The Labor of Law – Save Yourself and You Save the World
Next month I will have officially reached my twenty-fifth year of lawyering; the majority of those years were spent slogging through the litigation trenches as a state and federal public defender. These can be dark waters we lawyers swim in. We confront people at their lowest moments in life. We absorb trauma vicariously through our…
Sometimes It Rains: A Fantastic New Podcast for fans of Sport and Court!
The Professor, The Porn Star, & The Death of Empathy: 3 Surprising Podcasts That Will Make Us Better Lawyers
Litigation is a battle of stories; the lawyer who presents the most compelling and authentic story wins every time. It never ceases to amaze me how little we lawyers are ever taught about story fundamentals. The good news is we are surrounded by great stories. The better news? Free resources abound to help us master…
Why Every Lawyer Should Put the Movie 13TH at the Top of Their Netflix Queue.
13TH is a Netflix original documentary film directed by director Ava DuVernay, who has become one of the most important voices in TV & Film today. She also happens to be the brilliant director of Selma and When They See Us, among others. This doc is an elegantly crafted and devastatingly thorough journey through America’s…
Defense Map – The Incredible FREE Tool To Help You Unearth Your Client’s Hidden Story Treasures!
Is a plug still shameless if what the plugger is plugging is 100 percent free forever? If so, forgive the shameless plug, but this is too important to miss. The purpose of Defense Map (www.defensemap.com) is to “uncover[] as much as possible about [your] clients’ game-changing backstories”. The creator of Defense Map is Indiana lawyer…
“Tell me a story”, Says Former Federal Judge Nancy Gertner!
My colleague Alan Ellis travels the country interviewing judges about the most (and least) persuasive elements of sentencing advocacy. In a recent article published in Law360, Mr. Ellis conducts an extensive interview with Judge Nancy Gertner. It’s an essential read for all criminal law practitioners. The full article can be accessed HERE. The following are…
The 3 “Rs” of Sentencing Storytelling.
No matter what the case, there are only three types of sentencing stories defense lawyers ever tell. I call them the 3 “Rs”, and they are: REASONS, RELATIVITY and REDEMPTION. Every case has at least one. With a little bit of luck and whole lot of elbow grease, you may uncover all three. Understanding these…
The Secret Sauce of Master Storytelling: How “The Hero’s Journey” Can Change the Way You Practice Law.
What Penguins Can Teach Lawyers About “Minding the Gap”
Forget the inauguration. This Friday, January 20, 2017, is National Penguin Awareness Day! I swear, that’s really a thing. Google it. So, what do penguins have to do with lawyers and their clients? I’ll get there. I promise! Read on. Would it make our jobs easier if our clients, particularly those that will one day…
