Posted: August 25th, 2022

The Rainmaker

Watch the Movie, “The Rainmaker”. For this paper, focus on the following items:
a. The nature, good or bad, of ethics displayed in this show
b. If the show were governed by the Model Rules of Ethics, how the game
and/or outcome would be affected.
The Rainmaker
More often than not, the use of stories, literature, and narratives are put to good use to educate society on morality and ethical issues. The law practice has also had its share of artistic depictions of the professional and personal life that a lawyer experiences. Through films or tv shows, viewers can get a hint of the life and ethical dilemmas an officer of the law goes through. Students are also able to learn how lawyers work from such films and the solutions they take when faced with problems in a variety of contexts. Teachers as well benefit from the opportunity of using the movie as a practical example to students where they can learn of the ethical obligations of the law profession. The Rainmaker is a famous film based on John Grisham’s novel with the same title. The movie was produced in 1997 by Francis Ford Coppola and aimed to expose the unfair and unethical practices that go on among lawyers. Furthermore, the film depicts how lawyers are expected to reason to avoid choices that may lead them to consequences.
Rudy Baylor is a young attorney, recently graduated from the Memphis State Law School in search of employment and craving to leave a mark in the justice system (Coppolas, 0:02:04-0:04:20). He lands a job at J. Lyman Sone Law Firm that is run by a corrupt personal injury lawyer, Bruiser Stone. Unfortunately, Bruiser is taken under questioning for being dishonest and a coworker, Deck Schifflet suggests to Rudy to open their store (Coppolas, 0:41:05–0:42:45). It is during their venture that Deck teaches Rudy unethical law practices such as ambulance-chasing and others. As a beginner in the industry, Rudy was forced to hunt for clients to get his career moving. He got his first client, the Black family who was looking to sue their insurance company for bad-faith denial of a medical claim. Their son had leukemia, but the insurance company held off on payments till his illness became terminal. Rudy has to go against more experienced lawyers at the courtroom, and corrupt judges. To some extent, Rudy cannot tell how unfair an officer of the law has to play to be considered a sellout. It all seems blurry when the law profession is full of tricks that are not governed by the Model Rules of Ethics.
The ethical nature of the film shows the importance of creating a balance between the good and the bad. When Rudy takes up the case of Kelly Riker, a victim of domestic violence, he becomes obsessed with the case to the extent of developing a relationship with the lady. It is expected that a lawyer should do the best for their client to win an argument but crosses a line by getting romantically involved with her. This leads to the death of her abusive husband, but she helps cover up Rudy for death. By being overly passionate about fighting evil to achieve a significant impact on the criminal justice system, Rudy forgets that good can turn into a catastrophe. This teaches law students that the pendulum has to be moderated. If the law swings too much to one side, imbalance is caused, and people could get hurt (Ethics, para4). The reactions of Rudy are extreme; an example that is relevant to law students. When one focuses on good without considering the bad, there may be consequences. The fact that Rudy also quits his job after losing his first big case shows that he leans more to expect good outcomes. As a lawyer, one should be openly aware of good and evil. This will help them make rational decisions to continue fighting injustice.
In trying to focus on good only to win a case, lawyers may experience challenges in the field since other lawyers, judges, or paralegals may not rely on compassion to win a case. Even rapists, child molesters, and armed robbers get lawyers to defend them in court. A lawyer should not be blinded by winning a case on the grounds of being right or good. The opposition may not be as lenient with the defense they bring out to help themselves succeed. There is the issue of Rudy failing to consult other lawyers in the field to improve his competence (Sahl, 860). His need to consult fellow lawyers became more apparent during the Great Benefit trial toward the end. Rudy lost the case because he presented evidence that was ruled inadmissible due to his negligence. Lawyers need to understand the protocols behind presenting proof. However, since Rudy was only interested in winning the case, he chose an employee from the insurance company to present the evidence. The opposition claimed the evidence to have been stolen, and it was excluded from the case. Still, Rudy failed to consult with fellow lawyers to see if there was a way to salvage the contents of the document. Due to Rudy’s urge to leave a mark in criminal justice, he depicted himself as a self-absorbed lawyer who is not the right path to make it through the system. A lawyer has to consult with others while considering both good and bad outcomes.
If the Model Rules of ethics governed the show, the outcomes would have been different as there are several violations depicted by Rudy as a lawyer. First of all, Rudy should have taken his job seriously since he was in breach in Part of Rule 1. 1’s competency standard. It is vital to know when to associate or consult with more experienced lawyers in the field to ensure competent presentation (Sahl, 862). The outcome would have gone south for Rudy if he failed to argue on the DeSoto case to reverse the judge’s ruling. The Black’s family would have sued Rudy for malpractice as a show of an incompetent lawyer to represent them on the case. Rudy failed in his profession by not seeking expert guidance and put his clients in danger of losing the case. He also put himself in possible harm of being ruled as incompetent. Through knowing the DeSoto case, he was able to argue that the evidence was only inadmissible if the party seeking its admission was involved in the theft (Coppolas, 1:53:36-1:53:43).
Most of the irregularities in the film, when compared to the Model Rule of Ethics are seen to originate from Rudy’s incompetence. Rule 18.01 claims that A lawyer shall not undertake a legal service which he knows or should know that he is not qualified to render. When Rudy joined the Stone Law firm, he went ahead to secure clients and get into agreement with them, knowing that he did not have the necessary qualifications to be a lawyer (Coppolas, 0:07:38-0:10:05). If the Model Rule of Ethics were applied, Rudy would have waited to pass his bar examination to represent any client. However, he misleads his clients into thinking he is qualified. The rules of professional conduct and the establishment of fiduciary relationships enable lawyers to be transparent with their clients and assist them even if it conflicts with their interests (Sahl, 843). However, Rudy put his interests above those of his clients because he wanted to advance justice according to his terms. If the model rule of ethics governed the film, then he would have been in breach of his fiduciary responsibility.
In conclusion, The Rainmaker is an excellent piece that can be used to show lawyers what to expect when they fail to observe the nature of ethics and the Model Rules of Ethics. Most students are ambitious about leaving law school and making a change in the justice system just as Rudy did, but they fail to understand the broader policy of ethics that instructs lawyers on their actions. The balance between good and evil is as essential as the Model Rule of Ethics. To protect clients from harm, law practitioners should consider ethics from different angles to defend their clients and themselves from harm. Both professional and personal ethics are essential, hence the Model Rules of Ethics. Abiding by these rules gives practitioners the competence they need to avoid malpractice.

Works Cited
Coppola, Francis. The Rainmaker. 1997. Accessed 25 Nov 2019: 2024 – Online Assignment Homework Writing Help Service By Expert Research Writers.
Ethics. “Ethical Issues In The Movie The Rainmaker”. Professional-Ethics-Articles.Blogspot.Com, http://professional-ethics-articles.blogspot.com/2016: 2024 – Do my homework – Help write my assignment online/02/ethical-issues-in-movie-rainmaker.html.
Sahl, John P. “The Rainmaker Film: A Window to View Lawyers and Professional Responsibility.” U. Mem. L. Rev. 48 (2017): 825.

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