1. Lawyer-Client Privilege
The film mentions "secret privileges between lawyers and clients" many times. To put it simply, all communications and speeches between lawyers and clients, including case analysis, litigation strategies, negotiation methods, fact statements, etc., are confidential, and no one may disclose them. Even if it is disclosed, it cannot be used as evidence for a verdict in court. In the United States, this kind of disclosure may even lead to a mistrial, a serious result of the reorganization of the court and the jury. Not only will the relevant lawyers not be praised for this, but they will also be punished by practicing discipline.
This privilege of confidentiality also makes the lawyer's power of attorney more operable. It is mostly young lawyers who talk about this privilege. But this is also in line with the role of Mickey Mouse played by Brother Tom in the film, a young lawyer who has just passed the bar exam.
2. Interest structure
A. FBI: I hope to use Mickey to overthrow the Mafia, including obtaining evidence of money laundering by the Mafia and the source and flow of money from the law firm;
Interest exchange: Help Mickey's brother release bail and give Mickey 750,000 US dollars.
Impact on Mickey: The FBI may turn his face at any time, and the witness protection system itself has loopholes. Mickey and his family may live in terror and doubt for the rest of their lives. Not only will they fail to realize his lofty ambitions, they may also be life-threatening.
B. Law Firm: Hope to absorb Mickey as a money laundering accomplice;
Exchange of benefits: Help him repay the student loan, give the house and car, monitor and threaten him with death.
Impact on Mickey: The monitoring and intimidation of the law firm greatly restricted the freedom of Mickey and his family, and violated their legal rights. Faced with death threats from time to time.
C. Mickey: retreat from the whole body;
Strategy: Collect evidence in the law firm and master the money laundering information of the Mafia. Then the FBI, without the knowledge of the law firm and the Mafia, reached an agreement with the law firm Boss to provide the FBI with the law firm’s invoicing and Billable hours list under the law firm’s authorization to help the FBI investigate the law firm’s tax evasion and fraud evidence of.
Impact on Mickey: Get 750,000 US dollars from the FBI, release my brother on bail, and gain freedom.
3. Feeling
Perhaps the happiest thing is not to get a heart-wrenching offer, but to be able to maintain an honest and free life.
As a Harvard graduate, Mickey's popularity is second to none in major law firms. He also chose a job that made him most fascinated by many opportunities. Today, an annual salary of around US$90,000 is really not that high in a big American city, but this movie was shot in 1993. At the price level at that time, this salary was estimated to be pretty good at that time.
But opportunities and risks coexist. It shouldn't be taken lightly when everything looks good. Young colleagues have had accidents one after another, and they are all inseparable from the Cayman Islands transaction. As we all know, the Cayman Islands is a tax haven. The lawyers were all involved there, indicating that the incident was related to the clients of the law firm in the Cayman Islands. Based on his reasonable suspicion, Mitch began investigating the bizarre death of his colleague, and because of the death of the entrusted detective, he came into contact with the FBI and then learned his true situation.
What makes Mickey admire is not his Harvard aura, but when he has the handle to fall into the hands of others, he is honest enough and does not hide it. Even if the truth is uncomfortable, he will actively think of ways. And, in the case of being chased by black and white, he was able to use legal thinking to find a silver lining.
"When I was in law school, I never realized the existence of law, but after working, I found that law is everywhere." His thoughts just confirmed the legal saying-the life of law lies in practice.
Tom's charm lies not only in his appearance, but also in the earnestness revealed in his eyes. The screenwriter of this film has fewer flaws on legal issues, and the protagonist’s style of action is in line with the actions of an excellent law student. Therefore, this is a movie suitable for recommendation to law students.
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