Troves of lawyers across various practice areas will read countless judicial decisions throughout the course of their careers. Reading “cases,” as we call them, begins on day one in law school. Sometimes lawyers read decisions because doing so is an integral part of their practice. Others might read them for educational purposes as well.
Regardless, the range of reactions a lawyer might have to reading a decision is, in this author’s experience, somewhat limited. Either we agree with the decision, or we disagree with it. Or, maybe the case is simply a means to an end, i.e., if it supports our client’s position, then we will glom on to it, and if not, not.
