Networking

This leads me to speculate that the most 'successful' sociopaths are lawyers (tap of approval). Of that group the most successful would tend to be 'criminal' defense attorneys (criminal both in the sense of specializing in criminal defense, and in the sense of being themselves criminals (boom)). It would also follow that such lawyers understand many of their clients instinctively. This may or may not make them more effective, but the first task of a lawyer is to understand the client and it saves time if both are on the same wavelength. I would further speculate that sociopaths tend to recognize one another almost immediately, whether the relationship is client-based or not. A simple conversation might be sufficient. In any case, such lawyers would tend to build a network around them and their work, composed of like-minded individuals. For example, a private detective working for such a lawyer would most likely have no sense of ethics, and would as a result of that 'quality' be very useful on occasion. The sole constraint on such a group would be The Law.

There must be a hierarchy of concerns which would assist the group in their process of vetting any particular proposed activity. 'What are the chances of getting caught?' This is probably at the top of the list if the proposed activity is obviously criminal in nature. The next concern might be, 'If caught, what is the downside?' I could go on with this but I think you get the idea: such a person or group would value The Law only in the sense that it is the language they speak to power, and the more fluent their speech the more powerful they become. Esoteric notions (idealism for example) would not enter their calculations except as camouflage.

As it is with some lawyers so it is with some cops (stomp). The sociopaths find each other in spite of slightly different professions. In this manner the criminal lawyer adds to his network, which may take years to build. But this network is not limited to those in the Criminal Justice System. Other recruits could come from those professions which regularly come into contact with that system. Physicians, for example.

Fellow sociopaths are not the only candidates for inclusion. I have already mentioned the 'ethnic gullibility' of Jews. Homosexuals are yet another obvious category. This group contains a specially vulnerable sub-group, the closeted homosexuals. Members of this group can be manipulated by simply being threatened with exposure, while the larger group might be vulnerable to sexual hatred. The lawyer-sociopath would over time become adept at exploiting all these types.