Jonathan Shapiro

Deadly Force takes place in US Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, Santa Ana branch office, a desert outpost where a handful of federal prosecutors are responsible for enforcing the federal law of the U.S. for an area that is larger than 14 states, and has a population of more than 5 million people. Here is Lizzie Scott, a classic western hero for the 21st century. Follow her as she untangles an excessive force case against a cop, all while balancing agency turf battles, secret grand jury proceedings, inter-office rivalries and on-the-make prosecutors. If she indicts the deputy, she faces death threats from the police, if she loses the case, a killer will go free and her career will be destroyed. It’s the ultimate insiders look into the nuts-and-bolts of a federal civil rights prosecution, with fascinating legal and moral issues.

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The art of telling stories is the secret to success in life, law and business. Storytelling is the most effective means of changing minds and lives. But recognizing the centrality of storytelling to advocacy is not enough. Anyone interested in the art of storytelling should also study the basic structure and elements that apply to stories, how they work and why, as well as the principles that have guided great storytellers for thousands of years.

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"Storytelling - the art of connecting with, captivating and persuading one's listeners - is the key to courtroom success. For the new generation of lawyers raised on texting, tweeting, and e-mailing, the art of old-fashioned storytelling has proven elusive, as those who can truly teach this ancient art form are fast disappearing.

Thankfully, here comes Jonathan Shapiro - one of America's greatest trial lawyers and storytellers - to the rescue. A wonderful and witty raconteur, a storyteller extraordinaire, an Emmy Award-winning Hollywood writer, and a former Rhodes Scholar who became an expert in the art of persuasion, Jonathan shares his secrets in this extraordinary book - a must for every lawyer."

Steve Zipperstein
General Counsel, Blackberry

http://us.blackberry.com/company/newsroom/executive-team.html

Steve Zipperstein
General Counsel, Blackberry

http://us.blackberry.com/company/newsroom/executive-team.html

"During his presentation, Jonathan had our group laughing. Afterward, he had us thinking. He was insightful and humorous, on point and just plain clear. I hope we have a chance to hear him again."

Will Fleet

Newspaper publisher and former president of CNPA

http://press.gistcloud.com/will-fleet-named-california-newspaper-executive-year/

"Lawyers, Liars, and the Art of Storytelling is a masterful book about storytelling by the master himself. Shapiro reveals the rewards of storytelling in the real and fictional legal worlds. Most importantly, he divulges the secrets to being a successful storyteller. It is a fun and interesting read for lawyers and non-lawyers alike."

Laurie L. Levenson

Professor of Law

David W. Burcham Chair of Ethical Advocacy

Loyola Law School

http://www.lls.edu/aboutus/facultyadministration/faculty/facultylistl-r/levensonlaurie/

“Jonathan Shapiro is one of the most charismatic, dynamic and eloquent speakers that we’ve ever hosted. He combines humor and intelligence in an incredibly memorable way.”

Rabbi Arnold Rachlis
University Synagogue

http://www.universitysynagogue.org/category/rabbis-blog/

“Jonathan Shapiro is a terrific speaker: incisive, information, entertaining, and always engaging. We did modern-day trials of Biblical passages and Jonathan always was dazzlingly in his insights and wit.”

Erwin Chemerinsky

Founding Dean and Distinguished Professor of Law, the University of California, Irvine School of Law, author of The Case Against the Supreme Court (Viking, 2014).

http://www.law.uci.edu/faculty/full-time/chemerinsky/

"Lawyers, Liars and the Art of Storytelling left me with a new respect for lawyers; but this book goes far beyond the courtroom. Anyone who wants something from any other human in life or business (especially non-profits) could learn a thing or two from this book.

We all have a story to tell and should never stop learning better ways to tell them. Jonathan Shapiro should teach an online course. I'd take it."

Angela Shelton

author, screenwriter, orator

http://angelashelton.com/

The art of advocacy is the art of taking the truth and fashioning it into a compelling story. No one does this better than Jonathan Shapiro. Shapiro jumps from story to story so quickly that you don't realize how much you've learned until the book ends, and suddenly the learning stops. This book persuasively teaches persuasion, but does so and with an unrivaled range that surveys everything from Aristotelian Theory to the marital status of Col. Klink on Hogan’s Heroes.

The Honorable Jeffrey Bleich

US Ambassador to Australia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeffrey_L._Bleich

"Nobody I know - and I mean nobody - is funnier, smarter or has a wider breadth of references than my friend Jonathan Shapiro. His is a remarkable brain. Fortunately for us, he's chosen to use it for Good instead of Evil. This book is a bit of a miracle; informative, insightful, poetic and funny. Top to bottom, every page. I can't wait for his next book; I know he has more great stories to tell."

Paul Reiser
Actor, writer, producer, stand-up comedian

http://www.paulreiser.com/

"Jonathan Shapiro's 'Lawyers. Liars, and the Art of Storytelling' is so intriguing and witty that for awhile I was certain that I had written it."

Alan Zweibel
Original SNL writer and Thurber Prize winner for his novel The Other Shulman

http://www.alanzweibel.com/

"Storytelling is, at its core, about persuasion, and Jonathan Shapiro’s breezy narrative of the architecture of persuasion is a pretty close-to-perfect demonstration of that art."

Chief Judge Alex Kozinski

of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals

"The first year of law school is designed to bleach away the stories. Jonathan Shapiro gives us the stories back. He demonstrates the power of storytelling and its inevitable importance. More important, he offers advice on how to do it well. Running at the subject from a variety of directions, he moves storytelling to center stage. If Jonathan did not exist, one might have to invent him in order to have this book written correctly."

Professor Bob Berring

former dean of Berkeley Law School

"The site is great, the videos informative, and can’t wait to read the Lawyers, Liars & Storytelling book."

Billy Walters

law student

Part prescriptive teaching, part memoir, always entertaining and never lecturing, this resource provides storytelling lessons gleaned from years of trial practice and television writing, wrapped in — what else — great stories.

LegalNews.com

http://www.legalnews.com/detroit/1395778/

News!

Goliath

Deadly Force: A Lizzie Scott Novel

Lawyers, Liars, and the Art of Storytelling: Using Stories to Advocate, Influence, and Persuade

Jonathan Shapiro

Ex-Federal Prosecutor

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