It could be argued that law school does not prepare one fully for the realities of being a lawyer. I've learned almost everything about being an Asheville Personal Injury Lawyer since I graduated from law school, from other lawyers, Books, DVD's, educational seminars, and lectures. Law school did however teach me some crucial skills that have served me well in my legal practice.
I learned how to "think like an attorney" in law school. This is a common term that gets used, but what does it really mean? In my case, it means that I've learned to see multiple sides of any argument. Earlier, a client called me with a problem that is commonly handled by an Asheville personal injury attorney: He was in a car accident on October 2nd, 2014. He called me today on the 28th, having not been to the doctor since before the crash, which was 26 days ago. It is highly likely that the insurance company for the at fault driver will refuse to pay for medical treatment that my client states is related to the accident, on the grounds that it's been too long since the accident. Before I went to law school I would have thought, "this is totally unfair and unreasonable", and would have taken the case and argued that his injuries were a result of the crash. Law school taught me to see the other side of the argument. I explained to the client that not having sought medical care for 26 days makes it hard to prove that the injuries are related to the accident. It is easily arguable that the injuries were sustained after the crash. "Thinking like an attorney" involves seeing beyond your own position in the argument, and being able to analyze the entire equation, not just seeing your own viewpoint.
What else did law school teach me? It taught me how to assimilate, learn and memorize boring minutiae. When I was required to take courses like Tax Law and Corporate Law, I was faced with a large amount of information I was not necessarily interested in or passionate about, but had to work through and process in order to get a good grade. Did I learn anything particularly helpful in Tax Law? No, but I did learn how to be patient and methodical with information that bored me half to death. This skill serves me well in my practice, when I have to pore over similarly boring material related to insurance subrogation, related to Medicaid, Medicare, state and federal laws. Boring, yes. But essential for my practice to be successful.
Learning the importance of preparation. Law school essentially boils down to a single 2-3 hour-long exam, much of which is in essay form. It is incredible how much preparation is involved in getting a successful grade on this test. I had to learn how to organize and distill 6 months of lectures and class notes into a 5-page document designed for memorization, so that I could speak intelligently on the given topic. The amount of information on that exam was so immense, that I had to employ all kinds of mnemonics to help me organize and catalog all the information in the course. I memorized case law, elements of law and purposes of laws. Do I remember any of that any more? No. Do I ever review my notes from law school? No. But did I learn skills invaluable for an Asheville personal injury attorney such as: how to prepare and organize effectively for trial, because of my experiences in law school? Absolutely.
Although law school does not really teach much substance (unless you want to be a professor someday), it does teach skills. Skills that are very useful as an Asheville personal injury attorney. If you are considering law school, or if you are in law school now, try to look at the bigger picture. Three years and $140,000 doesn't seem so pointless once you understand exactly what you'll get from it.
Lakota Denton is a personal injury attorney at Minick Law in Asheville, NC. To learn more about him and his firm, visit them on the web at http://www.minicklaw.com
I learned how to "think like an attorney" in law school. This is a common term that gets used, but what does it really mean? In my case, it means that I've learned to see multiple sides of any argument. Earlier, a client called me with a problem that is commonly handled by an Asheville personal injury attorney: He was in a car accident on October 2nd, 2014. He called me today on the 28th, having not been to the doctor since before the crash, which was 26 days ago. It is highly likely that the insurance company for the at fault driver will refuse to pay for medical treatment that my client states is related to the accident, on the grounds that it's been too long since the accident. Before I went to law school I would have thought, "this is totally unfair and unreasonable", and would have taken the case and argued that his injuries were a result of the crash. Law school taught me to see the other side of the argument. I explained to the client that not having sought medical care for 26 days makes it hard to prove that the injuries are related to the accident. It is easily arguable that the injuries were sustained after the crash. "Thinking like an attorney" involves seeing beyond your own position in the argument, and being able to analyze the entire equation, not just seeing your own viewpoint.
What else did law school teach me? It taught me how to assimilate, learn and memorize boring minutiae. When I was required to take courses like Tax Law and Corporate Law, I was faced with a large amount of information I was not necessarily interested in or passionate about, but had to work through and process in order to get a good grade. Did I learn anything particularly helpful in Tax Law? No, but I did learn how to be patient and methodical with information that bored me half to death. This skill serves me well in my practice, when I have to pore over similarly boring material related to insurance subrogation, related to Medicaid, Medicare, state and federal laws. Boring, yes. But essential for my practice to be successful.
Learning the importance of preparation. Law school essentially boils down to a single 2-3 hour-long exam, much of which is in essay form. It is incredible how much preparation is involved in getting a successful grade on this test. I had to learn how to organize and distill 6 months of lectures and class notes into a 5-page document designed for memorization, so that I could speak intelligently on the given topic. The amount of information on that exam was so immense, that I had to employ all kinds of mnemonics to help me organize and catalog all the information in the course. I memorized case law, elements of law and purposes of laws. Do I remember any of that any more? No. Do I ever review my notes from law school? No. But did I learn skills invaluable for an Asheville personal injury attorney such as: how to prepare and organize effectively for trial, because of my experiences in law school? Absolutely.
Although law school does not really teach much substance (unless you want to be a professor someday), it does teach skills. Skills that are very useful as an Asheville personal injury attorney. If you are considering law school, or if you are in law school now, try to look at the bigger picture. Three years and $140,000 doesn't seem so pointless once you understand exactly what you'll get from it.
Lakota Denton is a personal injury attorney at Minick Law in Asheville, NC. To learn more about him and his firm, visit them on the web at http://www.minicklaw.com
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Learn more about Asheville Personal Injury Attorneys. Stop by Minick Law's website where you can find out all about Personal Injury Lawyers and what they can do for you.
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