The Lincoln Lawyer

After three days of jury selection, the Roulet trial is set to begin. Mick feels nervous and excited. The only other day in his life that feels as nerve wracking is a wedding.

Mick sits next to Roulet at the defense table. Cecil Dobbs and Roulet’s mother sit behind them. The only other person there for the defense is Lorna. The prosecution, on the other hand, has a full team. When the court clerk calls a two-minute warning, Roulet leans over to Mick and admits that he did kill Martha Renteria. Roulet knows that Mick has already figured it out, and that Mick is planning to turn him in right after this trial ends. Now that Roulet has admitted it, Mick can never use this information without violating attorney-client privilege. Therefore, he cannot prosecute Roulet because the evidence has been tainted as “fruit of the poisonous tree” (312)—a legal concept that we’ve seen Mick use often to defend his other clients.

Mick pulls Roulet into the hall and accuses him of murdering Levin. Roulet says that Levin was getting too close in his investigation and got what he deserved. Mick shoves Roulet and demands his gun back.