I was recently introduced to a wonderful little book entitled Dangerous Law Practice Myths, Lies and Stupidity, which recently hit number one on Amazon in its category. It is not a long read, and yet it capsulizes in a number of different ways the great misconceptions that especially young and new lawyers have about the practice of law. Misconceptions that often times prove harmful both in a practice sense and in a financial sense.
A number of authors and attorneys contributed to the book, but it was primarily spearheaded by Judd Kessler of Abacus Law Complete Law Office Software.
If you want to learn more about the book, you can visit it's special website at LawMyths.Com.
I am sure the authors do not want me to give away all of the myths discussed in their book, but I want to give you a few I find important.
The Paper Myth. Paper based offices are not better. In fact, they can be a disaster in many way. Often it is just a mess. It is error prone. You need to read why.
The Yellow Pad Myth. I have got to admit, I no longer have a yellow pad in my office. It has become a relic the last few years. The point of the book is that although pen and paper is convenient upfront, you have trouble in this day and age retrieving it.
The Low Fee Myth. This seems to me to be the biggest myth from new law graduates who contact me. I think they are so concerned about obtaining business when they start out and, as a result, they actually argue with me about this point. The writers of this book illustrate that big checks fix big problems, and that is true. You will never make a living charging less money for more work than a more experienced lawyer has to put in the case. It is a recipe for disaster if you ask me. I know because when I started out I lived that disaster.
So, I would recommend you pick up this book and at least scan through it and take the advice of the authors to heart. It is the myths and misconceptions of what you believe is important in the practice of law that will kill your ability to practice comfortably and profitably.
Comments