Lawyers, Liars and the Art of Storytelling - Paperback

by Jonathan Shapiro (Author)

Storytelling - what it is, why it matters, how to do it - is not a metaphor for legal advocacy. It is legal advocacy itself, and it is not limited to jury trials or court appearances: It relates to every aspect of a lawyer's work.

The practice of law is the business of persuasion, and storytelling is the most effective means of persuading. A credible lawyer capable of telling a well-reasoned story that moves the listener will always beat the lawyer who cannot. But just recognizing the centrality of storytelling to the legal profession is not enough. Lawyers should also study the basic structure and elements that apply to stories, how they work and why, as well as the principles that have guided great storytellers for thousands of years.

Part prescriptive teaching, part memoir, always entertaining and never lecture, Lawyers, Liars, and the Art of Storytelling provides storytelling lessons gleaned from years of trial practice and television writing, wrapped in--what else?--great stories.

Author Biography

Jonathan Shapiro (Los Angeles, CA) is an ex-federal prosecutor and law professor turned award-winning television writer, producer, and author. His background includes two Harvard degrees, a Rhodes scholarship, three years working as a newspaper reporter, 10 years as a trial lawyer and Assistant U.S. Attorney, and 14 years writing and producing television shows like The Blacklist, Life, Boston Legal, and The Practice.