The Street Lawyer - Softcover

Grisham, John

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0712679324 ISBN 13: 9780712679329

Publisher: Century, 1998

Synopsis

Michael was a rising star at "Drake and Sweeney", a giant Washington DC firm with 800 lawyers. But a violent encounter with a homeless man stopped him cold. Michael survived; his assailant did not. Michael did some digging, and found a dirty little secret, which involved "Drake and Sweeney".

About this title

Review:

John Grisham is back with his latest courtroom conundrum, The Street Lawyer. This time the lord of legal thrillers dives deep into the world of the homeless, particularly their barely audible legal voice in a world dominated by large, all-powerful law firms. Our hero, Michael Brock, is on the fast track to partnership at Washington D.C.'s premier law firm, Sweeny & Drake. His dream of someday raking in a million plus a year is finally within reach. Nothing can stop him, not even 90- hour workweeks and a failing marriage--until he meets DeVon Hardy, a.k.a. "Mister," a Vietnam vet with a grudge against his landlord--and a few lawyers to fry. Hardy, with no clear motive, takes Brock and eight of his colleagues hostage in a boardroom, demanding their tax returns and interrogating them with a conviction that would have put perpetrators of the Spanish Inquisition to shame. Hardy, a man of few words and a lot of ammunition, mumbles cryptically: "Who are the evictors?" as he points a .44 automatic within inches of Brock's face. The violent outcome of the hostage situation triggers an abrupt soul-searching for the young lawyer, and Hardy's mysterious question continues to haunt him. Brock learns that Hardy had been in and out of homeless shelters most of his life, but he had recently begun paying rent in a rundown building; that means he has legal recourse when a big money-making outfit such as Sweeny & Drake boots him with no warning. When Brock realises that his profession caters to the morally challenged, he sets out on an aimless search through the dicier side of D.C., ending up at the 14th Street Legal Clinic. The clinic's director, a gargantuan man named Mordecai Green, woos Brock to the clinic with a $90,000 cut in pay and the chance to redeem his soul. Brock takes it--and some of the story's credibility along with it; it's hard to believe that a Yale graduate who sacrificed everything--including his marriage--to succeed in the legal profession would quickly jump at the opportunity for low-paying charitable work. However, Brock's search for corruption in the swanky upper echelons of Sweeny & Drake (via the toughest streets of D.C.) is filled with colourful characters and realistic, gritty descriptions. In the The Street Lawyer, Grisham once again defends the voiceless and powerless. In the words of Mordecai Green: "That's justice, Michael. That's what street law is all about. Dignity." --Amazon.com

Review:

#1 New York Times Bestseller
"Compelling...if there's any justice, The Street Lawyer will be his biggest hit yet."
--Entertainment Weekly
"An entertaining read with an important theme."
--Chicago Sun-Times
"The plot surges forward, pulling us along as we turn those pages a mile a minute."
--San Francisco Chronicle
A Main Selection of the Literary Guild and the Doubleday Book Club

"From the Paperback edition."

" Compelling...if there's any justice, The Street Lawyer will be his biggest hit yet." "-- Entertainment Weekly"
" An entertaining read with an important theme." -- "Chicago Sun-Times"
" The plot surges forward, pulling us along as we turn those pages a mile a minute." - "San Francisco Chronicle"
A Main Selection of the Literary Guild and the Doubleday Book Club

"From the Paperback edition."

"Compelling...if there's any justice, The Street Lawyer will be his biggest hit yet." " Entertainment Weekly"
"An entertaining read with an important theme." "Chicago Sun-Times"
"The plot surges forward, pulling us along as we turn those pages a mile a minute." "San Francisco Chronicle"
A Main Selection of the Literary Guild and the Doubleday Book Club

"From the Paperback edition.""

"Compelling...if there's any justice, The Street Lawyer will be his biggest hit yet." Entertainment Weekly
"An entertaining read with an important theme." Chicago Sun-Times
"The plot surges forward, pulling us along as we turn those pages a mile a minute." San Francisco Chronicle
A Main Selection of the Literary Guild and the Doubleday Book Club

From the Paperback edition."

About this edition

• Publisher: Century
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 0712679324
• ISBN 13: 9780712679329
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 352