Mental Shortcuts Solo Lawyers Need To Develop - But Law School Never Taught
How simple decision rules help lawyers and business owners enhance their decision making and end decision making paralysis.
As a business lawyer, my success as a negotiator depends on having the most comprehensive and accurate information at all times.
The better my knowledge, the better outcomes I can achieve for clients.
I've found the same rule applies to running my practice.
Every day, I make dozens of choices: clients to take, strategies to take on a file, what tech to buy, whether to hire help, etc.
Each choice compounds - either moving me closer to the practice I want or creating more problems later.
But here's what law school never taught me:
Business decisions need simple decision rules - mental shortcuts that accelerate decision making.
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Without decision rules, every choice becomes overwhelming:
Client decisions turn into guesswork without a simple "ideal client filter." You take cases that drain your energy because you haven't developed quick rules for spotting clients who match your skills and schedule.
Technology choices paralyze you with endless options. Every vendor promises solutions, but you need simple ways to separate must-have features from expensive add-ons that complicate your workflow.
Pricing strategy stays stuck because you don't have simple formulas for valuing different types of work. You undercharge for complex matters and overcharge for routine tasks—confusing both yourself and clients.
Growth decisions feel risky without clear rules. Should you hire a paralegal? Move to a bigger office? Add practice areas? These choices affect your family's financial security, but you're making them without tested guidelines.
Time management suffers when you don't have automatic systems for common decisions. You reinvent client intake, contract reviews, and case management because you never created simple rules that work.
Faced with this overwhelm, you can sometimes get trapped between:
Endless thinking that eats up hours while opportunities slip away
Hoping that the decision made is the right one.
Both drain the time and mental energy you can't afford to lose.
To avoid this trap, I use simple yes/no questions that are designed solely to make decisions quickly.
Some examples:
For clients: "will this client bring drama into my life?"
For technology: "does this technology fit into my process? Do I really need this bell/whistle?"
For growth: "How will this growth decision affect my time with family?"
Now keep in mind, I’m not saying these rules make decisions perfect.
These red flag/green flag rules do however make decisions a little bit easier so that you can move on in your day.
If you are struggling with making decisions in your career or practice, consider developing your own set of guidelines designed solely to accelerate your decision making.
Over time, these rules will not only enhance your decision making, but also free up more time for what’s truly important in your day.
Tomorrow, the 5 types of knowledge that make decision rules actually work.