The courage of lions and turtles
There is no question that truly great lawyers must have courage, including this kind of courage, the Courage of Lions. Sadly, most lawyers lack all courage.
March 24, 2014 at 08:00 PM
4 minute read
I was recently at Lincoln Center listening to the Philharmonic perform Elmer Bernstein's score to the movie “To Kill a Mockingbird.” This is a beautiful piece of music which adds so much to one of my favorite movies, a cinematic masterpiece that has probably caused more people to want to become lawyers than any other movie ever made. Almost everyone has seen it at least once; many people, like me, have seen it numerous times.
While it is a rich movie (based, of course, on the classic novel by Harper Lee) with many themes, two major elements of the movie are courage and its opposite—cowardice. Atticus Finch shows courage in defending his unpopular client, even to the point of standing guard all night on the steps of the local jail to prevent a lynching. Tom Robinson demonstrates quiet and dignified courage in telling the truth at his trial even though he probably knew he was sealing his own fate in telling a truth the jury was not willing to hear. Boo Radley evinced courage in doing what had to be done to protect the lives of the children.
But the movie also shows us lots of cowardice. First and foremost, of course, is the moral cowardice of the jury in condemning to death a man they knew was innocent to validate a fundamentally racist and evil society. Then there is the cowardice of the complainant in perjuring herself and sending Tom to his death because she was afraid to admit her own forbidden desires. And there's also the cowardice of the kindly judge who did not do what he surely was morally required to do—throw out the jury verdict
NOT FOR REPRINT
© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
Trending Stories
- 1The Law Firm Disrupted: For Big Law Names, Shorter is Sweeter
- 2Wine, Dine and Grind (Through the Weekend): Summer Associates Thirst For Experience in 'Real Matters'
- 3The 'Biden Effect' on Senior Attorneys: Should I Stay or Should I Go?
- 4BD Settles Thousands of Bard Hernia Mesh Lawsuits
- 5First Lawsuit Filed Alleging Contraceptive Depo-Provera Caused Brain Tumor
Featured Firms
Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates, P.C.
(470) 294-1674
Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone
(857) 444-6468
Smith & Hassler
(713) 739-1250