Vox Nova at the Movies: Michael Clayton
When I was in law school, one of my professors gave me a piece of advice that I’ve carried with me ever since. He said that if you’re working on a case, and it begins to look like someone is going to jail, make sure it’s your client.
It would appear that the lawyers in the film Michael Clayton were playing hooky that day. The premise of the film is not terribly original, though it contains enough new elements to make it interesting: There’s this evil corporation tries to cover up the fact that it has been killing its customers. Like all evil corporations, it has made the mistake of writing down its nefarious schemes in a nice, easy to steal memo, which it has entrusted to the safe keeping of the major Manhattan law firm representing it in a class action lawsuit. Everything is going fine until the chief litigator defending said evil corporation goes insane, and decides that he can no longer represent such wicked people (one might wonder whether this qualifies one as insane, but Tom Wilkinson, who plays the litigator in question, does a magnificent job of convincing you that he is bonkers). To stop Wilkinson, the firm sends out Michael Clayton (George Clooney), the firm’s “fixer” who is also one of Wilkinson’s oldest friends.
From my somewhat flippant description, one might get the impression that I didn’t like the film, but that would be incorrect. The film was actually fairly good at building dramatic tension, and at showing the morally compromised nature of most of the characters. Wilkinson and Clooney both turned in solid performances, as did Tilda Swinton, who play the general counsel (and rising star) of the evil corporation. Clooney and Wilkinson are both nominated for Oscars, though I suspect that they will be beat out by Daniel Day-Lewis and Javier Bardem, respectively. Swinton is also nominated, and may win, though not having seen most of the other nominees, I’m hesitant to say whether she should win. Michael Clayton is definitely worth the watch, and with the Oscars approaching it is probably back in limited release in a theater near you. Check it out.
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One would be amazed at what is kept in records in a company.
Look at the Ellsberg papers from Vietnam.
Or at Enron.
I just wanted to verify that the law prof you refer to was G. Robert Blakey…
Yep. It was Blakey.
Someone else recommended this movie to me yesterday afternoon. I learned that it will be released on DVD on February 19th. I guess I’m there.
As a bipolar attorney, I’m sure it will strike a chord with me. :)
I heard the same quote in Civ Pro (at UVA not ND). It was phrased as a quotation from Edward Bennett Williams. First rule: Fight like hell to keep your client out of jail. Second Rule: Make sure if anyone does go to jail, it’s your client and not you.
Michael Clayton was pretty good overall. It was a little unrealistic when Clooney confrontated the senior partner and acted surprised that their clients were guilty. Surely somebody who had worked in a law firm for twenty years not just as defense counsel but as a ‘fixer’ would not be surprised by the guilt of his clients. But overall, an enjoyable movie.