The missing element
to telling  the
winning  story

I have read Jesse’s books, and I work with him. Why? Because he and I are aligned in our core beliefs about what juror’s respect and reject. Americans respect people who buck up and reject those who give up. The quickest way to lose is by whining. Jesse’s first book was about taking the whimpering out of plaintiffs. Now he is helping lawyers carry that victor’s message from the beginning of trial to the end. I will be telling all of our lawyers to read it.

Senior Trial Counsel for Morgan & Morgan, best-selling Author of “Don’t Eat The Bruises,” and “Deeper Cuts,” Host of “The Art of Outsmarting” podcasts and in person national events

Almost as soon as we can understand words, we are attentive to and swayed by story. This is an inbred trait of the human mind and it stays with us for the rest of our lives—including our lives as jurors. Largely due to where we first heard stories, they create rapport with jurors and act as a pre-constructed framework for everything jurors hear and see during the case. Good stories well told are a key that lets us into the minds of jurors. But few trial lawyers can tell good stories. And other than Jim Perdue and Joshua Karton, there’s a surprising scarcity of people who have any idea of how to teach us to create and use story in trial. Jesse’s first book opened the doors and this new one walks us through; it’s a practical, how-to-do-it guide through each element of trial. The book provides ways to fill in the story as trial progresses. Of course those fill-ins will vary trial to trial and preference to preference, but this book shows what to do whatever fill-ins you need. The book is simultaneously a primer (Storytelling in Trial for Dummies) and an advanced guide (Storytelling as Surgical Persuasion). Master Perdue’s work, try to work with Karton, and read this book along with Jesse’s first—and the insurance companies will never think about you in the same way again. Good story makes jurors want what we want. Good story rivets attention, creates motivation, and wipes the opposition off the map because the defense rarely has any story at all, much less a good one. Jesse joins the scarce few in gifting you with that ability.

PhD, Trial Consultant and Author of “David Ball on Damages”

Jesse has done it again and I am all “on board” with his new book! Having worked with Jesse on a tractor trailer case this year – he pushed my skills to the next level and helped us maximize the results for a Missouri family.  My favorite chapter and where he improved my opening statement the most, is “Tell It Like a Movie.” If you have not been on stage and let Jesse work with you, stop what you are doing, buy this book, and call him. He will share is gift with you too. 

Trial Attorney from Arkansas with an 18 Wheeler Courtroom Practice and Author of “Depositions Are Trial”

Jesse Wilson’s new book is a masterpiece for the trial lawyer.  Beyond understanding the fundamentals of persuasion and storytelling, he lays out the tools for presenting the case and preparing witnesses in the most understandable way.  No trial lawyer should ever again think that she/he has to recite a script handed to him by someone else.  Instead, by following Jesse’s brilliant, yet easy to understand insights, we learn how to make the plaintiff’s story persuasive, enabling every advocate to present their case convincingly.  This book is must reading for new trial lawyers and the most seasoned lawyers among us.

Senior Partner, Kramer Dillof Livingston & Moore  and Immediate Past President of The Inner Circle of Advocates

I recommend this book to every trial lawyer who is serious about obtaining justice for their clients. It is extremely well written and makes for interesting reading. As a bonus, Jesse’s ideas are golden. The difference for me between Jesse and some so-called expert trial consultants is that I have not only seen the outstanding results of his work with lawyers but have experienced those results firsthand. I have hired Jesse to do workshops with our firm and other local lawyers, to work with me individually and to work with my clients to help us tell their stories. I always come away feeling inspired to put Jesse’s teaching into action.

Trial Attorney, Sloan, Hatcher, Perry, Runge, Robertson & Smith President of The Trial Lawyers College, tried over 150 cases to a jury verdict, ABOTA member, and on the board of regents of the Academy of Truck Accident Attorneys

Jesse’s compelling new book delivers actionable techniques that elevate trial advocacy to an art form. His approach is honest and powerful—embracing, rather than sidestepping, the truth of each case. Drawing from cinema and theater, he gives examples of scenes that inspire and shows how directing techniques can transform courtroom storytelling. I recently worked on a wrongful death case with Jesse that went to trial and in my client’s case in chief, I chose to call the company to complement their safety practices and called the truck driver in a soft cross that started with “I like you.” The jury returned an $18.5 million consortium-only verdict for the death of a 21-year-old unmarried. This is what happens when you take the counterintuitive approaches as Jesse details in his book.

Managing Partner of The Law Firm for Truck Safety and author of  “The Zen Lawyer: Winning with Mindfulness”