I guess we are not suppose to care for lawyer movies, and especially those that portray lawyers in a seedy sort of light. But, it is really all a matter of perspective. Such movies can also define things in ways we have failed.
Michael Clayton (George Clooney) is an in-house “fixer” at one of the largest corporate law firms in New York.
Maybe it is just my mood today, but I like the description that Clooney gives as his role as a lawyer:
There is no play here. No. Angle. No Champagne room. I am no miracle worker. I am a janitor. The math on this is simple. The smaller the mess the easier it is for me to clean up.
Our clients might very much be hoping for, or praying for, a miracle worker, but ultimately we cannot pull rabbits out of our hats. All we can really do is clean up the mess they have created in the best way possible.
What a great quote! It is a little pessimistic but very real. I have not heard of that movie, but now I am kind of interested. I work with small businesses and real estate investors, and, more often than not, cleaning up "the mess" is the name of the game. I sure do get a charge out of working with those business clients who value legal advice so much, they ask for help at the very beginning of their deal and not after bottom drops out.
Posted by: Erik Moore | January 25, 2008 at 01:59 PM