Lawyers in the legislature: The case of Ohio

Abstract

Do lawyer-legislators differ significantly from their non-lawyer colleagues? This question is significant given the large number of lawyers occupying state and federal legislatures. The predominant theory of “professional convergence” holds that lawyer-legislators and non-lawyer-legislators exhibit no significant differences. In examining the Ohio General Assembly, this study finds that lawyers tend to be more ambitious, and think of their legislative roles differently than their non-lawyer associates. The study concludes that convergence theory needs to be revised to become attuned to present day realities of law and politics.

Acknowledgment

The author would like to thank the Jackson College of Graduate Studies and Research at the University of Central Oklahoma for its support of this project.