Logic for Lawyers : A Guide to Clear Legal Thinking [Paperback]

Hon. Ruggero J. Aldisert (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1556815387 | ISBN-13: 978-1556815386 | Publication Date: June 2001 | Edition: 3rd

To win in court you must master the elements of legal logic--the ultimate tool of persuasion in the courtroom. In Logic for Lawyers: A Guide to Clear Legal Thinking, Senior U.S. Circuit Judge Ruggero J. Aldisert tells how to use legal reasoning to persuade judges and juries.

A 30-year veteran of the bench, Aldisert helps litigators understand and apply the elements of legal logic. Using these skills, you can argue more persuasively--both in briefs and before the court. And just as critically, you can also expose flaws in adversaries' arguments. The result? A competitive edge in the courtroom.

Rather than miring readers in exotic formulas and theories often found in logic texts, Aldisert explains in broad strokes the basics of logic and its application to legal thinking. You'll gain important insight into the mental processes we use in "thinking like a lawyer."

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Developing good legal reasoning habits is essential to a quality law practice. Judge Aldisert examines legal thinking from a variety of perspectives to help guide lawyers through appropriate reasoning patterns. One Amazon.com reviewer says the book "provides a shortcut to understanding the basics of legal reasoning, including the common law doctrine of precedent, identifying weaknesses in legal arguments, and fashioning winning arguments through syllogisms." --David Marshall Nissman, J.D.

Review

"...an exposition of how the use or misuse of logic promotes or impairs the development of law..." -- Jeffrey W. Grove, Professor, Indiana University School of Law

"Logic for Lawyers is the product of a keen mind that has benefitted from opportunities to engage in and examine legal thinking from a variety of perspectives. This volume fills a surprising void in the current legal literature." -- Mark A. Nordenberg, Chancellor, University of Pittsburgh

"Logic for Lawyers points out the fallacies of which we are all guilty from time to time....It will aid in avoiding the development of bad habits in legal reasoning." -- Elizabeth H. Patterson, Professor, Georgetown University Law Center

"The book's constituency includes all who labor in the law--from apprentice to master craftsman--and care about understanding their work and doing a credible job." -- Jeffrey W. Grove, Professor, Indiana University School of Law, Indianapolis

Product Details

• Paperback: 270 pages
• Publisher: Contemporary Medical Education; 3rd edition (June 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1556815387
• ISBN-13: 978-1556815386
• Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 7.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #190,054 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

50 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars How to Think Like a Good Lawyer, May 6, 2001

By 

Matthew Mulford (San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Logic for Lawyers : A Guide to Clear Legal Thinking (Paperback)

Judge Aldisert's book cogently explains the fundamental role that logic plays in law. For the law student (or pre-law student), it provides a shortcut to understanding the basics of legal reasoning, including the common law doctrine of precedent, identifying weaknesses in legal arguments, and fashioning winning arguments through syllogisms. The rest of your law school classmates may flail in the darkness of the Socratic Method, but this book illuminates what the prof is attempting to do.

I'm an attorney and did not have the benefit of Judge Aldisert's wisdom until after graduation. But he explained many murky concepts that I had only vaguely understood. Before reading the book, I could tell you that one argument was better than another; now I can put my finger on why. This book is for anyone who wants to improve his or her legal reasoning skills.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Avoid Kindle Version, January 25, 2010

By 

Ryan Lake - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Logic for Lawyers: A Guide to Clear Legal Thinking (n/a) (Kindle Edition)

The Kindle version of this textbook is a giant mess, avoid at all costs. It is poorly organized, footnotes appear in the middle of paragraphs, and sentences and paragraphs in various places are jumbled and incoherent. Ultimately, the Kindle version of this book is rendered almost useless. If you need this book, buy a hard copy!!!

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Helps to burn off the fog that law profs relish creating, May 22, 2003

By 

G. Richardson "gregoryscott" (Charlotte, NC United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Logic for Lawyers : A Guide to Clear Legal Thinking (Paperback)

I can't say it any better than in Aldisert's own words in his chapter on the Socratic Method: "An understanding of the principles of deduction and induction will significantly assist the student in the daily exercise [i.e. the Socratic Method used by law professors in the classroom]. To lack this understanding is to be substantially, if not totally, disadvantaged."