The Role You Didn’t Know You Were Playing

Written By Leigh Johnson

We think we’re walking into the courtroom as ourselves. Prepared. Professional. Aware of what we’re there to do. But that’s rarely what others see.

To one juror, we’re the hero. To another, a manipulator. To the court reporter, we might be invisible. To opposing counsel, a threat. The self we believe we’re bringing into the room is only one of many selves. And in a courtroom—or anywhere with stakes—that gap between intention and perception becomes everything.

In BTC (Building The Case), we teach that you are never playing just one role. You’re shifting constantly, depending on who is in front of you, what you sense they need, and what version of you they’re projecting onto the moment. That’s not inauthentic. It’s human. It’s adaptive. The problem isn’t that we play roles—it’s that we often don’t realize which one we’re in.

The Role Finds You Before You Choose It

You walk into court and notice a juror won’t meet your eye. Suddenly you stiffen, sound overly formal, default to your “safe” version of self. Or your client arrives late and flustered, and you slip unconsciously into the fixer role—again.  These shifts happen in seconds. The more unconscious they are, the more reactive and ineffective they become. The key isn’t to stop playing roles. The key is to become conscious of them.

J.L. Moreno, the founder of psychodrama, called the role “the functioning form the self takes in a moment of interaction.” In BTC, we take that seriously. You’re not just telling the jury a story. You’re becoming a character in the story they’re already telling themselves. Your job isn’t to erase that—it’s to work with it.

Mapping Your Roles with Precision

In our workshops, we use exercises like “The Twelve Rooms of You” to explore the different versions of a client, lawyer, or witness that appear in a trial. Each juror sees a different “you.” That isn’t a mistake. That’s the nature of social interaction. And if we want to advocate effectively, we must rehearse not just our opening statements—but the version of ourselves that delivers them.

When you stop asking “How do I appear confident?” and start asking “Who do I become when I feel small, when I feel doubted, when I feel powerful?”—your preparation becomes three-dimensional.

Reflection: Start Here

Ask yourself:

  • What role do I default into when I'm under pressure?

  • What role am I afraid people will cast me in?

  • What role am I longing to play—but rarely allow myself?

The courtroom is not just a space of facts. It’s a theater of relational dynamics. And you’re already on the stage.

 

Want to keep exploring how courtroom roles affect everything from opening statements to witness prep?


Subscribe to my Substack for weekly breakdowns, exercises, and behind-the-scenes strategies from BTC. https://buildingthecase.substack.com/

 

 

Leigh Johnson

Leigh E. Johnson—A Master of Storytelling in the Legal Arena

In the high-stakes world of trial lawyering, where facts clash and narratives collide, Leigh E. Johnson stands out as a guide for crafting stories that win hearts, minds, and cases. As a trial lawyer and founder of Trial Whisperer and Law Focus Groups, Leigh has dedicated her career to transforming complex legal battles into compelling human stories that resonate deeply with juries and clients alike.

Leigh’s innovative approach is rooted in action methods, which she uses to uncover the emotional core of every case. By combining rigorous analysis with creativity and empathy, she helps legal teams transform raw evidence into narratives that transcend legal jargon, capturing universal truths and driving courtroom success.

Her journey is as unique as the strategies she employs. From managing communications in military combat units to controlling airspace as an air traffic controller and even working in biotechnology, Leigh’s diverse experiences have shaped her unmatched ability to think creatively under pressure and frame the hidden elements of any story. A graduate and faculty member of Gerry Spence’s Trial Lawyers College, she has trained countless lawyers in the art of storytelling, psychology, and narrative structure.

In this book, Leigh shares the techniques and insights she has honed over decades—tools that empower professionals to create powerful, impactful stories, whether in the courtroom or beyond. Through her lens, storytelling becomes more than a skill; it becomes the bridge between facts and understanding, between strategy and victory.

Let Leigh be your guide as you explore the art and science of the story spine, a transformative framework that has shaped the outcomes of trials, leadership strategies, and lives.

Next

The Weight We Carry In Court: How Unprocessed Loss Shows Up in the Case File