We live in the greatest age for critical thinking for lawyers, yet even the most educated minds often fall victim to false beliefs. A quote from a former Harvard Dean of Medicine rings painfully true:
“Half of what we are going to teach you is wrong, and half of it is right. Our problem is that we don’t know which half is which.”
We are surrounded by infinite knowledge. Go back to the 1980s and try explaining a smartphone—you’d have to say it’s a device that holds every surviving piece of human history, lets you call anyone from almost anywhere, streams every film ever made, and plays every classic video game. Sounds incredible, right?
But that same access makes it dangerously easy to “learn” things that aren’t true. And the faster we absorb misinformation, the more it distorts our relationships, decisions, and law firm performance.
Critical Thinking for Lawyers: Busting Common Myths
Let’s test your knowledge. Without using Google:
-
Who was the first astronaut to see the Great Wall of China from space?
-
How long does it take gum to pass through the human body?
-
What year did Citizen Kane win Best Picture?
Spoiler alert: None of those answers are what most people think—and that’s the point.
As lawyers, we’re taught to think critically. So, shouldn’t we be even better at finding the truth? Unfortunately, the smarter we are, the more vulnerable we become to flawed decision-making. Research confirms this. Overconfidence often prevents us from seeking help or re-evaluating what we think we know.
Critical Thinking for Lawyers: Rethink Growth Assumptions
Take it from me—I was 28, generating $250,000–$350,000 in referrals my first year in business with zero formal experience. Naturally, I wanted more. More cases, more leads, more employees, more everything.
What did I get?
-
A 15-person firm I hated managing
-
$200,000 in debt
-
Less time with my son
-
Burnout and misery
This story isn’t unique. Lawyer depression rates are 2–4x higher than the general population. Many lawyers mistake volume for success without asking why they want more in the first place.
Critical Thinking for Lawyers: Think Like a Poker Player
World Series of Poker champion Annie Duke, in her book Thinking in Bets, recommends “thinking like a lawyer” to weigh decisions logically. But since we’re already lawyers, maybe it’s time to think like a poker player.
Try this mindset: “Want to bet on it?”
That simple question helps you move from binary thinking to evaluating how confident you are in what you believe. It invites flexibility, self-reflection, and smarter decisions.
Critical Thinking for Lawyers: Define Your Ideal Client
If I’d defined a clear Ideal Client Avatar from the start, everything would have changed:
-
I could have hired fewer, better-aligned employees
-
I could have invested smarter in marketing that reached my exact audience
-
I could have trusted Molly’s team to focus on attracting and retaining the right talent
-
I could have built a marketing plan like we now offer through LegalEase—one rooted in alignment, results, and tracking
Instead of chasing “more,” I could have pursued better.
Critical Thinking for Lawyers: Ask Better Questions
Here are three questions every law firm owner should ask:
-
How much money do I NEED to make?
-
What work do I WANT to be doing?
-
How many hours do I WANT to work?
These aren’t once-a-year questions. They should be asked regularly:
-
Solos: Annually or quarterly
-
Small firms: Quarterly or monthly
-
Larger firms: Monthly or even weekly (delegate where possible)
Critical Thinking for Lawyers: Get Help When You Need It
If you’re unsure what’s working, what’s failing, or what needs to change, that’s okay. The right support system makes all the difference—and yes, we’re that system. You don’t have to figure it out alone.
Oh, and those question answers:
-
No astronaut has seen the Great Wall from space
-
Gum passes through your body just like anything else you eat
-
Citizen Kane didn’t win Best Picture. How Green Was My Valley did in 1942
Ready to Sharpen Your Thinking?
Explore more of our free, expert-backed law firm leadership tools at fire.h50.us/~hrgnmpwr/dev2/. Want to keep growing your firm with intention? Learn more on our blogs and don’t miss our weekly podcast episodes for real-world insights and law firm success stories.
Written by Molly Hall McGrath