Why did Leon Battista Alberti choose a secretarial career instead of becoming a lawyer?

After completing his doctorate in canon law at the University of Bologna in 1428, Leon Battista Alberti chose to pursue a secretarial career rather than practice law, despite his legal expertise.12

While his time at the university was described as a "joyless study of law," his education had also made him an accomplished Latinist and literary stylist. By accepting a position as a secretary—first to Cardinal Albergati and later in the Papal Chancery in 1432—Alberti was able to secure a livelihood that supported his broader intellectual, artistic, and humanistic pursuits. This role allowed him to dedicate his life to a wide range of activities, including writing, philosophy, and architecture, rather than the constraints of a legal career.12