The Street Lawyer (Mass Market Paperback)

by John Grisham (Author) "THE MAN with the rubber boots stepped into the elevator behind me, but I didn't see him at first..." (more)
Key Phrases: legal clinic, hundred lawyers, Braden Chance, Hector Palma, Lontae Burton (more...)

Editorial Reviews

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." --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Publishers Weekly
America's most popular author is arguably its most popular crusader as well, tilting his pen against myriad targets, including big law (The Firm, etc.), big tobacco (The Runaway Jury), big insurance (The Rainmaker) and now, in perhaps his sweetest, shortest novel, against anyone, big or little, who treats the homeless as less than human. The expected powerhouse opening involves the hostage-taking?by an armed, homeless man who calls himself Mister?of nine attorneys of a huge law firm headquartered in D.C. Among the nine is narrator Michael Brock, an antitrust lawyer who receives a faceful of blood when a police sniper blows away Mister's head. "I'm alive! I'm alive," Michael cries like Ebenezer Scrooge, but, like Scrooge, this greedy hotshot is ripe for a moral awakening. The next day, Michael visits the shabby offices of Mister's attorney, Mordecai Green, who explains that Mister and others had been illegally evicted from makeshift housing on orders from a real-estate development company represented by Michael's firm. Inspired by Green and shaken by his firm's complicity, Michael volunteers at a homeless shelter. When a family he meets there dies on the street, and turns out to have been among the evictees, Michael quits his job, goes to work for Green and, using as evidence a file he steals from the firm, aims to sue his former employer on behalf of the evictees. In turn, the firm places Michael in its crosshairs, pressuring him to give up the file through legal maneuvers, having him arrested and hints of darker means. The cat-and-mouse between Michael and the firm is vintage Grisham, intricately plotted, but the emphasis in this smoothly told, baldly manipulative tale is less on action and suspense, which are moderate, than on Michael's change of heart and moving exploration of the world of the homeless. Dickens would be well pleased, and so will Grisham's fans. 2.8 million first printing.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 464 pages
• Publisher: Dell (January 5, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0440225701
• ISBN-13: 978-0440225706
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1,058 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #39,021 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #15 in	Books > Mystery & Thrillers > Authors, A-Z > ( G ) > Grisham, John
  #61 in	Books > Mystery & Thrillers > Thrillers > Legal

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars I expected better, August 4, 2005

By	Luke Waygood (Jamestown, NY United States) - See all my reviews

My first Grisham novel was The Testament, so I walked into this novel, expecting more of the same. Unfortunately that expectation was mis-placed.

The concept was good, and the topic was riveting. The problem, however, lay in the narrative. The character of Michael Brock was almost wishy-washy. I couldn't identify with him - in fact I related and liked far better the character of Mordecai Green, Director of the 14th Street Legal Clinic which Brock starts working for.

The novel is billed, essentially, as a thriller. However it didn't have the feel of a thriller. Sure, I was intrigued by the developments, however I wasn't feverishly turning the pages at 3am to finish it.

In a way, I'm disappointed. The topic is hot, and one deserving of much attention in this, the richest nation of the world. I often wonder how many millions are given to foreign nations, while thousands of its citizens sleep on our streets, including children? A disturbing thought.

I'm glad that Grisham brought it to our attention, but felt that he could have done so much more with the material. It's an enjoyable read, don't get me wrong, but not Grisham at his best.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Point well taken, July 5, 2006

By	snapanther "snapanther" (Raymond, Maine) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Street Lawyer (Hardcover)

Many people say this book was not Grisham's best, but I do believe they missed his point of the story. This book actually moved me to the awareness of the homeless. Most of us sit in a comfortable chair reading and say, "Entertain me now!" I do highly doubt that an attorney would leave his prized job to do what he did, but it is possible. Some would say to stay put with the firm and use that income to save the homeless. In this story, Michael Brock decides to hit the pavement, dodge personal attacks on him and make a difference in D.C. This book moved me to be aware of the less fortunate in my own community, and I will do more to help others who need it.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars irrelevant points, July 18, 2001

By A Customer

I was rather surprised to see how boring this book can get. It has a great plot and the beginning is quite good. But after you get through the middle it's hard to keep reading. The author seems to have such a great obsession with telling the reader about what's legal and what's not that it got to a point it was hard to stick with getting through the book. The only reason I read it till the end was to see how the law suit would end up. Which was, rather predictible.