The term thinking like a lawyer may be challenging to define because it describes both the characteristics and the process of legal reasoning. Characteristics of thinking like a lawyer bear a strong resemblance to a general definition of critical thinking, which may be said to include asking questions, defining a problem, examining evidence, analyzing assumptions and biases, avoiding emotional reasoning, avoiding oversimplification, considering other interpretations, and tolerating ambiguity.
The term thinking like a lawyer may be challenging to define because it describes both the characteristics and the process of legal reasoning. Characteristics of thinking like a lawyer bear a strong resemblance to a general definition of critical thinking, which may be said to include asking questions, defining a problem, examining evidence, analyzing assumptions and biases, avoiding emotional reasoning, avoiding oversimplification, considering other interpretations, and tolerating ambiguity.