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20 Great Courtroom Storytelling Articles from Trial Experts

Kenneth J. Lopez, J.D.
By: Kenneth J. Lopez, J.D. Thu, Mar 7, 2013 @ 07:14 AM

Trial Consultants, Litigation Graphics, Jury Consulting, Litigation Consulting, Trial Consulting, Juries, Jury Consultants, Psychology, Storytelling, Judges


by Ken Lopez
Founder & CEO
A2L Consulting

The power of storytelling has been recognized for millennia. From Aesop to Hans Christian Andersen to Steven Spielberg, great storytellers are celebrated by our society, almost as much as the people that they glorify in their tales. We tell our kids stories, businesses are encouraged to share stories to build culture, and we all admire that person who can captivate a group of friends with a fascinating tale, true or invented.

The reason we appreciate these great storytellers is hard-wired in the human brain. Storytelling predates written language, of course. It is how our ancient ancestors communicated what to fear, what to value and whom to love. Studies reveal that whether we are told a story or not, our brains will naturally try to build a story around a set of facts. In other words, if a trial lawyer fails to build a story, judges and jurors will build one anyway. It's how we make sense of a set of complicated facts. It’s how we impose order upon chaos. It’s how we resolve tension and conflict.

As more and more experts study what works best in the courtroom, the value of storytelling is being increasingly recognized.  We have written frequently about the subject and plan to release an e-book on the topic next week. Other top trial consultants write about storytelling too, and I would like to highlight some of the best articles that I have found on the topic.

A2L Consulting's Storytelling for Litigators 3rd Ed E-book

Here are 20 articles from trial consultants and lawyers around the industry that discuss the power of storytelling in the courtroom. Watch for a new complimentary e-book next week that we are publishing on storytelling for lawyers. If you'd like to be notified of its publication, be sure to claim your free subscription to The Litigation Consulting Report here.

  1. Storytelling for Lawyers

  2. Litigation: The Art of Storytelling

  3. Storytelling for Oppositionists and Others: A Plea for Narrative

  4. The Power of Storytelling in Your Legal Practice
     
  5. Trial Lawyers as Storytellers, The Narratives Versus The Numbers

  6. Why Trial Lawyers Say it Better
     
  7. Psychodrama and the Training of Trial Lawyers: Finding the Story
     
  8. Tips for Lawyers on Persuading Through Storytelling
     
  9. The Power of the Story in the Courtroom

  10. Final Argument: Storytelling
     
  11. The Storytelling Lawyer
     
  12. The Importance of Storytelling at All Stages of a Capital Case

  13. Yarn Spinners: Storytellers' no-tech craft proves refreshing, educational
     
  14. The Stories We Lawyers Tell
     
  15. iPad and Storytelling for Lawyers
     
  16. What Trial Lawyers Can Learn from a Songwriter to Strengthen Their Case
     
  17. Fiction 101: A Primer for Lawyers on How to Use Fiction Writing
     
  18. When You Think "Story" Think "Structure"
     
  19. A Trial Presented as Story
     
  20. Twelve Heroes, One Voice reviewed in the Advocate magazine

There are many great articles out there on this topic, and unfortunately many are hidden behind a paywall or require a subscription. I've endeavored to list only those that you can readily access.

 

persuasive storytelling for litigators trial webinar free

About Kenneth J. Lopez, J.D.

While attending the Delaware Law School in the early 1990s, Ken taught himself computer animation as a hobby. That hobby, combined with his law degree and a degree in economics from the University of Mary Washington, helped launch his career in litigation consulting.

In 1995, he founded his first company, A2L Consulting, where he served as its President/CEO for nearly 25 years. A2L provided litigation support services to all of the nation’s top law firms and their clients around the world. Often called upon when the dollars at stake are high, A2L’s services included helping to predict how judges and juries will react to a case (i.e., jury consulting and mock trials), the creation of sophisticated visual evidence used to persuade judges and juries (i.e., litigation graphics and 3D animation), and the deployment and use of state-of-the-art technology in the courtroom (i.e., hotseaters and trial technicians).

Ken launched LawProspecter in 2007, a first-of-its-kind software company that provided information about litigation and who was involved in it. In 2020, Ken launched OurHistoryMuseum, a crowdsourced history museum, which he continues to run.

Bestselling business author Dan Pink highlighted A2L in his book, A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future, and Ken has been quoted by many news outlets including the Wall Street Journal, Inc., NBC News, Wired, the Washington Post, and the BBC.

Recently, the readers of LegalTimes voted A2L “best jury consultants” and “best trial consultants,” and readers of the National Law Journal voted A2L “Best Demonstrative Evidence provider” in the country. Many other publications have held similar votes and ranked A2L at the top of a key category. The American Bar Association named A2L’s blog, where Ken and his colleagues publish weekly, one of the top 100 blogs in the legal industry and one of the top 10 litigation blogs.

In 2013, Virginia’s Governor appointed Ken to a four-year term on the University of Mary Washington’s Board of Visitors. He has also served on the Dean’s National Advisory Board of Delaware Law School and various local and business boards and advisory groups.

In 2023 Ken launched Persuadius, a litigation consulting company that has picked up where A2L left off.

Despite an interesting and varied career, Ken still lists his top passion and proudest accomplishment as “father of triplet girls born in 2008.”

You can reach Ken Lopez at ken@persuadius.com or 800.847.9330

Connect With Kenneth J. Lopez, J.D.

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Persuadius (formerly A2L Consulting) has extensive experience in complex litigation. For over twenty-five years, we have worked with all top law firms on more than 10,000 matters with at least $2 trillion cumulatively at stake. Persuadius (as A2L) is regularly voted best jury consultants, best trial consultants, and best litigation graphics consultants.
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