How to Think Like a Lawyer—And Why: A Common-Sense Guide to Everyday Dilemmas Review

This week was back to school week for me! I began my Criminal Justice Masters Program on Wednesday. To prepare for this new and exciting journey, I decided to do some light nonfiction reading about the law....because I have no chill or ability to relax on my short week long vacation from school, apparently.

How to Think Like a Lawyer—And Why: A Common-Sense Guide to Everyday Dilemmas is a nonfiction novel written by law professor and author, Kim Wehle. It was released in February of 2022. If you would like to purchase How to Think Like a Lawyer—And Why, you can find it on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Lawyers aren't like other people. They often argue points that are best left alone or look for mistakes in menus "just because." While their scrupulous attention to detail may be annoying, it can also be a valuable skill.

Do you need to make health care decisions for an aging parent but are unsure where to start? Are you at crossroads in your career and don't know how to move forward? Have you ever been on a jury trying to understand confusing legal instructions? How to Think Like a Lawyer has the answers to help you cut through the confusion and gain an advantage in your everyday life. Kim Wehle identifies the details you need to pay attention to, the questions you should ask, the responses you should anticipate, and the pitfalls you can avoid.

Topics include:

Selling and buying a home, Understanding employment terms, Creating a will and health care proxy, Navigating health concerns, Applying for financial aid, Negotiating a divorce.

Wehle shows you how to break complex issues down into digestible, easier-to-understand pieces that will enable you to make better decisions in all areas of your life.

I gave this book 2.5 stars on Goodreads. No offense to Ms. Wehle, but this was painstakingly boring for me to read. I listened to the audiobook and just didn't love it. The only redeeming thing about it was the case studies, some of which I was already familiar with. I do want to add that while some of the case studies the author included were interesting, I didn't find them effective in the context she tried to use them. I put this audiobook on 2.5x speed and powered through. I think that the author did provide some good information in this book. This didn't work for me partially because it included some information I already knew from my classes or other books that I have read but it also didn't work for me because I was just about bored to death for its entirety.

Overall, I would only recommend this book for those who want to acquaint themselves with the basics of critical thinking or want to further their knowledge of the law. This was a really strange book. It was a bit too complicated for the everyday person but too redundant for those who have an understanding of literally any aspect of the legal system. Other than that, this was basically a critical thinking guide (which I wasn't in the market for when I picked this up). I just didn't find it informative enough to justify the read, for me.

Have you read How to Think Like a Lawyer—And Why? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

As always, thank you for reading!

XO,

Madison