Michael Brock seeks justice for the wrongful eviction, and resulting death, of Lontae Burton and her death. He strives to correct the wrongs against the homeless as he sees them, and the injustice they face in their everyday lives.

Mordecai Green has devoted his life to being a radical street lawyer and advocate for the rights of the poor. He speaks out violently against their lack of rights and representation, and is a prominent figure in the poor and homeless community.

Braden Chance, the Lawyer who wrongfully changed a file for his own benefit, committed an injustice to his employer and 17 people, some with families, and as a result of his deceit his employment was terminated immediately.

Michael and Mordecai’s lawsuit against the Drake and Sweeney firm is an example of justice at its finest in the novel. Braden chance wrongfully evicted the tenants at the warehouse case he was managing, and his employer was responsible for his actions. Though he was fired, the firm was still left with a case that they had no idea how to handle since Chance had been lying to them the whole time. Helpless and defeated, they are forced to give in to every demand that Mordecai has for them.

Claire and Michael’s divorce is an example of both a justice and injustice. It is a justice because Michael was partly responsible for the divorce since he was never home, and an injustice because he could not break away from his slave-driver firm who wouldn’t allow him to go home in the first place.

Aside from devoting %100 of your time to the homeless for the benefit of society, one of the more minor themes is justice. In the end, The Drake and Sweeney firm decides to pay reparations for the wrongful evictions of all 17 evictees, along with a hefty fee for the dead family, and punish Michael for his theft.  Throughout the book, the focus of Michael’s actions is on justice for a cause he believes to be valid, along with the eventual thought that he, too, will come clean as soon as he has no need for the file in the lawsuit.

“Mordecai’s latest onslaught was nothing short of brilliant. There was a noticeable relaxing in the Drake & Sweeney group. He had given them a way out.” pg. 438

I would recommend this book to someone who was reading this genre and liked this type of writing. It’s not a universal book that anyone would like, but I personally enjoyed it. The plot is long and complex, and obviously took a lot of effort to write. I don’t think I would change anything in the book, including the ending. It hasn’t received very much credit and is described as very flat, but I thought it was appropriate for the story. Its a law book after all, not a thriller.

The book is very liberal, and basically sends the message that anyone who doesn’t devote %100 of their life to benefiting society is worthless and greedy. If you can rise above this opinion which is apparent from the very beginning to the very end, its actually not a bad book. Though the theme seems to be the author’s opinion, the writing itself was very interesting and I enjoyed the book overall.

Michael Brock works for a big law firm bringing in the money. He and 7 other lawyers are kidnapped by a homeless man named Mister, but escape unharmed. Michael rediscovers his conscience and decides to take up a career as a street lawyer. He begins by helping his homeless clients, but begins to move towards suing his former firm for the wrongful eviction of 17 tenants and their families, one of which died as a result of the eviction. The suing causes chaos at the law firm, and they agree to negotiate a settlement without the need of a trial. One issue that is taken up aside from the eviction is Michael stealing the firm’s file regarding the eviction and refusing to return it. After some tense negotiations, the two sides agree to 5 million as payment for the dead evictees.

1. People avoid being different. After Michael graduates law school, he immediately gets a job for a big firm, making lots of money and on his way to living the good life. This was what 99% of his graduating class did. As lawyers, they are “expected” by society to follow this path. To avoid breaking these standards, Michael forgets his concience and focuses on his job as a lawyer. It is not until the hostage episode that Michael decides to break the norm and become a poverty lawyer.

2. People want revenge. Devon Hardy, the homeless man who holds Michael hostage, doesn’t want money. He doesn’t seem to want anything, in fact. Michael later learns that his law firm, Drake and Sweeney, evicted the man less than a month earlier. According to the law, the eviction was illegal and immoral. Devon just wanted to relay a message about the eviction. Michael decides to sue his former firm for the illegal eviction and take care of the legal business that Devon Hardy didn’t have the ability to do.

3.  Power always triumphs over weakness. In the book, Michael learns that the poor are heavily prosecuted by the law. The poor have no voice, so they are easily defeated in legal battles.  The laws against them are often unfair to begin with,  and coupled with the factr that they are weak legally, means that the poor basically have no voice. This is one injustice Michael seeks to correct.

The Street Lawyer is set in modern times. All the action in the story takes place in Washington D.C. with the exception of a few scenes. Most of the action is centered around Michael’s previous and current apartment buildings, the Drake and Sweeney firm, and Michael’s new job at the legal clinic. The Street Lawyer is fictional, but could certainly take place today. It describes the situations of the poor, as well as the legal situation in the country at that time.  The book is very realistic in that there are no events in the book that could not feasibly take place today. In fact, it actually truthfully describes society’s view of the poor: they are criminalized. Every time a burglary takes place, society’s first thought is to blame the poor. Every time a homeless man breaks the law, they are often held accountable more than a person who commits the same crime but is wealthy. People automatically assume they are just beggars who will run to the liquor store every time they get a buck. This idea presents the conflict that Michael Brock deals with throughout the book.

Michael Brock is the protagonist of The Street Lawyer. He experiences a major change at the beginning of the book that convinces him to give up his greedy lifestyle as a big-time lawyer to have a humble job in a legal clinic, which provides free legal services for the poor. Essentially he goes from being completely selfish lawyer to devoting his life for benefit the people and correct the injustices of society. As a person, Michael is very straightforward, nonviolent, and seems very easy to get along with.  He had forgotten his conscience and compassion long ago, but forces himself to regain them after his life-changing event in the beginning of the book. Even though he experiences a divorce with his wife, Claire, this is primarily due to his devotion (or rather addiction) to his job rather than family life. It is not entirely his fault, the firm he works for is very demanding of their employees, however he still blames himself primarily for the divorce. I think Michael deserves some commendation for devoting his life to helping other people. It is stated in the book that Michael is well on his way to being a partner (and making over a million dollars a year) at the Drake and Sweeney firm when he decides to quit and go work for the legal clinic. He takes a 90k pay cut and basically signs over the rest of his life to helping others for no charge. That is definitely a praiseworthy thing to do.

The title of The Street Lawyer reflects Michael Brock’s decision to give up his wealth and lifestyle for a job as a “Street Lawyer”, or lawyer for the poor or financially incapable.  Street lawyers are described as thinking like first year law students. They want to use their degrees and talents to help people and benefit society. They make very little compared to regular lawyers, Michael bringing in just under 30k with his new job. Money is not the concern of street lawyers, however. They use their job to provide free legal assistance to those who can’t afford it.  Often the ones who can’t afford lawyers in the first place are the ones who get mixed up with the law, so street lawyers are in high demand. A street lawyer is the exact opposite of the typical lawyer. They don’t have the money, fancy offices, nice houses and cars, and luxuries that normal lawyers can afford. In a lot of ways they are like their clients:  Shabby, informal, barely able to scrape by financially. So the change to a street lawyer is really a “full immersion experience” into the lives and experiences of the poor.

The main character in The Street Lawyer, Michael Brock, experiences a major change at the very beginning of the book. Michael has been a slaving for the corporate law firm Drake & Sweeney for 7 years now, and along the way he has all but forgotten his moral values and conscience. As a lawyer, he brings in over 120k a year, most of which goes to his plush apartment and luxury car. The course of his life changes dramatically when he is captured at gunpoint, along with 8 other lawyers, and held hostage inside an office building of the Drake & Sweeney firm.  His captor is none other than a black homeless vietnam vet.  The man appears to want no money from them, or anything else for that matter. He demands to see their tax records, and wants to know how much of their earnings went to the homeless aid establishments throughout the city. The 9 lawyers made a combined 3.3 million, none of which was given to charities of any kind. Their hostage situation ends abruptly when their captor is shot by a police sniper. Michael, who was directly behind the man, ends up splattered with the man’s blood.  He is examined by doctors, and released shortly after. After the incident, Michael is unable to focus on his job. He begins to volunteer at homeless shelters, donate his time and money to charities, and even quits his high-paying job to go work for a legal clinic. He experiences  a complete and total lifestyle change thanks to his hostage situation, while the other hostages appear unaffected. He gives up his car, his house, and all the luxuries he once loved.  He is plagued by the greed he once posessed, and wonders why his captor willingly gave his life simply to prove a point.