Dean Jelani Jefferson Exum spoke with Professor Michael A. Perino on Mar. 31 about his Legal Storytelling seminar at St. John’s University School of Law, focusing on how narrative shapes legal practice and education.
The conversation highlights the growing recognition that storytelling is an essential skill for lawyers, who must present facts and law in a compelling way to persuade courts and juries. The interview also reflects ongoing efforts at St. John’s University to innovate within its academic programs and foster skills relevant to both the legal profession and broader society.
Perino said he designed the course after years of considering how nonfiction narratives could help students understand law beyond just precedents or rules: “Through those accounts, they would learn how the law is shaped, not just by precedents and stare decisis, but by demographic shifts, social movements, and changing societal norms and values.” He added that while traditional legal writing focuses on argument structure, “writing a good story is a skill— but, unfortunately, one that gets relatively short shrift in the traditional Legal Writing curriculum.”
He explained why narrative matters: “Human beings understand the world through stories… Especially in litigation, a lawyer’s task is to construct a compelling narrative out of a jumble of factual detail.” Referencing works like Janet Malcolm’s Iphigenia in Forest Hills and his own book The Hellhound of Wall Street—which Andrew Ross Sorkin called “essential” for understanding the Great Crash—Perino said these texts show that effective legal stories reveal deeper truths about human nature or society.
St. John’s University supports initiatives through its centers focused on multicultural efforts locally and globally according to its official website. The university features campuses in Queens and Manhattan as well as international sites in Rome, Paris, and Limerick according to its official website. It operates as a Catholic Vincentian institution dedicated to liberal arts education according to its official website.
Perino concluded with advice for aspiring lawyers: “Writing is about choices… There is no single right way to tell any story,” encouraging students to be thoughtful editors so their work serves readers effectively.
