Lesson 10: Judgment is the Goal

One of the most common goals of associate development is creating greater independence.

Partners want associates who can manage assignments efficiently, anticipate issues, communicate effectively, and operate with less supervision over time. Yet many development efforts focus primarily on execution—drafting motions, preparing discovery responses, and summarizing issues for a client.  These skills matter, but they are not the ultimate objective.

Execution will always require instruction, oversight, and collaboration. An associate seeking greater independence is not seeking the absence of guidance. Rather, they are seeking the ability to exercise judgment within it.

The ultimate goal of professional development is not simply producing the work; it is developing the judgment to make decisions about the work.

Over time, the measure of development shifts from "Can this assignment be completed?" to "Can sound judgment be exercised while completing it?"

Execution Produces Work. Judgment Produces Lawyers.

Most associates begin their careers focused on execution. They are learning procedures, developing technical skills, and trying to avoid mistakes. That is entirely appropriate.

As development progresses, however, the objective should begin shifting. The question is no longer simply, "Can this person complete the assignment?" The question becomes more complex, "Can this person exercise judgment, identify the issue(s), evaluate competing approaches, recognize risk, make recommendations, and explain favorability between alternatives?

Clients are rarely paying for documents alone—especially in the age of AI; they are paying for judgment. Strong leaders understand that judgment is ultimately what they are developing in their associates.

In practice, one of the simplest ways to develop judgment is to resist becoming the immediate source of every answer. When an associate asks a question, ask what options they considered. Ask what recommendation they would make. Ask why.

The best leaders understand that development requires balance. They know when to provide instruction and when to create space for reasoning through participation.

People do not become stronger decision-makers by repeatedly receiving answers.

They become stronger decision-makers by evaluating options, making recommendations, and learning from the decisions they make.

Execution produces work. Judgment produces lawyers.

Over-Direction Can Limit Growth

Many leaders unintentionally create dependence. Some do so by refusing to delegate. Others do so by over-directing.

Instructions can become so detailed that associates are left with little room to think independently. Every decision is predetermined. Every question is answered before it can be considered. Every assignment becomes an exercise in following instructions rather than exercising judgment.

While this approach may create short-term efficiency, it often limits long-term development.

Development requires space to think. And thinking requires room to decide.

Allowing associates to exercise judgment inevitably introduces risk. Recommendations may be imperfect. Decisions may require correction. Mistakes may occur. Mistakes are not evidence that development has failed; they are often evidence that development is occurring.

Judgment is not developed by repeatedly observing decisions; it is developed by participating in them.

In practice, leaders can create opportunities for judgment in simple ways. Ask for a recommendation before providing an answer. Discuss alternative approaches before identifying the preferred one. When correcting a decision, explain the reasoning behind the correction rather than simply replacing it.

It is also easy to fall into the habit of assigning work, receiving completed assignments through email, and returning edits or corrections with little discussion. The deliverable improves—the document gets finalized and the assignment completed—but development often stalls. The work product may benefit from the edits, but it is difficult to determine whether the associate's reasoning has benefited as well.

In many cases, leaders spend significant effort preventing mistakes at the beginning of an assignment while spending very little time discussing decisions at the end. The better investment is often the opposite.

Rather than eliminating every opportunity for independent thinking on the front end, leaders should create opportunities to discuss judgment on the back end.

One of the most valuable opportunities for development occurs when leaders explain not only what was changed, but why it was changed. Why one argument was stronger. Why one approach created less risk. Why one recommendation better served the client's objectives. Those conversations transform edits into judgment. And over time, judgment—not execution—is what ultimately creates independence.

Ownership Begins With Judgment

One of the clearest indicators of development is the quality of the questions an associate asks.

Early in practice, questions often focus on process: formatting requirements, where information can be found, what should be included in the final work product, or the next step in the assignment.

Over time, however, stronger questions begin to emerge. Questions about competing arguments, weighing risks, evaluating alternative approaches, and how different decisions may affect the outcome. This shift signals something important.

The associate is no longer focused exclusively on completing the assignment as instructed. They have begun evaluating the decisions behind it. Ownership has begun.

In many ways, ownership starts the moment an associate stops asking, "What do you want me to do?" and begins asking themselves, "What do you think we should do?" The assignment is no longer viewed as a task to complete. It becomes a problem to solve.

Strong leaders recognize this shift and seize the opportunity for development.

When associates begin evaluating decisions rather than simply executing instructions, leadership conversations should evolve as well. Conversations can move beyond process and toward reasoning, judgment, and strategy. These moments often provide some of the most meaningful opportunities for development because they reveal not only what an associate knows, but how they think.

The Bottom Line

The goal of development is not simply to teach associates how to complete assignments. It is to help them understand the decisions behind them.

Strong leaders recognize that judgment develops through participation, discussion, correction, and experience—not through instruction alone.

Ultimately, independence is not created when someone can complete the work without assistance. It is created when they can exercise sound judgment while doing it.

Execution produces work. Judgment produces lawyers.

Weekly Reflection: Think about your last significant assignment. How much time was spent discussing the final deliverable—and how much time was spent discussing the decisions behind it?