MASTER OF N(ONE) – WHY A JACK IS THE BEST CHOICE FOR COUNSEL

“A jack of all trades is a master of none.” This figure of speech is one of the most frequently misquoted (and misunderstood) in the English lexicon.

The shortened version, “a jack of all trades,” is often a compliment used to describe a person who is proficient in a wide variety of skills or has a very strong, broad knowledge base. This person may even be a master of integration — able to bring various disciplines together in a practical manner.

On the other hand, the longer version is unfriendly to Jack’s generalism. The dimmer view — that Jack has left himself a “master of none,” never an expert or leader in any single area — casts doubt on the value of a broad, unfocused skill base.

But both versions are wrong. The original saying is much longer still: “Jack of all trades, a master of none, but oftentimes better than master of one.” Thus, the predominant wisdom recognized that while a person may not be the frontrunner at all skills, that individual is certainly more capable than someone who is only dominant at a single ability, and he usually best suited to the task.

This distinction can be seen clearly in international sports where, since 1912, the Olympic gold medalist in decathlon — a two-day competition in which each competitor takes part in the same ten events — has been unofficially dubbed “the greatest athlete in the world.” (See, e.g., “Decathlon Winner Ashton Eaton Repeats as the ‘World’s Greatest Athlete,’” NPR (accessed Nov. 30, 2018),https://www.npr.org/sections/thetorch/2016/). Decathlon does not demand the fastest runner, highest jumper, or strongest arm — but all of these. There may be specialists: swifter runners, higher jumpers, or further throwers, but none of these is generallya greater athlete than the decathlon champion.

Over the last 100 years — roughly the same time since the decathlon was introduced in the modern Olympics — legal practice has shifted dramatically in style from the generalist to the specialist. (See generally William D. Henderson, Three Generations of U.S. Lawyers: Generalists, Specialists, Project Managers 70 Md. L. Rev. 374 (2010–11)). Rather than focus on developing the broadest base of common knowledge and abilities, attorneys have zeroed in on personal specialties. Many of the larger firms around even boast as many as 50–60 individual, dedicated practice groups or specialty areas. Some of these firms and lawyers claim to be industry leaders in some of those isolated or esoteric legal fields. They may indeed be masters of their individual domains, but at the expense of the value that a broader experience would bring their clients.

The advice given to clients by lawyers practicing only in one area over the course of a career can negatively impact those clients in a few clear ways. First, the legal services a client requires — whether in a transactional or litigation setting — almost never involve only one legal field, and specialist may not be well-suited to integrating their practices into the general objectives sought by the client. Second, even specialists can become stale in the areas of their so-called expertise. They may miss crucial new developments in their fields or become unable to view problems from the outside-in: with an eye on a fresh approach. Finally, the smaller and more select a specialty become, the more insular the group of practitioners. A specialist may be unwilling to risk a professional relationship with opposing counsel, even though the needs of the client demand zealous advocacy, for fear of the impact on future cases. In this way, a lawyer’s utmost duties to a client may be compromised by adherence to an isolated industry practice area.

While there will always be a place for the master of one, a client’s primary lawyer should be the jack of all trades, or decathlete, who is disciplined in a variety of skills, and is therefore in the best position to direct the client in how to build a team well-suited to the needs of a case or deal. Where a specialist may be averse to straying far from a known discipline, the Jack is not beholden to a single course of action or biased against any creative solution.

And in fact, partnering with a specialist may be a part of the correct course of action.

In many ways, every version of the “jack” saying is harmonizable, and it can help clients find the best legal services. When the variety of experience of the jack of all trades makes jack the master of integration and evaluation, then the jack becomes something of a master as well. And that is truly better than being the master of one.