You and I appear to be understanding the OP in entirely different ways. The value of a lawyer is not in understanding statutes. It is in understanding the syst

You and I appear to be understanding the OP in entirely different ways. The value of a lawyer is not in understanding statutes. It is in understanding the system, and being able to make predictions based on that understanding. From the article: >> Sure, lawyers are (sometimes) good communicators who are (sometimes) well-prepared, but the real value proposition they offer is prediction. Prediction matters in M&A, it matters in estate plans, it matters in divorce litigation. How can you properly prepare a merger without anticipating the things that might go wrong? How can you negotiate a cost-effective divorce settlement if you have no idea how the case will go? How can you plan for, well, what happens after your death, if you can't predict how the financials will play out?