The Attorney Work Styles Framework: What Kind of Lawyer Are You, Really?

In this special episode of Between the Briefs, Adrian Cea sits down with Dylan Ruga, Carly Savar, and Joe Stephens to unpack Steno’s new Attorney Work Styles Framework - a quiz that reveals whether you’re a Research Commander, Strategic Architect, Courtroom Dynamo, or Narrative Weaver.


What You’ll Learn:

• How the four attorney archetypes work and why none of them is “the best”
  
  
• Why a Research Commander’s strength in precedent can become a limitation without strategy
  
  
• How Strategic Architects see three to four steps ahead and keep cases moving

• The real-world pressure (and burnout risk) behind being a Courtroom Dynamo
  
  
• Why Narrative Weavers win hearts and how to avoid falling in love with the wrong story

• Where hallway settlements actually happen and why soft skills matter in court

• How lawyers evolve across archetypes as their careers change

• The value of pairing opposite styles to build stronger legal teams

• Why the most effective lawyers blend story, law, preparation, and adaptability

The result of the quiz is less about personality typing and more about awareness, growth, and building better legal teams.


Highlights:

00:00 – Introduction

01:15 – Breaking Down the Four Archetypes

03:22 – Carly: Why I Wanted to Be a Courtroom Dynamo

04:28 – Dylan: From Sports to Strategy in the Law

05:33 – Joe: Teaching, Trials, and 11 Ironmans

11:20 – Working With Different Styles (And Friction)

15:03 – Which Archetype Do Top Lawyers Usually Land In?

22:58 – Downsides: When Your Strength Becomes a Weakness

26:42 – Clients, Conflict, and Totally Different Perspectives

32:32 – Why Work Styles Matter When Building Legal Teams

38:29 – Avoiding Echo Chambers (And Finding Honest Feedback)

40:56 – Final Thoughts: AI, Soft Skills, and the Future of Lawyers

Quotes:

1. “Someone once described being in trial to me as, you know, having to make a decision, a pretty important decision every ten, fifteen, twenty seconds all day for as long as the trial goes on.” - Joe Stephens
2. “Being a strategic architect is great if everything works out the way that you hope it'll work out, but it never does.” - Dylan Ruga
3. “So, having that difference of opinion, I think can be really fruitful. And I think it's really important sometimes for lawyers to seek that out, just making sure that there is someone out there checking on you and making sure that what you're saying, and what you're thinking is coming through the way you think it is.” - Joe Stephens
4. “We don't lose sight of what the case law is while we're telling the stories that matter. It's who can think ahead, who can articulate what matters and go back to the fundamentals and make sure we're actually citing good law. I think that's going to rule the day…” - Carly Savar

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