Case Review: Rainmaker, By John Grisham

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The techniques that Deck Shifflet teaches Rudy Baylor in signing-up new clients, in the book "Rainmaker", by John Grisham, constitute clear violations of California's Rules of Professional Conduct. I will illustrate which actions sponsored at Deck's request and committed by Rudy, the young law school graduate, violate the California State Bar Professional Conduct Rules listed below. Background: Ambulance chasing, also known as barratry, refers to a lawyer using an event as a way to find clients. The term ambulance chasing comes from the stereotype of lawyers that follow ambulances to the emergency room to find clients. Ambulance chasing is prohibited in the US. Such conduct violates Rule 7.3…show more content…
So many lawyers here, you know, it's impossible to keep up with us. If we have a trial, I'll get Brusier to go." Impersonating an attorney is more than an ethical violation, subject to ethical sanctions for J. Lyman Stone, as Deck's employer, but also a criminal act. Deck's only saving grace is that his business card did say "paralegal" not attorney at law. Rule 1-320 (B): Financial Arrangements With Non-Lawyers: A member shall not compensate, give or promise anything of value to any person or entity for the purpose of recommending or securing employment of the member or the member's law firm by a client, or as a reward for having made a recommendation resulting in employment of the member or the member's law firm by a client. Here, in Chapter 16, in the same Van Landel incident described supra, J. Lyman Stone, "Bruiser", slides a police report on Rudy's desk. In the report are all the details of the car accident which involved Van Landel. This is the "lead" that attorney Stone gives all his associates, to "go fishing", as he later says in his subsequent calls to Rudy at the hospital. Deck systematically uses…show more content…
Rudy knowingly assists Deck in many of the unethical violations of the CPRC (supra), but those violations are likely to become sanctions once Rudy is licensed to practice law. In the "prom party boat crash" supra, Rudy assists in a direct violation of CPRC 1-400. By going to the accident site, and by directly contacting accident victims and their families, Rudy is complicit in assisting Deck with soliciting the victims in prohibition of the California Professional Conduct Act. Their partnership is essentially based on Deck "shaking the bushes" and Rudy giving legal representation. Although the Rainmaker casts a heroic, almost inspirational view of the dilemmas faced by Rudy, a strict examination shows that Rudy is fully aware of his violations under the act, and yet he still actively participates, allegedly out of the desperation and necessity of keeping his fledgling practice afloat. The "Other Point of View": Direct solicitation notifies potential clients of their rights and interests, even if the client does

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