Proximity is the number one factor in mate selection: the men or women you have access to are effectively your dating pool, your range of possibilities. And if you are a lawyer, chances are many of your friends are lawyers, you spend a lot of time with lawyers, most people you chum with have some relationship to law. Dating another lawyer seems natural.

What are some of the advantages? The shared paycheck will be hefty, of course, and you will have a partner who truly understands your work grievances, because he or she shares them. Understanding is a precious commodity, and nothing to laugh away: it is a platitude that marriage is mostly conversation, and if you want a happy marriage, choose somebody you can talk with. And interestingly enough, lawyer's divorce rates are relatively low, at 10 percent -- they aren't even one of the top 15 most divorcable careers; they do pretty good as couples.

Nevertheless, perhaps having too much in common means you have no real escape from the law: it's at work, but it's also at home. Also, the unique problems you struggle with will also be his or hers, so you can't compensate for each other. Further, you might find yourself resenting a partner who makes more money or gets the promotion. Likewise, your partner might represent you.

Though many states limit the sort of dating that can go on between clients and lawyers, it is of course a matter of free will if a lawyer chooses a lawyer. Nevertheless, coworkers in the same firm might have to sign a "love contract" that limits the possibility for abuse or sexual harassment if the relationship goes sour. This in itself should be enough of a warning to avoid dating immediate coworkers.