The Lincoln Lawyer

Mick arrives at the court for his calendar call. He is representing a criminal named Harold Casey and today he will argue for a delay of one week before beginning trial. Harold is a drug dealer and has been charged with running an illegal marijuana growing operation, and possession of crystal meth and illegal weapons.

Harold is guilty of all charges, but Mick will argue that the evidence against his client is inadmissible in court because of the way it was obtained. An off-duty sheriff saw Harold purchasing light bulbs in a Home Depot, followed Harold home, and then provided his location for a helicopter fly-over. From the helicopter, the sheriff’s department took thermal images of the marijuana plants and used these images to get a search warrant and arrest Harold.

Harold is hoping that Mick’s defense (arguing that the actions of the police violated Harold’s right to privacy) will get the case overturned on appeal. Harold is angry when Mick argues for another week’s delay, but Mick explains to the judge that he is having trouble finding an essential witness—the missing witness is “Mr. Green,” meaning Harold needs to pay Mick before Mick can begin trial. Mick refuses to work for free, and he knows that if he has to chase Harold down for money after the trial he will likely never get paid. Mick explains that Judge Powell is aware that he is asking for a delay because of the missing payment, and this will not help Harold’s case. Harold angrily agrees to make the call and get Mick his money. Mick says that if he doesn’t receive the cash by the next court date (in one week) he will drop the case. 

Mick leaves court and finds his Lincoln Town Car waiting for him outside. His driver, Earl, is working to pay Mick back for helping him get out of a cocaine charge. Mick pays Earl $20 an hour, but keeps half the pay to go toward the legal fees that Earl owes. This line of work is not as lucrative for Earl as selling cocaine, but it is safer and helps Earl build his resume.

Earl puts in a tape for Mick to listen to as they drive. Mick is representing a guilty client, and the government will pay him to listen to their phone tap recordings of his client. He keeps the volume low, not really listening.

Instead, he thinks about Lorna Taylor, his assistant. She is Mick’s first line of defense, fielding calls that come in from his advertisements on billboards and in the yellow pages, making sure that anyone who gets to Mick will be able to pay, and updating him on his messages and upcoming appointments.

Lorna tells Mick that his longstanding pro-bono client, Gloria, has requested him. Gloria is a sex worker who has most recently been arrested in what Mick assumes was a sting.

Next, bondsman Valenzuela lets Mick know that the prosecution assigned to the Roulet case is none other than Maggie McPherson, Mick’s first ex-wife. Mick assures him that will not be an issue.

Harley motorcycle gang The Road Saints is tailing the Lincoln. One of the gang members pulls up alongside Mick’s window and signals for them to pull off the freeway. A large man named Ted approaches the rolled down window. He is there to provide payment on Harold Casey’s behalf. Ted attempts to pay Mick only half of what Harold owes, but Mick holds out until he receives an envelope with ten thousand dollars in cash.

Earl is disappointed to learn that Mick lied about needing extra money to bring an expert on photography in from New York. Mick explains that he is not the devil, merely a person who has learned to work the system to his benefit as well as his clients’.  

Mick meets Louis Roulet at the jail. Roulet is white, fair, tall, and slender. Mick describes him as looking scared, unlike the hardened criminals he is used to working with. Mick speaks with him through the bars, explaining that Roulet needs to be careful about what he says until they are in private. He asks Roulet to tell him about his life and ties to the community. Roulet has never been married, has no kids, and makes at least a quarter of a million dollars annually working for his family’s real estate company. Roulet insists that the woman accusing him is lying and that this is a set-up. Mick tells Roulet what to expect at the hearing, informing him that he should say nothing, even though the prosecution will attempt to keep Roulet in jail with no option for bail. Mick asks why Roulet chose him. Roulet remembered seeing Mickey’s name in the paper recently, so he asked the bondsman to call Mick and the family attorney.

In court, Mick sees the prosecutor—his ex-wife—and whispers into her ear. She is disappointed to find that he has been assigned to the defense because this means she will have to leave the case. Their previous relationship means that they cannot argue against each other, and it falls to the prosecution to reassign a lawyer. She will leave the case after the bail hearing, but suggests that there is no way Roulet will be granted bail. She shows Mick a photo of the victim, whose terrified face has been beaten, swollen, and stitched. She tells Mick that his client was arrested in the victim’s home with her blood all over him.

Mick doesn’t respond, instead asking how his daughter is doing. Maggie tells him that their daughter doesn’t need any more gifts, only time with her father. He promises to visit her this weekend, and Maggie makes it clear that she doesn’t believe he will follow through. Mick admits that he always chooses work over his daughter, even though he knows he shouldn’t, sending gifts to make up for his absence.

The judge calls order and their case is first up, most likely because a cameraman has set up to film Roulet, and the judge wants to get the cameraman out of his chambers as soon as possible. Maggie has increased the charges against Roulet to attempted murder and attempted rape in order to argue for no bail. Mick argues that because Roulet has no criminal record and does not pose a flight risk, he should be released on bail. The judge agrees and sets the bail at one million dollars. Valenzuela is happy to hear that he will receive a cut of such a high bail and refers to Roulet as a franchise client.

Mick explains that most lawyers have two rate schedules: fee schedule A and B. A franchise client is one that can afford the lawyer’s highest rates and pays for a large number of billable hours. Mick thinks that Roulet is most likely a franchise client, which is rare in his line of work. He hopes that he will get to keep this client and make a substantial amount of money.

Outside of the courtroom, Mick meets Roulet’s family lawyer, Cecil. Cecil explains that he is waiting to hear back from Louis Roulet’s mother about how she wishes to take care of the million-dollar bail payment. Mick steers Cecil toward buying a bond from Valenzuela, rather than putting up property, by insinuating that the other inmates will turn on Roulet and give false testimony about him confessing his crimes in jail. Cecil is horrified to learn that such things take place, making it clear that he and Mick run in very different circles. Mick asks if he has the job, and Cecil confirms that even though he doesn’t recognize him, if Roulet wants Mick then Cecil will oblige. Cecil agrees to Mickey’s fees (which are higher than he normally charges).

When the cameraman exits the courtroom, Cecil is very concerned about the tape and the case being exposed in the media—this case could destroy the family business and wealth—so Mick engages in a charade to impress Cecil. Mick approaches the cameraman, who understands the unspoken rules of the game, and offers to buy the tape for more than the cameraman would have made selling it to a news outlet. Mick uses some of the cash he received from the Road Saints earlier to pay the cameraman (who calls himself Sticks) and takes the tape. Sticks and Mick have clearly run this con before, and it’s unclear whether the whole thing was set up in advance.

Cecil is impressed and relieved. Mick also offers to get the prosecutor off the case because Cecil is worried about how aggressive she is. He doesn’t mention that she is his ex-wife and would have to leave the case anyway, again making himself look good to Cecil. They agree to meet later in the day at Cecil’s offices. Cecil’s disparaging comments about Mick’s suit offend Mick, who wonders if he can trust Cecil.