Storytelling Mastery for Lawyers: Crafting Narratives That Persuade

Barbara A. Martinez
Barbara A. Martinez
Holland & Knight

Barbara A. Martinez is an experienced trial attorney in Holland & Knight's Miami office and a member of the firm's White-Collar Defense and Investigations Team as well as the Global Compliance and Investigations Team.

Daniel I. Small
Daniel I. Small
Holland & Knight

Dan Small is a partner in Holland & Knight's Miami and Boston offices. He practices in the area of litigation, focusing on witness preparation, dispute strategies, government and internal investigations, white-collar criminal law and complex civil litigation.

Live Video-Broadcast: November 13, 2025

2 hour CLE

Tuition: $195.00
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Program Summary

Trials are not just about the presentation of evidence, they’re about storytelling. Effective trial lawyers understand the importance of identifying, crafting, and delivering stories that build trust, make the complex simple, and captivate listeners. Learn how to deploy storytelling as a versatile tool in trial, to engage the jury or factfinder. This is storytelling with purpose: to build, to bond, and to win.

Key topics to be discussed:

  • Mastering storytelling
  • Transforming headlines into compelling storylines
  • Developing your story
  • Chronology and storytelling
  • Integrating storytelling at each phase of trial
  • Challenges for lawyers

Date / Time: November 13, 2025

  • 1:00 pm – 3:10 pm Eastern
  • 12:00 pm – 2:10 pm Central
  • 11:00 am – 1:10 pm Mountain
  • 10:00 am – 12:10 pm Pacific

Closed-captioning available

Speakers

Barbara A. Martinez | Holland & Knight

Barbara A. Martinez is an experienced trial attorney in Holland & Knight’s Miami office and a member of the firm’s White-Collar Defense and Investigations Team as well as the Global Compliance and Investigations Team. Ms. Martinez focuses her practice on white collar defense, internal corporate investigations, anti-human trafficking and supply chain management, and corporate compliance. Chambers USA 2025 recognized Ms. Martinez for her defense work in white-collar crime and government investigations.

Prior to joining Holland & Knight, Ms. Martinez was a distinguished federal prosecutor. She served more than 22 years at the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), both at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida and at the Criminal Fraud Section in Washington, D.C. She has prosecuted economic crime cases, including healthcare fraud, bank fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering. She also prosecuted cases and lead multidisciplinary teams in matters involving human trafficking, immigration violations, extortion, cybercrimes, crimes against children and other transnational crimes. Ms. Martinez tried numerous complex federal jury trials as lead counsel in the Southern District of Florida and many bench trials in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. She was chief of the Special Prosecutions Section and served in various other leadership roles at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Miami, including as the human trafficking coordinator for the Southern District of Florida. She regularly led multidisciplinary teams handling complex investigations in the U.S. and overseas.

 

Daniel I. Small | Holland & Knight

Dan Small is a partner in Holland & Knight’s Miami and Boston offices. He practices in the area of litigation, focusing on witness preparation, dispute strategies, government and internal investigations, white-collar criminal law and complex civil litigation. He has extensive investigation, jury trial and other litigation experience. Prior to entering private practice, Mr. Small was a prosecutor for the U.S. Department of Justice, during which time he tried RICO, corruption, financial and regulatory cases. Mr. Small received various awards and commendations for his work. He also was general counsel for a publicly traded healthcare management firm, where he oversaw in-house legal and risk management staff, outside counsel, litigation, compliance, and facility, entity and physician contracting.

Since 2013, Mr. Small has worked pro bono with lawyers and judges in Uzbekistan on reforming their judicial system and Rule of Law issues. This has included conducting workshops there on trial advocacy, speaking at public events and lecturing at Tashkent State University of Law. He has also spoken on Rule of Law issues with groups from Turkey and Russia.

Mr. Small has written several books on litigation for the American Bar Association, including Preparing Witnesses, Going To Trial and Lessons Learned from a Life on Trial, that are used in CLE programs he gives throughout the country. He was a Lecturer on Law at Harvard Law School. He is also a frequent television, radio and newspaper commentator, as well as the host of Holland & Knight’s Powerful Witness Prep Podcast Series and The Trial Lawyer’s Handbook Podcast Series.

Mr. Small has represented witnesses, plaintiffs and defendants in a wide range of internal and external investigations, administrative proceedings, and civil and criminal litigation. These include issues relating to government regulation, healthcare entities, education institutions, financial institutions and others.

Agenda

I. Mastering storytelling | 1:00pm – 1:20pm

II. Transforming headlines into compelling storylines | 1:20pm – 1:40pm

III. Developing your story | 1:40pm – 2:00pm

Break | 2:00pm – 2:10pm

IV. Chronology and storytelling | 2:10pm – 2:30pm

V. Integrating storytelling at each phase of trial | 2:30pm – 2:50pm

VI. Challenges for lawyers | 2:50pm – 3:10pm

Credits

Alaska

Approved for CLE Credits
2 General

Our programs are CLE-eligible through Alaska’s recognition of multi-jurisdictional reciprocity.
Alabama

Pending CLE Approval
2 General

Arkansas

Approved for CLE Credits
2 General

Arizona

Approved for CLE Credits
2 General

California

Approved for CLE Credits
2 General

Colorado

Pending CLE Approval
2 General

Connecticut

Approved for CLE Credits
2 General

District of Columbia

No MCLE Required
2 CLE Hour(s)

Delaware

Pending CLE Approval
2 General

Florida

Approved via Attorney Submission
2.5 General Hours

Receive CLE credit in Florida via attorney submission.
Georgia

Pending CLE Approval
2 General

Hawaii

Approved for CLE Credits
2.4 General

Iowa

Pending CLE Approval
2 General

Idaho

Pending CLE Approval
2 General

Illinois

Pending CLE Approval
2 General

Indiana

Pending CLE Approval
2 General

Kansas

Pending CLE Approval
2 Substantive

Kentucky

Pending CLE Approval
2 General

Louisiana

Pending CLE Approval
2 General

Massachusetts

No MCLE Required
2 CLE Hour(s)

Maryland

No MCLE Required
2 CLE Hour(s)

Maine

Pending CLE Approval
2 General

Michigan

No MCLE Required
2 CLE Hour(s)

Minnesota

Pending CLE Approval
2 General

Missouri

Approved for CLE Credits
2.4 General

Mississippi

Pending CLE Approval
2 General

Montana

Pending CLE Approval
2 General

North Carolina

Pending CLE Approval
2 General

North Dakota

Approved for CLE Credits
2 General

Our programs are CLE-eligible through North Dakota’s recognition of multi-jurisdictional reciprocity. Section 1, Policy 1.14
Nebraska

Pending CLE Approval
2 General

myLawCLE reports attendance to Nebraska on each attorney’s behalf for all programs. Please do not self-report.
New Hampshire

Approved for CLE Credits
120 General minutes

As of July 1, 2014, the NHMCLE Board no longer provides pre- or post-approval of courses. Attendees must self-determine whether a program is eligible for credit, and self-report their attendance online at www.nhbar.org, based on qualification provisions of Rule 53.
New Jersey

Approved for CLE Credits
2.4 General

Our programs are CLE-eligible through New Jersey’s recognition of multi-jurisdictional reciprocity, except for the courses required under BCLE Reg. 201:2
New Mexico

Approved for CLE Credits
2 General

Nevada

Pending CLE Approval
2 General

New York

Approved for CLE Credits
2.4 General

Our programs are CLE-eligible through New York’s Approved Jurisdiction Group “B”.
Ohio

Pending CLE Approval
2 General

Oklahoma

Pending CLE Approval
2.5 General

Oregon

Pending CLE Approval
2 General

Pennsylvania

Approved for CLE Credits
2 General

Rhode Island

Pending CLE Approval
2.5 General

South Carolina

Pending CLE Approval
2 General

South Dakota

No MCLE Required
2 CLE Hour(s)

Tennessee

Pending CLE Approval
2 General

Texas

Approved for CLE Credits
2 General

Utah

Pending CLE Approval
2 General

Virginia

Not Eligible
2 General Hours

Vermont

Approved for CLE Credits
2 General

Washington

Approved via Attorney Submission
2 Law & Legal Hours

Receive CLE credit in Washington via attorney submission.
Wisconsin

Pending CLE Approval
2 General

West Virginia

Pending CLE Approval
2.4 General

Wyoming

Pending CLE Approval
2 General

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