Oct 24, 2022
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Lawyers have everything to learn from great stories on the screen, on the page, or on the stage. Legal Writing Professor Christina Frohock knows this well, as her latest law review article, Legal Fiction: Reading Lolita as a Sentencing Memorandum, brings into focus exactly what lawyers and clients can learn from the classic and infamous novel Lolita, and how we can apply those teachings to full effect at sentencing.
IN THIS EPISODE:
- The fundamental unity between law and narrative;
- What every laywer and client can learn from great storytelling;
- How those lessons can be practically and credibly applied at sentencing;
- Writing style tips that every lawyer can use, including alliteration and word pictures;
- How to spot clues of historical trauma and other mental health issues in a client’s narrative that may help put their crime in context;
- The difference between sympathy and empathy at sentencing.
LINKS:
Prof. Frohock's book, Small Town GTMO: The Layers of Estate, Sovereignty, and Soil in U.S. Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, on Amazon.
Five Reasons Every Lawyer Should Study the Art of Screenwriting, and a Killer Resource List to Get You Started, by Doug Passon.
Doug's book on Legal Narrative, co-authored with Story Expert, Dr. Randy Olson, on Amazon.
Since the idea of narrative's unity with the law was the central theme of this episode, you might enjoy episode, X of the podcast, "Narrative is Everything at Sentencing", featuring Dr. Randy Olson.