August 29, 2006 2 Comments

Lawyers as Programmers

Rich at Basement.org (a pet favorite site when he’s thoughtful) has a GREAT post about the ways in which he perceives lawyers and programmers to be similar. I think it’s useful on a lot of levels, including this fascinating gem:

You don’t learn the law in law school. Most exams are open book. It’s not really about memorizing and regurgitating information. Instead, it’s about thinking a certain way. It’s about gaining an ability to understand, deduce and optimize rational arguments. It’s also about foreseeing weaknesses in your adversary’s arguments.

As I’m working hard on lots of things, and some of them involving lawyers, understanding the mindset of these curious people (you know how people talk about lawyers negatively as if they’re sharks? I take that somewhat seriously: sharks are mysterious, powerful, and misunderstood).

Check it out yourself:

Lawyers are like Programmers

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  • http://mypartofnairobi.blogspot.com/ paul merrill

    The law industry and accounting are similar to me; both require a knowledge of minor meaningless detail. (I do appreciate how accountants have saved us some of what Uncle Sam wanted to take!)

    And what bugs me about the law industry is how many practicioners are EVIL. How else would you describe the lawyers who did the $6 billion MacDonalds’ hot-coffee-on-lap suit?

  • http://mypartofnairobi.blogspot.com/ paul merrill

    The law industry and accounting are similar to me; both require a knowledge of minor meaningless detail. (I do appreciate how accountants have saved us some of what Uncle Sam wanted to take!)

    And what bugs me about the law industry is how many practicioners are EVIL. How else would you describe the lawyers who did the $6 billion MacDonalds’ hot-coffee-on-lap suit?