CBA Record May-June 2025

her clients have seen dramatic growth in their business after publishing their stories. How to Do It: Storytelling Strategies The story at the top of this column, about the importance of wills, follows a clas sic storytelling strategy: hook, conflict, insight sharing, and connection to you. l Hook: She died the day before she signed her will – start off with some thing interesting and engaging; l Conflict: The family argued for years – include vivid details; l Insights: Explain what should have happened – how a well-ordered estate proceeds; l Connection back to you: “I believe everyone should have a will, and here’s why”—showcase your expertise. This basic framework helps you create a compelling story. Vivid sensory details help the audience “see” the story. Her schorn notes that the story should evoke feelings by sharing challenges and provid ing a clear resolution. The story should also offer actionable insights into how you would resolve the conflict. Follow this model, and Herschorn predicts you are on your way to increasing your busi ness and stature in the profession. Consider starting small if writing a book sounds like too big a project. Story telling lends itself well to shorter format

digital media, engaging your audience and humanizing you and your firm. We need more ways to market ourselves and our practices, using digital media more than ever. Consider the many outlets your firm may use for marketing: l Website l Google Ads/Reviews l Social Media l Email Marketing l Blogs/Articles l SEO For example, a short vignette about the firm’s founding or a spotlight on an attor ney’s hobby may be the perfect length for a social media post. For attorneys who believe they have no story to tell, Herschorn begs to differ. Everyone has a story. It could be your origin story—how your family life or experiences growing up led you to your current work. These types of stories are great for social media or blogs. They can also be building blocks for longer articles or books. They humanize you and make you relatable, while showing positive qualities such as a strong work ethic. Your story could also be about your practice area, explaining why you chose your field of law or the types of clients you help. Or it could be a case study of your success on a client’s behalf, includ ing details of how your work transformed

their business monetarily or other success. (When sharing any client stories, be sure to get prior client permission or shield client identities to maintain confidentiality.) Conversely, you could tell cautionary tales, explaining what happened to people who decided not to hire you or follow your advice. Herschorn describes these stories as “credibility boosters,” as they show your expertise in the field. If you have trouble coming up with stories, Herschorn advises to go easy on yourself. Let storytelling spark your cre ative thinking and enjoy the process. She cites Albert Einstein, “Creativity is intel ligence having fun.” Jot down ideas for stories on a notepad or record them on your phone. Don’t censor yourself. Give yourself time to develop them into your personal story. This column is not intended to replace professional marketing assistance. Rather, it should make attorneys aware of the power of storytelling and how we can use it to develop our practice. Many of us have already used narrative to tell the story of our clients in briefs. We can use similar storytelling skills to reach new cli ents and gain greater success. How Storytelling Can Transform Your Legal Practice is available on demand at Learn. ChicagoBar.org.

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