This assumption has not mattered much in past years, even for persons to whom money is important, because fortunes were rare. The distinction between doing well and being rich was not so obvious or pronounced. That number may not be as large as is commonly believed, but it is sufficiently large that people in professions not sharing in this new wealth are aware of it. We have been aware for some time of the growing gap between the rich and the poor.
Many lawyers fall into the latter category.
Very few fall into the former. Not many students are in law school because they want to get rich. People do not go into law practice in order to have an easy life. The hours worked by attorneys in large law firms is legendary, but even in small firms and the public sector the practice of law is demanding and time consuming. While the practice of law does not promise an easy or wealthy life, it has always offered a satisfying and rewarding life.