I hear this phrase all.the.time. Non-stop. From all sorts of people–lawyers and non-lawyers alike. Sometimes it’s said with a positive tone, and other times the negative connotations are impossible to escape. But I still don’t know what it means! Every time I hear it, I want to scream (in a very respectful manner): WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT?!

So, any insight out there? What on earth does this mean? I kind of hate the phrase because I disagree with it. I’ve got two years of this whole “law school thing” down, and I’ve met every kind of person under the sun. Students, teachers, lawyers, judges… they’re all SO different. I can’t find a single common theme at all. Some are incredible people, and others are disgusting people. Some are brilliant, and others are probably certifiable. Maybe it “takes a certain kind of person” to work in public interest law. That I would believe. You have to have the patience of a saint and be accepting of a piss poor salary. Maybe it “takes a certain kind of person” to be a prosecutor. You’ll have to be tough as nails and you’ll have to be able to stomach some really horrible cases and people. Sure, it “takes a certain kind of person” to work in intellectual property law. You have to have a brain the size of Kansas.

But beyond that, I don’t get it. Have you out there in the interwebs ever uttered this phrase? What did you mean by it?