I like this quote because it reflects the attitude of most people towards the mysterious art of the Law. And I will admit I used to share this attitude too.
When we first bought this Legal Publishing business it was difficult to get over the notion that there was some special knowledge, secret handshakes or verified membership that I just didn’t have… and therefore what the heck was I doing attempting to sell legal documents to all and sundry?
So off I trotted to University to see if I could unravel the mystery. This is usually my first response to a problem: seek more information, pick it apart, unravel it and put it back together again.
What I learnt during those few semesters was that the law was not actually all that mysterious BUT it was certainly a wide and varied subject that required a great deal of learning. It is impossible for any one lawyer no matter how skilled to be knowledgeable on every facet of the law.
It’s just too big.
That’s why many solicitors specialise – so they can become really adept at one small corner of the law. Or you have the general practitioners – who know a little about a range of subjects (and when something really tricky crops up they call on the niche practitioners).
Meanwhile both camps have access to hundreds of books that tell them the rules for each particular area. They don’t have to memorise that stuff, but they do need to know how to find it and how to apply it.
Which brings me to my next point – law students are taught think like lawyers and this is perhaps where some of the dark arts show up.
Lawyers do think differently. They are taught about broad focus and narrow focus and how to take the rules and bend them according to the situation they or their client find themselves in. And really if you are in a bind you do want a lawyer who is skilled at creating an argument that gets you out of trouble.
Thankfully what we do as Legal Publishers does not require this skill set. Rather our contracts, which are drafted by experienced legal professionals, help you avoid getting into a situation where you need a lawyer to bail you out.
We provide solutions to a range of everyday issues so that you enjoy the protection that a written agreement provides without having to spend a fortune in legal fees. Lawyers have been using contract templates like this for years – did you really think they draft an agreement from scratch?
There are without a doubt many instances where you need a highly skilled solicitor but equally there are many times when you don’t need to buy into the mystery of the legal profession and you can take care of business yourself.