What Lawyers Know (That You Don’t) About The Power Of Options

First things first, I’m no lawyer.

And I can’t give you any legal advice.

But I can give you something even better…

Life advice.

From my journey building a startup from scratch to my insights of the world’s top specialist.

Today I’m going to share with you what lawyers know (that you don’t) about the power of options.

Last weekend I was watching a highly anticipated standup comedy show from Chris Rock.

My eyes were glued to the screen eagerly waiting for Chris to address the whole “slap” situation.

But rather than laugh at every predictable punchline he threw at Will Smith about the “incident”, I was mentally focused on a different story.

Chris shared a story about his kids getting in trouble with their prestigious private school on an international trip.

Because they snuck out to party in the night, the school decided to expel all the students involved.

But instead all of the rich parents and Chris banded together, hired lawyers, and threatened to sue the school for negligence.

I know this sounds like the plot of Netflix’s next intense teen drama, but somewhere in there jokes were made.

However, all I remember thinking was, “I didn’t even know suing your school was an option.”

I realized that in all of my 27 years of living I’ve never heard of parents suing schools to keep their kids from getting expelled.

And it was crazy to think, there are options out there that some of us have no idea are possible.

My family in the exact same situation may have let me get expelled, and as a result, forfeited all of the educational advantages that come with attending private schools.

That is crazy to think about.

Two people in the same exact situation can have two drastically different results just because of the options they are aware of.

And the only determining factor in Chris’s story (p.s.- his privileged kids got to stay in their privileged school.) was a lawyer.

It all came down to speaking with a well educated lawyer that let him know he had the option to flip the script and essentially gaslight the school.

And honestly, that’s really the core job of all lawyers.

It isn’t about arguing in court.

It isn’t about the connections.

It isn’t about handling press releases and forming contracts.

The most valuable job of a lawyer is presenting you with your options.

And the best lawyers in the world know this.

The better they know the law, and the rules, and have first-hand experience with similar cases, the more options they have to present you.

The last time I was in court for a friend’s hearing I watched their cheap lawyer get up and eagerly accept the basic option and standard sentence for their crime.

Two seconds later, a lawyer came forward representing a guy for the exact same crime and details but by the end of it the judge gave a sentence with extra random benefits, less consequences, and half the probation time.

I remember thinking in that moment, “You get what you paid for.”

And the only difference between the cheap and expensive lawyer was that one presented their client with triple the options.

Growing up I was a very independent kid that learned pretty much everything on my own.

But years later as I look back on my past, I realize I missed a lot of opportunities for one simple reason.

I didn’t know I had the option.

If my parents told me there was an option of entrepreneurship, maybe I wouldn’t have wasted that year in college knowing it wasn’t for me.

If my doctors told me stem cell transplants could cure sickle cell disease, I would have chosen the path of being disease free.

If my guidance counselors told me that any student could take IB or AP classes, I would of graduated as an AP Honor.

Okay, okay, I did actually graduate as an AP Honor but because I bust my ass taking 5 AP classes senior year, not because my counselors told me I had the option.

But seriously, when you look around at your life, ask yourself if you’re really aware of all the options you have.

And even better, is there any person going out of their way to show you your options.

It may sound trivial, but progress, growth, success, and opportunities are virtually impossible to achieve when you don’t know what’s possible.

Like a lawyer going to battle for their client, always fight to know your options.

Because the life you choose to build can only get better when you see all the tools at your disposal…

In progress,

Tim

P.S.- Here’s more fire content…