Why everyone should think like a lawyer

[CO. Hoosier]

https://www.livemint.com/special-report/why-everyone-should-think-like-a-lawyer-11725018108784.html

Pretty interesting take on applying lawyer-think to business everyday life.

Scott Turow, an excellent legal fiction writer, described a legal education like this :

But legal education is not about specific cases or statutes. It is, as Mr Turow later understands, about processing a mountain of information and exercising judgment. It teaches how to infer rules from patterns, use analogies, anticipate what might happen next, accept ambiguity and be ready to question everything.​

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I mostly agree, especially the part about being ready to question everything. Particularly when group-think is involved. But should everybody think like a lawyer? Not at all. Not all lawyers think like a lawyer. Variety is good. But the independence lawyers bring to the table is important.

 

[snarlcakes]

@crazed_hoosier2 you need to read this article and apply it to your life.

 

[mcmurtry66]

https://www.livemint.com/special-report/why-everyone-should-think-like-a-lawyer-11725018108784.html

Pretty interesting take on applying lawyer-think to business everyday life.

Scott Turow, an excellent legal fiction writer, described a legal education like this :

But legal education is not about specific cases or statutes. It is, as Mr Turow later understands, about processing a mountain of information and exercising judgment. It teaches how to infer rules from patterns, use analogies, anticipate what might happen next, accept ambiguity and be ready to question everything.​

​

I mostly agree, especially the part about being ready to question everything. Particularly when group-think is involved. But should everybody think like a lawyer? Not at all. Not all lawyers think like a lawyer. Variety is good. But the independence lawyers bring to the table is important.

I will say that legal training is assistive in allowing you to think a certain way but I’m not sure the practice is healthy. I think many spend so much time arguing that it’s inculcated and you become consumed. It’s not great. I’ll also add that legal training helps with the legal aspects of business but not much else. It’s no substitute for business school I’m sure. Most of my partners are lawyers and we think we know everything with business and we’re pretty lousy at it

 

[BadWakeboarder]

I will say that legal training is assistive in allowing you to think a certain way but I’m not sure the practice is healthy. I think many spend so much time arguing that it’s inculcated and you become consumed. It’s not great. I’ll also add that legal training helps with the legal aspects of business but not much else. It’s no substitute for business school I’m sure. Most of my partners are lawyers and we think we know everything with business and we’re pretty lousy at it

Even business school is more of a gate to pass through rather than a value-added education. Other than networking and the diploma - you don’t learn much.

The real astute business minds have:

• Experience in their field
• An entrepreneurial mindset
• Firm grasp on economics and measuring cost and benefit of an economic (micro) decision
• The ability to reach out to experts

 

[BradStevens]

@crazed_hoosier2 you need to read this article and apply it to your life.

 

[mcmurtry66]

Even business school is more of a gate to pass through rather than a value-added education. Other than networking and the diploma - you don’t learn much.

The real astute business minds have:

• Experience in their field
• An entrepreneurial mindset
• Firm grasp on economics and measuring cost and benefit of an economic (micro) decision
• The ability to reach out to experts

Well I have two of the four.

 

[BradStevens]

Even business school is more of a gate to pass through rather than a value-added education. Other than networking and the diploma - you don’t learn much.

The real astute business minds have:

• Experience in their field
• An entrepreneurial mindset
• Firm grasp on economics and measuring cost and benefit of an economic (micro) decision
• The ability to reach out to experts

Jeff Bezos

Mark Zuckerberg

Elon Musk

Jamie Dimon

What do all four have in common, besides being self-made billionaires? None of them got an undergraduate degree in business. (or law degree, obvi)

 

[WhyisIUBBcursed]

I will say that legal training is assistive in allowing you to think a certain way but I’m not sure the practice is healthy. I think many spend so much time arguing that it’s inculcated and you become consumed. It’s not great. I’ll also add that legal training helps with the legal aspects of business but not much else. It’s no substitute for business school I’m sure. Most of my partners are lawyers and we think we know everything with business and we’re pretty lousy at it

Sounds like owning a practice after med school. Let me cast your arm and then I’ll look at either a P&L sheet or a proverb written in Chinese as they both make the same amount of sense to me

 

[mattndallas]

 

[BadWakeboarder]

Jeff Bezos

Mark Zuckerberg

Elon Musk

Jamie Dimon

What do all four have in common, besides being self-made billionaires? None of them got an undergraduate degree in business. (or law degree, obvi)

Dimon is a Harvard MBA

 

[CO. Hoosier]

I will say that legal training is assistive in allowing you to think a certain way but I’m not sure the practice is healthy. I think many spend so much time arguing that it’s inculcated and you become consumed. It’s not great. I’ll also add that legal training helps with the legal aspects of business but not much else. It’s no substitute for business school I’m sure. Most of my partners are lawyers and we think we know everything with business and we’re pretty lousy at it

Mostly disagree. Legal training is not law training. It’s mind training and those skills transfer to many disciplines and endeavors. The arguing part is not all bad, it is a pretty good leaning tool, but yeah, it can be abused. Abuses are more about personality and character than thinking like a lawyer.

I’ll. Illustrate with a real world example

Me: Do you want to go out to eat?

Stoker: where would we go?

Me: What does that have to do with whether you wanna go out?

Stoker: I don’t know if I wanna go out unless I know ehere we are going.

Me: pick one.

Stoker: I don’t care, you decide.

Me: Chinese.

Stoker: What would you order?

Me: Where’s the peanut butter.

Moral: Layers prioritize and make decisions.

 

[BradStevens]

Dimon is a Harvard MBA

Yes he is. Economics and psychology in undergrad. Firmly liberal arts!

 

[mcmurtry66]

Yes he is. Economics and psychology in undergrad. Firmly liberal arts!

YASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS PSYCHOLOGY AND ECONOMICS
Your mind on your money

 

[Marvin the Martian]

Mostly disagree. Legal training is not law training. It’s mind training and those skills transfer to many disciplines and endeavors. The arguing part is not all bad, it is a pretty good leaning tool, but yeah, it can be abused. Abuses are more about personality and character than thinking like a lawyer.

I’ll. Illustrate with a real world example

Me: Do you want to go out to eat?

Stoker: where would we go?

Me: What does that have to do with whether you wanna go out?

Stoker: I don’t know if I wanna go out unless I know ehere we are going.

Me: pick one.

Stoker: I don’t care, you decide.

Me: Chinese.

Stoker: What would you order?

Me: Where’s the peanut butter.

Moral: Layers prioritize and make decisions.

And to finish out the lawyer thinking, how much are you billing us for that story? I'm sure you made it a longer story to get maximum billing.