Introduction to the Insights into Practice

Insights Into Practice

Have you ever wondered what goes on in the minds of other legal practitioners? Have you ever been curious as to whether you measure up?

It’s only natural, after all, legal practitioners are human beings. And it’s the nature of a human being to be curious about those around them – how they do what they do. It’s only natural to wonder whether how you practice is as good as your neighbour next to you.

This isn’t a competition or a way to pitch your law firm against those around you. Rather it’s an exercise in humility, in learning from one another to improve on your practice of the law.

Possibly in new innovative ways.  

This is about taking Insights into Practice and applying it to your own law firm. Benefiting from how others have learnt, have grown, have succeeded.

So, join us as we open up discussions – with other legal practitioners and by approaching some frequently searched for topics – to discover new approaches to the practice of a law in an ever changing and evolving world.

Through the collective minds of the legal profession.

What we aim to do

As we have already stated, the purpose of Insights into Practice is to learn. From one another. Almost like a transference of consciousness in a way that can be used to better understand your own practice. Your own way of doing things.

And this type of exchange has been done across different fields, in different ages for different reasons. Sharing of knowledge today is crucial. We believe.

In the study Learning from others’ experiences: How patterns foster interpersonal transfer of knowledge-in-use, which yes is a few years old now, still holds some water – 

“Learning from others depends on people’s ability to integrate their own and others’ experiences. In order to do that successfully, people have to abstract from single experiences (that they themselves or others have had) and recognize those features that different situations have in common…”

After all what was true in 2016, remains true today. And regardless of when the above was written, it still holds meaning.

In addition, learning from others is something we do – anyway – on a daily basis. It’s what researchers call “social learning”. In the article Social Learning and the Brain: How Do We Learn From and About Other People? They set out as follows –

“Because humans are such social beings, social learning is an important skill. Social learning is a very efficient way to learn things. For example, you do not have to figure everything out on your own, because you learn from other people’s mistakes and successes. Also, social learning can enable you to get to know others better, and therefore to better understand how to behave around them. Such social learning skills help you to have good relationships with others, which is good for your well-being.

When you learn from watching other people, you are learning about the choices they make (such as cheating), and the results of those choices (such as punishment). If the results are positive, you are more likely to make the same choice. However, if the results are negative, you will probably make a different choice.

Scientists have discovered that people are good at learning about the best choices to make. However, we learn even better if we can also watch other people learning the same thing [1]. When we watch others’ choices, whether the results are good or bad, we have extra information on what the best choice may be. We use that extra information to improve our own choices”.

Now, we aren’t saying plagiarise, throw all ethics out the window and copy your neighbour.

Instead, think of this as a social experience where there’s – instead – an interchange of knowledge. Something Insights into Practice will take a focused approach on.

In the article The Power Of Learning From Others, the following important points were made by James Rosseau, CEO and founder of The Corelink Solution –

• “The reason to pick someone else’s brain is simple. “It gives you an exponential opportunity to gain information and cover a lot more terrain quickly,” 
• You can’t get ahead if you don’t learn from others who don’t think like you. To evolve as a person, you need to embrace openness and civility. Be able to disagree. That requires traits such as “adaptability, resolve, and evolution. Listen to another person’s point of view without interrupting them, and still be able to say, ‘I don’t agree with you. But I appreciate and understand your perspective. I get it.’ 
• If you’re not curious about things, it’s hard to gain fresh knowledge. So, do what Rosseau has done. “I’ve gotten more comfortable with letting my curiosity out. That means asking lots of questions. Especially about things you don’t understand.
• The important thing is to seek out diverse outlooks and knowledge.”

And that’s exactly what we seek to do here –

• Talk to others in practice.
• Ask questions.
• Pose different schools of thought.
• Enjoy a “knowledge safari”.
• Spread thinking, ideas, and thoughts.

We do hope you will join us..

If you have any specific topics you would like to discuss, feel free to email alicia@thebelletrist.com.

We so look forward to this new adventure with you.

As always, AJS doesn’t just have your back, they also seek to spread knowledge, create awareness, and provoke thought.

It’s an exciting time ahead…

– Written by Alicia Koch on behalf of AJS