The Street Lawyer

Ruby reappears at the 14th Street Legal Clinic with no explanation of where she has been, except that she is staying in her car. Michael does not ask her about the last motel visit. He reads the newspaper to her, picking up their old routine, and updates her on the Burton case. In the Metro section, he reads the story on Kito Spires’s death, and it shocks him. Quickly he realizes, though, that the story is helpful to his case against Drake & Sweeney. This is the third story of the day in which the firm’s name is mentioned in connection with murder. Michael drives Ruby to Naomi’s, where she is welcomed with open arms.

When Michael returns to the office, Sofia informs him of their walk-in client, Marquis Deese, whose name she recognizes from the list of River Oaks evictees. Mordecai leads the conversation with Marquis, who tells them the same information about the warehouse apartments as everyone else: He lived there about three months, paid $100 in cash per month as rent to a guy named Johnny, and got kicked out unannounced. Mordecai takes him on as a client, and they record his deposition.

Arthur Jacobs calls and talks to Mordecai, requesting that he come to Drake & Sweeney the next day, without Michael, to discuss settling the lawsuit.

Mordecai returns from the meeting with Jacobs, and he relays the details to Michael. The meeting took place on the eighth floor in Jacobs’s personal conference room, “in a hallowed corner of the building” Michael has never seen (334). They treated Mordecai with the utmost respect, as if he were a celebrity. Jacobs claimed that Drake & Sweeney was blindsided by the lawsuit and rattled by the media coverage. He did most of the talking, as Mordecai listened, and he admitted that Braden Chance had not handled the eviction professionally and that he had been expelled from the firm. Jacobs also admitted that they knew some papers had been removed from the file, but he claimed he did not know where they were and had not seen them. Mordecai presented Jacobs with copies of the memo and Lontae’s rent receipt, and he was stunned but tried to act like it was “something they could handle effectively at a later date” (336). Jacobs and Rafter presented Mordecai with a settlement proposal, which Mordecai rejected immediately, and then they negotiated. In his telling of the story, Mordecai says it is clear that Drake & Sweeney are eager to avoid a trial. Finally, Jacobs “moved to their strongest hand” (339): The firm would be willing to drop the criminal charges against Michael and settle on the civil suit if Michael were sentenced to a two-year, non-negotiable suspension from practicing law. Mordecai rejected that proposal and gave them a copy of the Marquis Deese lawsuit.

Mordecai tells Michael he has spoken to Judge DeOrio, a tough, well-respected, moderately liberal veteran judge in the District who is handling their case. DeOrio wants to meet in his courtroom the next day with all parties involved, including all three defendants. He is known for wanting to settle cases quickly, but Mordecai thinks he will be harsh on Michael. Mordecai puts the decision about how to proceed in Michael’s hands, but Michael is conflicted and still does not know what to do. If he turns over the file and they settle, then River Oaks, TAG, and Drake & Sweeney get away with murder. If he does not hand over the file, he faces possible criminal charges and loss of his law license.

Mordecai offers Michael a scenario in which they receive enough money from the defendants, Michael proffers the file and surrenders his license for a period of time, and Michael continues to work as a full partner at the legal clinic in the meantime, under the title of “social worker” instead of “lawyer,” much like Sofia. He advises Michael to research on similar cases so they can be ready to negotiate the next day.

In Judge DeOrio’s courtroom, Drake & Sweeney has positioned its lawyers strategically to intimidate and shame Michael. Rafter is present, but so are Nathan Malamud and Barry Nuzzo, two other Mister survivors. DeOrio appears and briefly reviews the case, then prompts Mordecai to state their case, giving him five minutes. Mordecai states the case clearly in two minutes. When Arthur Jacobs states their defense, he blames Lontae Burton for not doing enough to protect her family, and therefore causing their deaths. DeOrio challenges him, saying their “liability is clear” (352). Mordecai then gives an inspiring speech, ending with saying they will settle for $5 million.

Mordecai submits the file to the judge, who immediately calls for Drake & Sweeney to drop the criminal charges against Michael as promised, which they do. Arthur Jacobs then speaks on their ethics charge against Michael, after which Michael offers a public apology. Jacobs agrees to settle for $375,000. Mordecai and Michael discuss Michael’s license suspension privately with Judge DeOrio, and then he does the same with the defense. He returns with what Jacobs says is their final offer: $3 million and a one-year license suspension. Mordecai rejects the offer, saying they are wasting their time, and he and Michael leave the courtroom.

Judge DeOrio calls Mordecai and Michael back to the courtroom before they even get into their car. River Oaks was shaken by the settlement conference, and more negotiations are now on the table. Mordecai is visibly irritable, and even though Drake & Sweeney is now offering $4 million, he will not budge. Eventually, Mordecai offers Jacobs a structured settlement that amounts to $5 million total but will be paid in installments. Jacobs agrees but stands his ground on the one-year suspension. Everyone is tired of “Arthur’s nitpicking,” so, as a gesture of good faith, Michael offers to compromise and take a nine-month suspension, and everyone agrees (364).

Mordecai and Michael return to the office and begin planning how best to use the settlement money. Mordecai once again encourages Michael to take on fundraising for the company, saying, “We’ve been declining for five years […] This is our golden moment to turn it around” (366).

Arthur Jacobs visits Michael at the 14th Street Legal Clinic. He admits that the previous few weeks have been incredibly difficult for him, that he feels guilty for the Burtons’ deaths, and that he does not know if he can ever get over that. Michael tells him about the clinic’s new pro bono volunteer program that he is spearheading, and Arthur likes the idea so much he starts to make plans to require all 400 of his DC lawyers to participate each week.

Michael is delighted with this offer, and he suggests that Drake & Sweeney establish Hector Palma as a full-time pro bono coordinator to work directly with Michael on all aspects of street law. Arthur and Michael talk for two hours and flesh out their idea.

Megan and Michael take a vacation at Megan’s uncle’s house on the Delaware shore. They take Ruby with them for the first three nights, with a plan to then check her into a women’s detox center. The novel ends with Michael sitting on the porch swing holding Megan, thinking about how his life has changed drastically over the course of a month.