Editorial Product Review:Item Description:Michael was in a hurry. He was scrambling up the ladder at Drake & Sweeney, a giant D.C. law firm with eight hundred lawyers. The money was good and getting better; a partnership was three years away. He was a rising star with no time to waste, no time to stop, no time to toss a few coins into the cups of panhandlers. No time for a conscience.
But a violent encounter with a homeless man stopped him cold. Michael survived; his assailant did not. Who was this man? Michael did some digging, and learned that he was a mentally ill veteran who'd been in and out of shelters for many years. Then Michael dug a little deeper, and found a dirty secret, and the secret involved Drake & Sweeney.
The fast track derailed; the ladder collapsed. Michael bolted the firm and took a top-secret file with him. He landed in the streets, an advocate for the homeless, a street lawyer.
And a thief.
From the Hardcover edition.
Amazon.com 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 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 realizes 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 colorful 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.'
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Buyer Reviews
Average Buyer Rating:
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Could Something Suck More, Please?
This book feels like the author had 300 pages to fill, but only 30 pages of material. And an axe to grind...because he just discovered there were homeless people in the world. It certainly follows a formula, but does so poorly and without enthusiasm.
This is the first and last Grisham book I will read.
P.S. I put "one star" because they don't have a negative star rating.
Customer Rating: 
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Ideals lost and regained
Michael Brock had grand ideals of serving humanity when he entered law school. When he graduated and joined a leadinng Washington, D.C., law firm, the realities set in. Success was measured by billable hours, and the competition to be one of the few who advanced to partner was intense. Practicing trust law meant few contacts with actual people except other attorneys. The practice of law was an jealous mistress. There was little time for anything else, and the divorce rate was high.
Invasion of the law offices by a homeless man with a gun, and the taking of hostages, redirects Brock's life. He discovers a law clinic for the impoverished, and gets a first had view of street people, shelters, and soup kitchens. Someone he tries to befriend meets a tragic death.
The novel is well researched and well written, and gives a good picture of the downside of modern society. There are people at the top who live well, and people at the bottom who are starving. They don't have bread? Let them eat cake. For some people, the lower classes are invisible, but they do have legal rights.
Customer Rating: -
Just a step away
Many people that I know live from paycheck to paycheck. Housing prices are out of sight. Gasoline prices for commuting have gone past $4 a gallon. Grain prices are high and food prices are up. This is an era of downsizing and outsourcing. Job security may be tenuous. Everyone except the president seems to know that the country is in a recession and that things will get worse before they get better. Someone, observing the homeless, said that he was only a short step away from joining them. This novel provides a chilling picture of life on the streets. You too could end up living in your car.
Michael Brock came from an established family with enough money to pay for the best universities. He is a hard working associate of a major Washington, D.C., law firm, with hopes of becoming a highly paid partner, so hard working that he and his wife hardly see each other. Like many workaholics, his marriage is going on the rocks. The practive of law is an unforgiving mistress. Then a homeless man with a grievance enters the law office and takes hostages. Events bring about a radical change in Michael's life.
There is a big difference between working for a legal clinic, doing pro bono work for the poor, and working a major law firm handling antitrust cases. There is no billing of clients by the hour - in fact an hours time may involve several clients with problems. There is more to life than money.
Michael finds himself wrapped up in a case involving his former law firm. But he also finds a new life involving new people, and perhaps he finds a new confidence in himself.
Much of the novel is in narrative form, as told by Michael. Some readers, as reflected in the reviews, think the author is preaching a personal social agenda (with some criticism of politicans, idle rich, and such), but so have many other writers (John Steinbeck and Victor Hugo to name a couple). It does make you pause to consider the people who are less fortunate.
Customer Rating: -
Boring boring boring and more boring. Did I mention it's boring?
Booooooooorrrring!!! Too much of a snoozer to finish reading it. I can see why they didn't make a feature film out of this Grisham book
