification to brand all lawyers as liberals.
A Hypothetical Scenario
Let’s consider a hypothetical example to illustrate:You’re a corporate defense attorney at a major law firm. Your colleagues run the gamut from pro-business conservatives to progressives focused on environmental and social impact. The firm itself is fairly centrist overall.In this scenario, which attorneys would you expect to be more liberal or conservative? The environmental lawyers pushing for sustainable policies? Or the mergers and acquisitions team facilitating corporate deals?The point is, even within a single firm, you’ll find a diversity of political ideologies based on the specific practice areas involved. Nuance and complexity are key.
Digging Deeper – Factors Shaping Lawyers’ Ideologies
So what factors contribute to the liberal tilt of the legal profession as a whole, while still allowing for considerable ideological diversity? A few key elements:
Geography Matters
It’s no coincidence that lawyers cluster in major cities like New York, DC, San Francisco – all Democratic strongholds. A full 65% of big law firm attorneys are located in just 10 congressional districts that went 74-89% for the Democratic presidential candidate.So is it the legal profession itself that shapes ideological views? Or is it more about the simple fact that lawyers congregate in liberal urban centers? The data suggests geography plays a major role.
Hypothetical: A Tale of Two Cities
To illustrate, imagine two young lawyers – Alex and Sam – both graduating from the same top law school:
- Alex takes a job at a prestigious firm in Manhattan. Living and working in the liberal bubble of New York City, Alex’s views drift leftward over time.
- Sam, meanwhile, returns home to a small town in rural Kansas. Immersed in that conservative community, Sam’s ideological leanings move steadily to the right.
Same educational pedigree, different locations – resulting in vastly divergent political ideologies shaped more by geography than the legal profession itself. It’s an oversimplified hypothetical, but one that highlights how environment can be pivotal.
The Academy Skews Left
Another factor: the liberal leanings of the legal academy. Studies show that law school professors and graduates of elite institutions like Yale and Harvard trend significantly further to the left than lawyers overall.This makes sense – universities are broadly seen as bastions of liberal thought. Students absorbing that worldview, then taking jobs that reinforce it, can solidify liberal ideological trajectories.
Hypothetical: A Law Student’s Journey
Consider this hypothetical journey of a fictional law student, Jamie:
- Jamie enters law school at UC Berkeley, already left-leaning, taught by liberal professors.
- After graduating, Jamie joins the ACLU, representing progressive causes like voting rights.
- A few years later, Jamie becomes a professor at another liberal institution like Stanford.
In this scenario, Jamie‘s ideology only moves further left over time, constantly reinforced by the surrounding environment. While hypothetical, it‘s a common path that helps explain why the legal academy leans so far to the left compared to lawyers writ large.
The Allure of Big Law
For many lawyers, especially those from elite schools, the brass ring is landing a job at a major corporate law firm – what‘s known as “Big Law.” These firms, as we‘ve seen, tend to be more centrist and even conservative-leaning overall.So while the academy pushes young lawyers left, the prospect of a lucrative Big Law career can exert a moderating influence, pulling some back toward the ideological center – and in some cases, even to the right.This dynamic highlights the legal profession‘s inherent ideological tension and diversity of viewpoints.
Hypotheticals – Considering Alternative Perspectives
Of course, there could be alternative explanations and hypothetical scenarios that tell a different story. For example:
- It could be that lawyers’ liberal leanings are more a reflection of higher education levels in general, not something unique to the legal field.
- Or perhaps the data is skewed by the prominence of certain high-profile, liberal-leaning lawyers – while the rank-and-file is actually more conservative.
- Another hypothesis: the liberal slant is a relatively recent phenomenon, emerging over the past few decades, while historically the profession leaned right.
These are just some hypothetical alternatives to consider. The truth likely involves some combination of factors – geographic, educational, professional, and socioeconomic elements all playing a role in shaping lawyers‘ political ideologies.The key takeaway: making broad generalizations about lawyers’ ideological leanings is an oversimplification. The reality is far more nuanced and complex, with diversity of viewpoints across the profession.
The Partisan Divide Deepens
Complicating matters further, the legal profession – like society at large – has experienced a widening partisan gulf in recent years. Lawyers have not been immune to the forces of political polarization.Data on federal judicial appointments illustrates this trend:
| Democratic President | % of Judicial Appointees Contributing to Democrats |
% Contributing to Republicans |
|---|---|---|
| Clinton | 80.8% | 19.2% |
| Obama | 97.3% | 2.7% |
As you can see, under Democratic presidents, an increasingly lopsided share of judicial appointees contributed to their party during the vetting process.The reverse trend holds true for Republican presidents as well. Judges appointed by those administrations are drawn overwhelmingly from ranks of lawyers who donated to GOP candidates and causes.This data points to a profession that is self-sorting into partisan camps, with fewer lawyers occupying the ideological middle ground. A worrying sign for those concerned about judicial impartiality and independence.
A Hypothetical Scenario of Polarization
Consider this hypothetical scenario that could play out:You’re a young lawyer in 2024, highly credentialed and seeking a federal judgeship. Which party’s candidates did you donate to over the past decade? The answer to that question may be the single biggest factor in determining your prospects.If you contributed heavily to Democratic candidates and causes, you‘ll likely only be considered for judicial appointments by a Democratic administration. And vice versa for Republican donors.In this hypothetical polarized world, your personal political ideologies and financial contributions effectively determine your professional path from the outset. Even the appearance of impartiality is compromised.While hypothetical, this scenario illustrates why deepening partisan divisions within the legal ranks pose significant concerns about the politicization of the judicial branch over time.
Ideological Diversity: A Cause for Concern?
Given the increasing polarization, some might argue that a lack of ideological diversity within the legal profession is problematic from a societal perspective.After all, lawyers play outsized roles in all three branches of government – as legislators, judges, and senior policymakers. Their ideological leanings can shape laws, judicial precedents, and policies with profound real-world impacts.From this view, a profession dominated by either liberal or conservative thought could lead to lopsided policymaking, judicial activism, and a general lack of balanced jurisprudence.
The Counterargument
The counterargument, however, is that ideological diversity already exists within the legal ranks – it’s just unevenly distributed based on factors like:
- Area of legal practice (civil rights vs. corporate law)
- Type of employer (public interest firm vs. private sector)
- Geographic location (urban coastal cities vs. rural heartland)
- Educational background (elite schools vs. regional institutions)
So while lawyers as a whole may lean one way or the other collectively, the profession still encompasses a broad range of ideological viewpoints and counterweights.This inherent diversity, the argument goes, is enough to foster vigorous debate, provide checks and balances, and yield balanced policies and judicial outcomes – at least in theory.
A Hypothetical Scenario to Consider
To illustrate the contrasting perspectives, imagine this hypothetical scenario:The current Supreme Court has a solid 6-3 conservative majority, with most justices having conservative-leaning backgrounds as lawyers and Republican-appointed judges.
- From one view, this ideological skew could result in a string of activist, partisan rulings that enshrine a conservative legal agenda out of step with mainstream public opinion.
- The counterargument? The Court’s minority liberal bloc, backed by legions of progressive lawyers filing amicus briefs and legal scholars analyzing every nuance, will serve as an ideological counterweight and force reasoned moderation.
Which view is correct? There‘s no easy answer, as it delves into debates about judicial philosophy, the role of the courts, and what constitutes legitimate versus inappropriate ideological influences.But this hypothetical scenario crystalizes the tension around ideological diversity and balance within the legal ranks.
The Way Forward
So where does this leave us? With a profession that defies easy stereotyping as universally liberal or conservative. A field that encompasses a wide range of ideological viewpoints, though ones that are increasingly sorting along partisan lines.For those concerned about preserving judicial independence and non-partisan jurisprudence, some potential ways forward emerge:
- Prioritize Ideological Diversity in Hiring & Appointments
Law firms, public interest organizations, universities, and judicial nominating commissions could actively prioritize recruiting and appointing lawyers across the full ideological spectrum. Fostering more balanced environments from the outset. - Embrace Ideological ‘Purples’
Identify, cultivate, and elevate the ranks of ideological “purples” – lawyers whose views blend liberal and conservative principles in a coherent synthesis, defying binary categorization. These individuals could serve as bridges across the partisan divide. - Separate Ideological Signaling from Substantive Views
Distinguish between symbolic ideological signaling (e.g. campaign donations) and substantive legal philosophies. The two are not necessarily correlated, and privileging the latter over the former could yield a more philosophically diverse bench and bar. - Promote Judicial Restraint & Impartiality
Emphasize and reinforce the judicial philosophy of restraint, orthinking, and impartiality. Explicitly discourage judicial activism and legislating from the bench, regardless of the ideological direction. - Civic Education & Engagement
Double down on educating lawyers, law students, and the public about core civic principles like judicial independence, the separation of powers, and the importance of an impartial legal system. An engaged citizenry can serve as a check on ideological overreach.
These are just some potential paths forward in navigating the complex ideological terrain of the legal profession. None are panaceas, but each represents a step toward preserving the public’s faith in a fair, impartial, and balanced system of laws and justice for all.
The Ongoing Debate
In the end, the question of whether lawyers lean liberal or conservative is an ongoing debate without a simple answer. The data tells a nuanced story of a profession that:
- Encompasses a wide range of ideological viewpoints
- Trends left-of-center overall, but with pockets of conservative influence
- Is becoming increasingly polarized and self-sorted along partisan lines
- Contains inherent ideological tensions based on factors like geography, areas of practice, and educational backgrounds
Rather than making broad generalizations, we’d be better served by:
- Acknowledging and exploring the complexities and contradictions
- Considering alternative hypothetical perspectives
- Striving to cultivate more ideological diversity and balance
- Protecting judicial independence and impartiality as sacrosanct principles