Thinking Like a Lawyer ─ An Introduction to Legal Reasoning

"A comprehensive overview of the standard techniques of legal reasoning. It stands out because of the way it enriches the basic discussion with perspectives from legal history and theory."-Joan Williams, UC Hastings College of the Law

"Vandevelde restores luster to the phrase `thinking like a lawyer.' Everyone, whether a newly entering law student or an experienced practitioner, will take away from Thinking Like a Lawyer valuable insights about law and lawyering in the United States."-Christopher G. Wren and Jill Robinson Wren, coauthors, The Legal Research Manual

"The first post-realist look at legal reasoning which manages at one and the same time to take legal reasoning seriously and yet not be taken in by it. Written in a lively and engaging style, this book is both comprehensive in its treatment of the subject and provocative in its central argument, namely that thinking like a lawyer means making judgments about policies....Thinking Like a Lawyer is a real achievement."-Austin Sarat, Amherst College

Law students, law professors, and lawyers frequently refer to the process of "thinking like a lawyer." but attempts to analyze in any systematic way what is meant by that phrase are rare. In this practical and accessible introduction, Kenneth J. Vandevelde defines this elusive phrase and clearly identifies the techniques involved in thinking like a lawyer.

When Vandeveld's Thinking Like Lawyer was first published, it became an instant classic, considered by many to be the gold standard introduction to legal reasoning. The second edition offers a new generation of students, lawyers, and lay readers important insight into a well-developed and valuable way of thinking. Updated throughout this edition features a new chapter on contemporary perspectives on legal reasoning, as well as new sections on the legislative process, the judicial process, and the role of cognitive bias in jury deliberations.

Kenneth J. Vandevelde is professor of law and former dean at Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego. A graduate of Harvard Law School, he has practiced law before U.S. courts and international tribunals. He is the author of four books and numerous articles on U.S. and international law.