CLE
Michael DeBlis
Michael DeBlis DeBlis Law
Storytelling Strategies for the Courtroom
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Storytelling Strategies for the Courtroom

As a trial lawyer, what do you really need in order to win your case? Attention — the jury’s attention. I don’t mean that in the narcissistic “everyone look at me” sense. When I say every trial lawyer wants more attention, what I mean is that before you can build a rapport with the jury and earn their trust, you have to fight a war — the war for the jury’s attention. “Attention” and “connection” are the key elements needed to win the minds and hearts of the jury.

Like it or not, we are in the midst of an attention war. We need to confront the reality that the jury’s attention can no longer be taken for granted. We have to change our way of thinking to focus on gaining attention before we can leave lasting impressions. The jury’s attention must be the currency that every trial lawyer trades in. In this presentation, I will talk about how storytelling can help lawyers to cut through all of the noise and distractions of everyday life in order to connect to the jury on a human level.

Topics covered include:
Trial Skills Law Practice
Agenda:
  • Framing the Program
    • Why storytelling is the missing skill in legal education
    • The courtroom as both legal arena and human stage
    • Preview of key takeaways

  • The Lawyer as Storyteller
    • The courtroom vs. theater: striking parallels
    • The lawyer as:
      • Writer
      • Director
      • Actor
    • The jury’s role as audience and decision-maker
    • Why human experience — not law — drives persuasion

  • The Psychology of the Jury
    • The “attention war” in modern trials
    • How jurors:
      • Construct narratives automatically
      • Filter evidence through personal experience
    • Dangers of failing to provide a story framework
    • Concept: “If you don’t tell the story, the jury will”

  • Left Brain vs. Right Brain Advocacy
    • Logical vs. emotional persuasion
    • Why trials fail when they rely only on:
      • Facts
      • Legal analysis
    • Engaging the right brain through:
      • Imagery
      • Emotion
      • Story structure
    • Practical shift: from “arguing” to “showing”

  • What Makes a Powerful Trial Story
    • Core elements:
      • Theme
      • Theory
      • Characters
      • Conflict
    • Humanizing the client (especially in criminal cases)
    • The “villain problem” and reframing the narrative
    • Techniques:
      • Specificity (“the secret sauce”)
      • Raising stakes
      • Exploiting information gaps

  • Principles of Opening Statement
    • Purpose of opening: create the lens for all evidence
    • Structure:
      • Beginning (hook)
      • Middle (conflict/story development)
      • End (resolution/theme reinforcement)
    • Primacy effect and first impressions
    • Language principles:
      • Simplicity
      • Imagery
      • Active voice
    • What storytelling is not (no argument, no exaggeration)

  • Emotional Authenticity & Vulnerability
    • The role of fear and authenticity in advocacy
    • Why vulnerability builds credibility with juries
    • Distinction between:
      • Emotions (biological)
      • Feelings (interpreted experience)
    • “Less is more” in emotional delivery
    • Techniques:
      • Internal monologue
      • Physicalizing emotion (sensory storytelling)

  • Voice, Presence & Delivery
    • The lawyer’s “instrument”:
      • Breath
      • Voice
      • Body
    • Power of:
      • Silence
      • Pauses
      • Pacing
    • Avoiding common pitfalls:
      • Overacting
      • Monotone delivery
    • Being present with the jury (conversation, not performance)

  • Practical Application Exercise / Conclusion
    • Interactive exercise: reframe a dry fact pattern into a compelling narrative
    • Demonstration of before/after storytelling approach
    • Key lessons:
      • Story > facts alone
      • Authenticity > performance
      • Connection > perfection
    • Actionable next steps:
      • Incorporate storytelling into next opening
      • Practice voice and presence
    • Q&A
Read More ›
Duration of this webinar: 90 minutes
When: Premieres in 32 days | May 27, 2026 10:00 AM PT
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Speaker
Michael DeBlis
Michael DeBlis Partner
DeBlis Law

Michael is a trial lawyer. He graduated Cum Laude from The Thomas M. Cooley Law School and Summa Cum Laude from the Thomas Jefferson School of Law with his Masters of Law in Taxation. Michael is known for his charismatic personality and his unyielding dedication to his clients. Read More ›

Continuing Legal Education (CLE) Credits

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Alaska CLE

Status: Approved

Credits: 1.50 General

California CLE

Status: Approved

Credits: 1.50 General

Hawaii CLE

Status: Approved

Credits: 1.50 General

Illinois CLE

Status: Approved

Credits: 1.50 General

Missouri CLE

Status: Approved

Credits: 1.80 General

Nevada CLE

Status: Approved

Credits: 1.50 General

North Carolina CLE

Status: Approved

Credits: 1.50 General

Ohio CLE

Status: Approved

Credits: 1.50 General

Pennsylvania CLE

Status: Approved

Credits: 1.50 Substantive Law, Practice, and Procedure

Texas CLE

Status: Approved

Credits: 1.50 General

Vermont CLE

Status: Approved

Credits: 1.50 General

West Virginia CLE

Status: Approved

Credits: 1.80 General


This presentation is approved for one and a half hours of General CLE credit in Alaska, one and a half hours of General CLE credit in California, one and a half hours of General CLE credit in Hawaii, one and a half hours of General CLE credit in Illinois, one hour of General CLE credit in Missouri, one and a half hours of General CLE credit in Nevada, one and a half hours of General CLE credit in North Carolina, one and a half hours of General CLE credit in Ohio, one and a half hours of Substantive Law, Practice, and Procedure CLE credit in Pennsylvania, one and a half hours of General CLE credit in Vermont, and one hour of General CLE credit in West Virginia. This course has been approved for Minimum Continuing Legal Education credit by the State Bar of Texas Committee on MCLE in the amount of 1.50 credit hours.

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