Quote:
Originally Posted by Greedy,Greedy,Greedy
The thing about being a corporate attorney is I can bullshit a very wide range of issues pretty effectively, and even seem to have learned a fair bit about whole industries and businesses broadly, but when you really get to details, I always have to find subject matter experts (and then, omg, get them to listen to each other).
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That's true. There's also the issue that you only learn what you learn for a limited time. IP? I can learn enough to get an injunction. One year later? Don't recall shit of it. Fed sentencing guidelines? Knew them inside out for three years. Couldn't hope to recall them now. Public finance? The only details kept are those which I can use as a consultant. Tax, bankruptcy, and execution laws and might be the only area I recall stuff quickly because in debt workouts it's often an issue. Insurance I intentionally refuse to keep in my head because it bores me to tears.
Two things are at work here. One, one can't really care much about most of the stuff. It's a way to get paid, so people recall it only long enough to get paid for it and then fill their heads with other things they find interesting, which pushes the boring stuff out. Second, one only has so much storage. The more subjects you hit, the more you crowd out other info.
So I agree, experts are of value. But it bears noting that people within an industry - and experts expose this more than anyone else - can develop an exclusively industry-centric view of things. The result is not always aligned with objective reality viewed from the outside.
