Teaching Logic Makes Me A Better Lawyer
In an ongoing Law360 series in which attorneys discuss how their extracurricular activities enhance their law practices, Woods Rogers government contracts attorney Tom Barrow shares how his work as a logic instructor for middle and high school students sharpens his reasoning skills.
"I teach my students the skills to untangle complicated arguments and identify faulty reasoning, and I have found the same lessons apply equally to my practice of law,” Tom writes. "Teaching logic outside the courtroom has reminded me why it should remain foundational inside it, because when we lose sight of sound reasoning, we risk losing the integrity of the legal system itself.”
In a reminder of how the teacher often becomes the student, Tom says, "Once you've watched a 15-year-old dismantle a celebrity endorsement with surgical precision, you also start seeing weak logic everywhere — and legal arguments are no exception. I started to feel like the students were holding me accountable for the basis of my own reasoning as they challenged me to keep up with them on their journey."
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