Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2015

Abstract

Storytelling is important in legal persuasion. The power of a good story is why an attorney strives to mold the facts of a case into a tale with clear heroes and villains. High profile bullying stories and the reaction to those stories by prosecutors, legislators, and the legal academy provide examples of lawyers’ susceptibility to the power of an emotional narrative. This Article explores how social problems, like those relating to Phoebe Prince, Tyler Clementi, and Meagan Meiers, are likely to seem more real and pressing when presented in human terms as opposed to the abstract consequences.

Recommended Citation

Jeanne Kaiser and Scott Brown, When the Story is Too Good to be True: A Lawyer's Role in Resisting the Lure of Narrative, 37 W. NEW ENG. L. REV. 233 (2015).

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