An exploration of how portrayals in media silence the gentler truths that give law its humanity.

Before coming into law school, I was under the impression that the skills that would matter most were assertiveness and dominance. I genuinely believed that success in this field depended on who could project the greatest certainty, speak the loudest and command a room with force. The lawyers I saw on television and in movies delivered sharp speeches that stunned judges, interrogated witnesses with hostility and walked out of courtrooms as if they were invincible. Although I understood these portrayals were exaggerated, I entered this field expecting it to function similarly. I prepared myself to only showcase the assertive aspect of myself in my career.

What I was not prepared for was how quickly that assumption would unravel. It was almost disorienting to realize that the qualities I assumed were central to lawyering were only a fraction of what the profession demands. I noticed early on that the most impressive people around me carried themselves with a calm awareness. This shifted my understanding of what strength looks like, because they actively listened more than they talked. Watching them changed something in me, because it became obvious that dominance without depth is pointless, and assertiveness without understanding is inapplicable.

As time passed, I noticed that law school does something to you that no form of media can accurately portray. It reshapes the way you see yourself. You walk in believing that you need to become someone tougher and louder, only to discover that the most meaningful parts of this profession rely on skills that the world rarely praises. 

Empathy, patience, reflection and emotional awareness, all qualities that appear soft from the outside, suddenly reveal themselves as crucial. The people who excel are the ones who can listen to a client without rushing them, who can collaborate without competing and who can adjust their tone based on who is sitting across from them. These are skills that form the backbone of meaningful advocacy.

The truth that the media never acknowledges is that law is fundamentally human. People do not seek lawyers when their lives are perfect. They look for help when they are overwhelmed, frightened or unsure of what to do. They want someone who understands their fear and who can translate their confusion into clarity. They want to feel like they matter, and that is achieved by a person who does not make someone feel small for not understanding legal concepts, but instead takes the time to walk them through their options.

Real confidence does not need the theatrics that the media glorifies when portraying legal scenarios. Actual confidence appears when you can maintain clarity in the middle of uncertainty. It grows as you become comfortable with the fact that you do not have all the answers, but you are willing to search for them. Law is a field that requires sincerity paired with preparation. 

The legal profession needs advocates who are fierce, yes, but it also needs those who are thoughtful with how they go about practicing. It needs emotional intelligence as much as it needs intellectualism. The style of lawyering that the media glorifies is narrow because real-life lawyering is expansive. There is room for many types of advocates, including those whose strength is quiet, grounded and compassionate. Those are the ones who remind you that law is not about overpowering others, but about guiding them through some of the hardest challenges they will ever face. 

These stereotypes must contribute to the belief that this profession only requires assertiveness and dominance, when it requires humanity the most. What becomes harmful about these stereotypes is not only that they inaccurately represent the profession, but that they shape how future lawyers perceive themselves before they have even begun. The qualities of empathy become overshadowed, which causes many students to feel inferior before they have even stepped into a classroom.

The harm continues when these stereotypes push individuals to perform a version of themselves that feels unnatural. Some students force themselves to adopt an identity that does not belong to them, believing that unless they mirror the televised version, they will not succeed. This pressure leads to burnout, insecurity and a widening disconnect between who they are and who they believe they must become. Instead of fostering skill, the stereotype fosters self-doubt.

When the public consumes stories of lawyers who rely solely on intimidation and aggressiveness, they form unrealistic expectations about what advocacy looks like. Clients may expect their lawyer to embody the same theatrical energy they have seen in fictional courtroom scenes, even though real advocacy is often built on patience and listening. When a client expects a spectacle, they may misinterpret a thoughtful approach as a lack of strength, when it is often the sign of a lawyer who is deliberate and grounded. These stereotypes set a standard that no real practitioner is meant to meet.

These media portrayals perpetuate the idea that emotional intelligence is unnecessary. Lawyers navigate some of the most emotionally charged moments in people’s lives. Divorces, injuries, criminal accusations, business collapse, family disputes, immigration battles, estate conflicts and countless other situations require far more than strategic thinking. They require the ability to sit with someone’s fear, frustration or grief without overpowering it with legal jargon. A lawyer without emotional awareness may know the law, but they may completely misread the person they are working for. When a lawyer cannot understand the human interests behind the legal issue, their advocacy weakens.

What the media fails to realize is that law is a profession of human beings who guide others through the lows that come with life. That guidance requires humanity far more than it requires dominance. A lawyer who approaches a client with compassion can change the course of that person’s life. A lawyer who actively listens and reflects carefully can craft arguments that are more powerful than any theatrical monologue. Strength in law has never been one-dimensional, and pretending that it is, harms everyone involved.

These portrayals must shift because the legal profession requires being fierce, but also gentle. When stereotypes diminish this truth, they do not just simply misrepresent the profession but weaken it in real life. When the media acknowledges this fuller picture, it will reveal that the heart of law has always belonged to advocates who lead with both strength and humanity.