Trouble! Conflict! Challenge!

One of the most common tidbits that successful writers pass on to the wannabees is to get your character in trouble–big trouble–and to keep them in trouble. Why? Because conflict and challenge make for good stories.

So how lucky are we lawyers? We don’t have to get our characters in trouble. They are usually already in trouble when they come to us. Conflict? It comes built into our cases. The adversarial character? Just look on the other side of the “v.”

And that is yet another reason why every legal paper should focus on the facts–the “story” behind the case that involves real human beings (well, sometimes  real corporations), with real problems that need real answers. Papers that focus on only abstract legal theory miss the chance to tell the real story that gives context to the legal question.

So do your papers tell a “story?”

Tweet

Subscribe in a reader