Expert's Dilemma – Too Lawyer To Give Valuable Advice?

Why don't our lawyers give us straight answers? Why can't they just give us clear instructions on how to proceed? I'm fed up with the "on the one hand and on the other hand" -monologs – I want a one-handed-lawyer!

We lawyers are highly educated experts. The expectations for the added value we provide are also high. Many of us have a strong identity of being an expert in a narrow field of the law. That may be one reason why many of us fail to support our clients with all of the knowledge and experience we have.

Have you ever asked your lawyer what the likely outcome of a potential court case is, but not received any useful answer at all? Sorry to say, but that is often how we lawyers are; risk aversive and focused on identifying risks but not necessarily opportunities. Against this background our predictions of the future tend to be overly pessimistic. That is, if we are willing to predict or even guess any outcomes at all.