Document Type
Essay
Publication Title
The University of Memphis Law Review
Publication Date
2018
Volume
48
First Page
987
Abstract
(Excerpt)
A pervasive theme in our understanding of civil legal disputes is the “big case”; that is, the generic mass tort that pits sympathetic clients against shadowy, villainous corporations. In John Grisham’s stories about these cases, a David-and-Goliath legal battle ensues, the parameters of the law shift, the attorneys’ ethics stretch, and the author uses characters to reveal both sides’ deep secrets unwillingly—and sometimes unwittingly. Ultimately, the case leads to a “win” for one side or the other—either a huge payday for the clients and a large percentage-based fee for the lawyers who stumbled across it, or a corporation that gets away with (sometimes literal) murder and goes back to its business as if nothing happened. These cases make for good storytelling because Grisham portrays the resulting jury trials as a rollercoaster ride with an unpredictable outcome, and because everyone assumes the plaintiff’s goals are to seek both revenge on the corporation, by attacking its bank account, and validation through the court system. As such, there is suspense, excitement, and a clear understanding of what victory means in these stories. Most of all, we love the underdog theme that Grisham embedded into these stories, and we find ourselves rooting for “the little guy” again and again. John Grisham’s works and other societal representations of mass torts repeat this theme.
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