The Articulate Advocate

"Brian Johnson and Marsha Hunter distill 25 years of experience coaching and lecturing trial lawyers into an indispensable guide to effective courtroom communication." —James Carey, professor, Loyola University–Chicago School of Law

"A generation of trial lawyers and teachers of trial advocacy have waited for this book from Johnson and Hunter. Here it is, a wisdom of thought and instruction for how to say and be a trial lawyer. But more, it is for anyone who would speak for others." —Thomas H. Singer, adjunct professor of law, University of Notre Dame School of Law


"The Articulate Advocate is well organized, engaging, and easy to read. I unequivocally and wholeheartedly encourage you to consume it from cover to cover . . . [It] is essential reading for anyone who wants to try cases." —Carol B. Anderson, director of trial advocacy, Wake Forest University School of Law–Winston-Salem

"A must read . . . For lawyers in court, before the media, or in the boardroom, it is close to malpractice not to read and practice its wisdom." —Paul J. Zwier, professor of law, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia


Unlike other trial advocacy books that teach what to say and do in the courtroom, this reference teaches how to say and do it. Based on 25 years of experience from coaching practitioners, this handbook reveals techniques—incorporating cutting-edge discoveries in linguistics, neuroscience, and sports psychology—to help litigators look, sound, and feel natural and polished in the courtroom. Questions that lawyers face daily, such as What do I do with my hands? Aren’t gestures distracting? How do I remember everything? and I tend to talk so fast—how can I slow down? are among the questions addressed in this handbook.