In litigation, strategy is often associated with procedural precision, evidentiary control, and tactical framing. But for Leigh E. Johnson, effective trial strategy begins with something far more elemental: story.
Not a story told after the facts are assembled, but a story discovered through lived reenactment, deep listening, and psychological insight. For Johnson, storytelling is not an accessory to the legal process. It is the architecture on which the entire case is built.
Johnson is the founder of Trial Whisperer, Law Focus Groups, and the educational platform and book series Building The Case. She is not only a trial consultant but also a trained psychodramatist and experienced litigator. Her work integrates traditional legal thinking with action-based discovery and emotional mapping. The goal is to bring out the story that already exists in the case, not the one the lawyer wants to tell, but the one the jury needs to hear.
Building a Case from the Inside Out
Most legal teams begin by sorting facts and fitting them into a legal framework. Johnson flips that process. She begins by asking what the case means. Who is harmed? Why does it matter? What truth needs to be told? Only once the emotional and human stakes are clear does she turn to the factual narrative.
Johnson breaks down each case into four key components: the issues, the law, the client, and the jury. This structure forces lawyers to move beyond procedural thinking and consider how these components relate to one another. She pushes clients to ask whether their themes align with their facts, whether their legal argument reflects the actual harm endured, and whether their presentation resonates with how jurors experience the world.
This approach is not just theoretical but deeply pragmatic. Stories that lack internal coherence do not land. Narratives that do not feel true are rejected by jurors, even if they are technically sound. Johnson’s method is about bridging that gap.
Emotional Blueprinting and Narrative Development
One of Johnson’s keen practices is emotional blueprinting. This involves using psychodramatic tools such as role reversal, reenactments, and scene mapping to understand what the client experienced and how those experiences shaped their behavior. It also gives the lawyer insight into their own biases and blind spots.
In many of her sessions, attorneys will act out pivotal moments in the case, not as an academic exercise, but to feel what the client felt. This creates a powerful shift. Lawyers stop performing and start inhabiting the case. They become less concerned with reciting and more committed to connecting.
The insights gained from these sessions are then used to develop a case story that feels alive. Johnson focuses on the story spine, the emotional arc that holds everything together. From voir dire to closing, each element of the trial is crafted to support that arc. This results in a narrative that is not only persuasive but also honest.
Storytelling as Strategy, Not Style
Too often, storytelling is treated as a performance technique. Lawyers are taught to control their gestures, pace their delivery, and mimic what they believe jurors want. Johnson rejects this model. She teaches that strategy is not about controlling perception but about deepening connection.
Her workshops and consulting sessions often involve intensive reflection. Lawyers are asked to confront their own discomforts. They examine how their personal histories affect their voice in the courtroom. In doing so, they discover a mode of advocacy that feels both natural and powerful.
When lawyers begin from this place of authenticity, their storytelling changes. They no longer need to sell a version of the case. They simply need to share it. The result is a courtroom presence that is steady, believable, and compelling.
The Role of Focus Groups in Shaping Story
A critical element of Johnson’s process is the use of focus groups. Unlike conventional models that emphasize surface reactions or polling, Johnson’s focus groups are immersive. They are designed to test story, not just strategy.
She runs different types of groups, each with its own purpose. Some are structured around narrative to see how jurors respond to the emotional tone of the case. Others test analogies, concepts, or evidence presentation. There are also focus groups designed specifically for voir dire practice, allowing attorneys to rehearse and refine their opening interactions with jurors.
Through these sessions, Johnson collects rich data, not just what jurors say, but how they react in real time. She studies their emotional responses, their assumptions, their resistance, and their engagement. All of this informs how the case story evolves.
More importantly, these groups act as mirrors. They reflect what the case actually communicates, not just what the legal team believes it does. That feedback is crucial. It uncovers gaps in clarity, tone, and narrative flow. It also challenges the lawyer to adjust, not in content, but in approach.
Trial as Human Drama
One of the most profound aspects of Johnson’s work is her insistence that trials are fundamentally about people. Every trial contains elements of human drama: betrayal, loss, fear, injustice, redemption. These are not embellishments. They are the case.
Johnson teaches that lawyers must not hide from the emotional landscape of their cases. Instead, they must learn to navigate it. They must learn how to hold emotion in a courtroom, not suppress it, but channel it constructively. This is where psychodrama meets litigation.
Her sessions involve storyboarding trial sequences, not just to structure argument but to understand emotional pacing. Where is the tension? Where does release occur? How do facts support feeling? This is not manipulation. It is meaning-making. It is about helping the jury walk alongside the case, moment by moment.
A New Standard of Advocacy
The lawyers who work with Leigh E. Johnson do not leave with a script. They leave with a story that is grounded, coherent, and emotionally intelligent. They also leave with a deeper understanding of themselves and their clients.
Her book series, Building The Case, captures much of this philosophy. It outlines a practice of law that is as rigorous as it is human. It is a call to return to storytelling not as ornament, but as origin.
As legal systems grow more complex, the need for human clarity only increases. Leigh E. Johnson’s work stands as a reminder that in the pursuit of justice, the most effective strategy begins with the courage to tell the truth and the skill to tell it well.