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Ask HN: Programmers and lawyers should be so similar, why aren't we?
This has been bugging me for a long time. Lawyers need solid logical reasoning skills, attention to detail and structure. Just like programmers. Yet as a programmer it’s often easier to connect with for instance a biologist than a lawyer. Why is that? Why is there not more affinity between the two professions? Why are there so few crossovers (people migrating) between law and programming?
- andsoitis 1y agoShared characteristics: analytical, detail oriented, problem solve, persistence/patience, communication skills. Unique to good lawyers: persuasive argumentation, interpersonal skills, emotional intelligence, public speaking Unique to good programmers: logical thinking, systems thinking What is the question behind your question?
- powerbroker 1y agoAs both a lawyer and a programmer, I tend to agree with the above. However, I've noticed among other lawyer/programmers, some further traits: easily bored, and extraordinarily focussed. A quirky features of lawyers: can be unusually petty. Quirky features of programmers: can be remarkably correct and still be very opaque.
- 8organicbits 1y agoLawyers deal with ambiguous and conflicting laws. Their goal is often to convince based on targets like "preponderance of the evidence" or "beyond a reasonable doubt". Programmers deal with computers that execute code precisely, based on clear, unambitious rules. Human laws and programming languages are vastly different.
- joules77 1y agoProgrammers deal with uncertainty and ambiguity too. But the training involves filing a bug and sweeping it under the carpet. When things meltdown, systems are hacked, data is lost they call the Lawyer.
- 8organicbits 1y agoSure, but the degree is very different. Law is inherently, intentionally ambiguous. Software development produces code that aims to be unambiguous and produces the same output every time. Programmers don't expect the computer to reason about edge cases they didn't consider.
- alganet 1y ago[flagged]
- accengaged 1y agoLaw is all about gatekeepers - you need the right degree, have to pass the bar, then work your way up through established hierarchies. Classic professional credentialism where they keep access locked down tight. Programming smashed that whole model - you can learn online, jump into open source, and prove yourself through what you actually build rather than what credentials you have. Law school teaches you to think in precedent and interpretation within whatever frameworks already exist. Programming culture is way more about experimenting and building completely new stuff from the ground up. One field rewards you for working within the system, the other rewards you for tearing it down and rebuilding it better. Sure, both require logical thinking, but they use it in totally different ways that create completely different professional mindsets. What sucks for programming is that because of all this, it gets seen as something trivial - especially now with AI writing applications that technically work but have zero architectural thought behind them. They'll do exactly what you asked for and nothing more, then fall apart when you actually need them to scale. Finding any programmer is easy these days, finding a good one isn't - it's gotten way harder with AI around and the Dunning-Kruger effect is everywhere in the field. The ML community hit this wall too. Say you're an AI engineer and people immediately lump you in with those "pay-me-to-talk" types going on about "quantum fields and vibrations to boost your workforce energy and productivity." "I'm a lawyer" still gets you respect. "I'm an AI/Software Engineer" gets you grouped with the snake oil salespeople. That disparity just makes the whole thing worse.
- rvz 1y agoOne deliberately gate-keeps people (and they should) who don't have the credentials to practice the law whereas the other opens the entire industry to those without the need of passing an accreditation exam or getting a degree in the field. But the most distinctive difference is that it is illegal to practice law without a license. You can be a programmer and vibe code something without any credentials. They are not the same.
- treetalker 1y agoProgramming does not have (but should have) licensing to ensure proper qualifications — including ethics requirements, duties to the client (end user) and the possibility of losing the license on account of malpractice (including violations of the guild's ethics requirements). As for other comments claiming that programmers but not lawyers are logical and systems thinkers, the commenters seem to be unacquainted with the practice of law in the real world.