So the other day in my Copyright class, the professor was talking about certain time limits, restrictions, etc., and when you could act on those limits. He then proceeded to put some examples up on the screen via powerpoint - and got ALL of them wrong. 4/4 wrong. And we're talking simple math here - add 35, subtract 2 type stuff.
I told this to my brother in law Justin, who's also in law school here, and he said that he thinks it's wrong that in law school they put so much emphasis on being able to write well, but it's OK if you can't do simple math.
Because guess what?!? It's not OK. Maybe they need to put a math section on the LSAT, maybe they should have algebra for lawyers, but lawyers need math. Most lawyers probably aren't pondering ways to use calculus to speed up equations (guilty), but they certainly need to know simple arithmetic. Corporate mergers, divorce settlements, advising clients on short-term v. long-term payouts. What are they going to do, hire someone to do the math for them?
2 comments:
And I wouldn't say that most lawyers can write well...use legal terms, yes, but write well and grammatically correct, no. ;)
You're focusing on the wrong issue, oh young (or not) lawyer-in-training. You (or maybe not you so much as me) should be freaked out that Congress decided to put the onus on lawyers under Sarbanes-Oxley to report goofy accounting to the Board. Now THAT is scarier to me than lawyers who cannot do simple math. Because lawyers shouldn't have to do accounting - that's why we went to law school in the first place, duh!
Oh, and can I hire you to do my math for me? What's the going rate for basic addition/subtraction these days?
Best Regards,
The Finance Lawyer Who Can't Remember Her 12 Times Table To Save Her Life
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