The suit’s narrative style influenced other attorneys’ approach to legal complaints

Evidence

Shortly after we filed our legal complaint, Josh was interviewed by Attorney Lloyd Bell of Georgia for his podcast, Face the Jury. Bell explained that the complaint had forever changed the way he views these legal documents. “You impressed me with the storytelling in the suit,” he said to Josh. “It was probably the first time that Renty and Delia received the respect that was due to them as human beings. It brought home that our complaints are not mere pleading outlines…. [They are] opportunities to tell compelling, meaningful stories. We’ve adopted a similar approach with all our lawsuits because of you.” — Tamara Lanier, From These Roots, 1023

Categorization

• SEED: The complaint-as-storytelling technique is a craft lesson readily transferable to other contexts where documents must do emotional work.