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CLE

Storytelling For Trial Lawyers : How To Effectively Tell Your Client’s Story

Fri, November 4, 2022   |   8:55 a.m. -4:00 p.m.   |  
701 Corporate Center Dr, Ste 450, Raleigh, NC 27607
  |   CLE Hours: 6.0 CLE Hours

We tell our client’s story every day. From the demand letter to closing argument, storytelling skills are the heart of effective trial lawyers. Bring one of your active cases, and join us for an interactive CLE where you will capture the essence of your client’s story and how to best speak your client’s truth.

Part lecture and part guided workshop, we will work together to discover our clients’ stories and learn how to connect with our audiences. Professional storyteller, poet, and artist Dasan Ahaunu will train us on the elements of a good story. Attorney by day, comedian by night Rod Allison, will show us how to win over the audience. We’ll also hear from lawyers across civil practice areas about how to meet your clients where they are and the do’s and don’ts of good storytelling.

This seminar is open to NCAJ Members Only

Topics & Speakers

8:00 a.m. Registration
8:55 a.m. Welcoming Remarks by Program Chairs
  • Helen Baddour, Johnson & Groninger, PLLC, Charlotte
  • Drew Culler, Johnson & Groninger, PLLC, Durham
9:00 a.m. Workshop 1: Explore Core Values and Life Reel of Your Client
  • Helen Baddour, Johnson & Groninger, PLLC, Charlotte
  • Drew Culler, Johnson & Groninger, PLLC, Durham
    • In this workshop, Helen and Drew will lead you through an interactive exercise to figure out your client’s core values and begin establishing their stories.
9:45 a.m. Knowing Your Audience, When You’ve Lost Them and When You’ve Won Them
  • Rod Allison, the “Attorney by Day, comedian by Night Entertainer,” The Allison Office, Creedmoor
10:45 a.m. Break
11:00 a.m. Storytelling for Trial Lawyers: Elements of a Good Story
  • Dasan Ahaunu, Durham
    • Dasan Ahaunu, public speaker, organizer, curator, educator, poet, spoken word artist, songwriter, emcee and loyal hip hop head, will teach storytelling skills in the context of telling your client’s story to the jury.
11:45 a.m. Workshop 2: Breakout Sessions – Forming Your Client’s Story

Bring your case and get input from others on how to form your client’s story.
12:30 p.m. Lunch
1:15 p.m. Workshop 3: Present Client Stories

attendees will have time to present client stories for peer feedback
2:30 p.m. Break
2:45 p.m. Panel Discussion: Meeting Your Clients Where They Are
  • Santiago Arroba, Whitley Law Firm, Raleigh 
  • John Chilson, Comerford, Chilson & Moser, LLP, Winston-Salem
  • Lauren Newton, Tin, Fulton, Walker & Owen, PLLC,  Charlotte
4:15 p.m. Adjourn
In-Person Registration

Thanks to Our Sponsors

Milner Settlements

Bryan Milner is a Senior Structured Settlement Consultant with Milner Settlements through Sage Settlement Consulting. He has been working with attorneys and their clients in North Carolina for over 19 years, and continues to be a strong supporter of NCAJ. Bryan takes on a compassionate, comprehensive approach. He understands the important and complex financial decisions that face individuals and families who are receiving settlements. He provides creative structured settlement options and helps the attorney navigate the complexities of settlement-related issues such as Medicare Set-Asides, Trusts, Lien Resolution, etc. He also assists attorneys with designing fee structures for their contingency fees. Bryan is a committee member of the newly formed American Association of Settlement Consultants (AASC).