Law School..Pfff!

Being that I am in the infancy of my legal career, I still have much to learn about the practical aspects of filing civil lawsuits. Some things take a while to pick up, like conducting an effective oral deposition. Others, however, are so simple, that I seriously wonder if I got my money's worth in law school. Just today, for instance, after 1 1/2 years of being a licensed attorney, I learned that rather than responding to every sentence and paragraph in a complaint that has been filed in California state court, an Answer can simply consist of a "General Denial" with some affirmative defenses. How long is a typical General Denial? About one, maybe two sentences that include invoking the General Denial statute (Civil Code of Procedure Section 431.30(d)) and words that effectively say "The Defendant generally denies everything the Plaintiff is whining about." Good thing I don't work with any paralegals, or else who knows how long it would have taken me to learn this.