Storytelling for Lawyers

Few people are as qualified as Philip Meyer to write a book on storytelling for lawyers. With a background as a trial lawyer, he has plenty of practical, real-life experience in the courtroom. His approach is not that of an academic giving purely theoretical advice, but that of a seasoned lawyer who knows the ins and outs of the legal profession. His experience as a professor (of both law and writing) has honed his ability to effectively communicate his ideas to a broad audience. Not only is this book helpful for the practicing lawyer, it is also useful and not too complex for the legal neophyte or casual reader.This book breaks storytelling (narrative) down to its core components and analyzes them one by one. In the process of analyzing each part of a story, Philip Meyer skillfully explores each component with a non-legal example (e.g. movies, books, etc.) before applying it to a legal example (e.g. courtroom proceedings, appellate briefs, closing arguments, etc.) By first analyzing each part of a story (i.e. plot, setting, etc.) from a well-known story that resonates with the reader, he sets a strong foundation before transitioning to a legal story, thus making it easy for the reader to identify and better understand each part of the legal story.I highly recommend this book to anyone remotely interested in storytelling and persuasion as they relate to the legal profession.

This book is a great starting point for developing the skill of storytelling for lawyers as was intended by the author. The author gives you the basics for developing the plot, characters, style, setting, and narrative for your trial with excellent examples. The author is a law professor and the book seems geared for the law student or novice lawyers getting into litigation.I only gave the book 4 out of 5 stars because of a couple of minor problems. However, the chapter on narrative needs further exposition and appears to be written in rushed manner. In addition, the physical binding of the book is of poor quality requiring me to glue the cover back on. Finally, the author missed the point that the lawyer's job is to look at his case as a giant puzzle to be solved and then explained as a story.It is not enough to understand your case but equally imperative that you communicate your case which is best done through the storytelling technique. This is a must read for lawyers getting up to speed on litigation.For further exposition on legal storytelling for lawyers after reading Meyer's book on Storytelling for Lawyers, I recommend the following:Win Your Case: How to Present, Persuade, and Prevail--Every Place, Every TimeStory: Substance, Structure, Style and the Principles of ScreenwritingThe Art of Storytelling: From Parents to ProfessionalsBeyond Bullet Points: Using Microsoft PowerPoint to Create Presentations That Inform, Motivate, and Inspire (Business Skills)ABA webinar available with an internet search for "Storytelling for Lawyers"

Meyer’s “Storytelling for Lawyers” is an important contribution to the literature on narration in law practice. We know that successful courtroom rhetoric can best be viewed through the prism of storytelling. But the literature does not contain a practical and detailed analysis of the elements of narration as used in law practice—that is, plotting, characterization, point of view, style, and settings in place and time. Meyer’s book fills this gap. It is blessedly free of jargon and full of practical examples of good legal storytelling. But the importance of this book goes well beyond providing practical assistance to litigators. It serves as a much-needed introduction to the principles of narration for teachers and students of literature, creative writing, and popular culture, who have lacked a readable introductory guide to the elements of successful storytelling.

Meyer proves his initial point that much of what lawyers do is storytelling, and he achieves his goal of providing a primer on narrative theory for lawyer-storytellers. The book is sophisticated but written in an engaging way using non-technical language. Examples from legal and literary works abound, and they range from courtroom arguments and appellate briefs on the one hand to an essay by Joan Didion and Vonnegut's "Slaughterhouse Five" on the other. Meyer's favorite stories are found in Hollywood movies, and although he seems unaware of the accomplishment,Meyer provides fresh interpretations of such movies as "HIgh Noon" and"Jaws." I strongly recommend "Storytelling for Lawyers" for all law students, lawyers, and judges.