History Literature / TheLincolnLawyer

* AbusiveOffspring: [[spoiler:It's not clarified if he actually did, but Louis Roulet is revealed to be the rapist who attacked his own mother -- though it's left ambiguous if she was ever a victim.]]
* AcquittedTooLate: Attorney Mickey Haller's client Jesus Menendez/Martinez spends several years in San Quentin [[spoiler:for a murder he didn't commit. In the book he's HIV+ due to PrisonRape]].

* AndThisIsFor: After Mickey Haller [[spoiler:exposes Louis Roulet as the real culprit of a murder another client of his was wrongfully convicted for, he told Louis it was for Raul Levin, an investigator killed while looking for evidence]].

* ArtisticLicenseLaw: A {{Downplayed}} example, since Haller is in a pretty unusual situation and might not have thought of this- not to mention his primary concern is not simply his job but the physical safety of his family-, but [[spoiler: the "attorney-client privilege" aspect that Roulet is counting on doesn't necessarily apply to this case, since a) Haller is free to report to the police that his client broke into his home and threatened his family, which would put Roulet in jail by itself, b) California lawyers are legally required to disclose information that might result in the "grevious bodily harm" of a third party, which would apply to Martinez who is wrongfully imprisoned and in fear of his life inside (in fact in the novel he has even contracted HIV from prison rape), and c) in any event he is free to simply talk to the judge in private, let him know in sufficiently vague terms that he has found himself in a compromising situation, and try and work something out without breaching his legal ethics.]]

* BatmanGambit: Haller knew that the DA would be so eager to pounce on DJ Curliss, that he wouldn't look into his past and learn about [[spoiler: his history of being a jailhouse snitch and his record of lying]]. Not only did this put the final nail in [[spoiler:Roulet's case, but it caused the DA's office to take another look at the Menendez case.]] Which is what Haller wanted all along.
* BattleInTheRain: It is pouring rain outside when Mickey opens his door to see Marie Windsor, who is soaked, pointing a gun at him. She then shoots him.

* DistantFinale: The last chapter of the book skips forward five months, as Mickey Haller updates the reader on Roulet trying to avoid the death penalty and Jesus Menendez seeing him.
* DyingClue: Raul Levin is found making the "devil" sign with his left hand (index and pinky fingers extended, ring and middle fingers curled up). Mickey knows what it means--they had referred to Louis Roulet as a devil. However, when he finds out who really killed Raul, Mickey wonders if Raul was actually trying to make an M or a W for "Marie Windsor".
* EvilGloating: Haller had already figured things out, but Roulet makes a point of drawing Mickey's attention literally two minutes before the start of the trial to tell Mickey that he, Roulet, has killed people. Including the victim in the Jesus Menendez case.

* FunWithAcronyms: The ending has Haller mentioning that he is taking "a vacation to CUBA"--namely, a 90-day suspension due to Conduct Unbecoming an Attorney.

** Then there's the matter of the tracking anklet that Roulet has to wear while he's on bail. Haller can't figure out how Roulet killed Raul Levin while the anklet shows that he was not at the scene. The answer? Roulet didn't kill Levin, his mother did.

* HookerWithAHeartOfGold: Gloria, who has a friendly relationship with Haller, her lawyer, and [[spoiler:helps Haller find out about DJ Curliss]].

* INeverSaidItWasPoison: Louis is getting arrested again when C.C. Dobbs angrily protests, saying that everything Corliss said about the Martha Renteria murder was a lie. Kerlen's ArmorPiercingQuestion response is "How'd you know it was Martha Renteria?", since neither Corliss nor Kerlen had mentioned the victim's name.
* ItWasAGift: Haller's rare model of gun, which was handed down to him by his attorney father, who received it from Mickey Cohen decades ago. This becomes very relevant when it turns out the the LAPD still has the ballistics done on Cohen's gun way back in the day, which means they may still be able to tie Mickey to Raul Levin's murder even if they never actually get the gun.

* JusticeByOtherLegalMeans: As Roulet gleefully reminds Haller, he cannot reveal Roulet's crimes due to attorney-client privilege. Haller contemplates doing so anyway, and just accepting being disbarred. But instead he cooks up a scheme where Gloria Dayton approaches DJ Corliss and prompts Corliss to snitch, in open court, about Roulet's ''other'' crime, the murder of Martha Renteria. He even uses a fake subpoena to make sure that the lead detective on the Renteria case is in court when Corliss delivers his testimony. It works, as the state drops the charges in the Campo assault only for Roulet to be immediately rested for the Renteria murder.

* KnightTemplarParent: Mrs. Windsor goes as far as murdering lawyers to prevent her son, Roulet, from paying for his sadistic hobby.

* NaughtyByNight: [[spoiler: Roulet, such a nice boy, playing golf during daylight, killing prostitutes at night.]]

** An early hint to Louis's true nature is his grievous lack of tact. He says "I woke up with two faggots on top of me", refusing to tone down his language for the court.

* ReminiscingAboutYourVictims: Kinda [[LampshadeHanging lampshade-hung]], when Haller [[spoiler: sets Roulet up by making Corliss swear they talked about his killings, with details, though it never happened]].

* SerialKiller: [[spoiler:Louis Roulet likes killing and raping prostitutes because he knows he'll get away with it even if he's taken to court over it]].
* ShameIfSomethingHappened: [[spoiler:Roulet]] makes a veiled threat to Haller about Haller's daughter Hayley. Haller calls on his Road Saints motorcycle gang clients to protect Hayley and Maggie.

* StupidEvil: [[spoiler: Roulet choosing Haller was really just a sadistic ploy on his part, since had he chosen any other lawyer not only could he have been given as good or better representation, but no lawyer but Haller was likely to have even made the connection between the two crimes in the first place. It could also be a case of EvilCannotComprehendGood--Roulet may think that Haller will fight extra-hard for him with his career on the line, not realizing that he'll just try extra-hard to find a way to screw Roulet over and make sure he is sent to jail. Ultimately Roulet seems simply to think that in choosing Haller he is being diabolically clever and showing that he, a rich kid with no career or real qualifications to speak of, is smarter than a lower-middle class professional lawyer (especially if Haller ''didn't'' make the connection), not to mention [[EvilGloating he probably just wanted someone to brag his crimes to safely.]]]]
* TheseHandsHaveKilled: Haller feels guilt about killing Marie Windsor even if it was in self defense.

* ThisIsReality: After Minton the inexperienced prosecutor objects that Haller is "badgering the witness", Haller in his narration sneers that "It must have been something that he had seen in a TV or a movie."

* WouldHurtAChild: [[spoiler: Roulet]] shows no problems with making threats against a ten-year-old.

* AdaptationalAlternateEnding: TheFilmOfTheBook leaves out the downside of the novel's BittersweetEnding. In the book, [[spoiler:while Mickey Haller gets Martinez exonerated, he ends up disbarred for several months for breach of professional ethics and is sued for malpractice by Martinez for originally convincing him to plead guilty. Additionally Martinez is now HIV-positive due to PrisonRape.]]

* TheAllegedCar: Haller's Lincoln in the book was an up-to-date model he replaced every three years. In the movie it was a 1980's model that would be an overheating, unreliable beast under the kind of use he puts it through.
* BullyingADragon: Pissing off your lawyer is always a bad idea, but [[spoiler: going up against a lawyer who deals with dirty-tricks cops AND criminals for a living, while you're just a pampered rich boy who gets away with your crimes because all your victims are [[{{DisposableSexWorker}} sex workers]] and other [[{{DisposableVagrant}} low-status individuals?]] Not Smart. After Haller has thoroughly outwitted Roulet in the courtroom by pinning a murder on him, he decides to go for a round two and try to kill Haller. Haller is waiting for him with a gun and some of his other clients... a motorcycle gang.]]
* CurbStompBattle: [[spoiler:Roulet]] vs. the aforementioned biker gang. It is ''glorious'' to behold.

** A big shock happens when Roulet's mother tells him [[spoiler: that ''she'' was found raped by her son.]] Josh Lucas is handling [[DidntSeeThatComing it]].

* TrailersAlwaysSpoil: Most of the trailers make no effort to hide that [[spoiler: Roulet is very guilty of what he's being accused of]]; those that don't show it outright heavily imply it.

Mickey Haller is a comfortably AmoralAttorney, gladly defending his lawless clientele even when he knows they're guilty. He is also extremely competent, and his services command substantial fees. His trademark: the beaten-up old Lincoln he rides around in. His willingness to defend known criminals has given him a reputation, and that reputation is about to get him tangled up in some serious trouble...

* RaceLift: In the book, Haller was hald-Mexican. Here, he's portrayed by a white actor.

* DefiniteArticleTitle: JobTitle of ProtagonistTitle.

* AlliterativeTitle

* TooDumbToLive: Roulet, upon seeing an entire biker gang busting up his car, walks up to them and demands to know what the hell they think they're doing. ''They then proceed to brutally show him exactly what the hell they think they're doing.'' It's very plain that if Haller had not been there to keep them on a leash, it would have been the morgue and ''not'' the hospital.

* EvilerThanThou: It is awesome and hilarious.

* EvilerThanThou: When Roulet tries to follow through with his ShameIfSomethingHappened threat after Haller burns him for murder to free Menendez, Haller is waiting for him with a gun and some of his other clients... [[EvilerThanThou a motorcycle gang]].]] It is awesome and hilarious.

* DyingClue: Raul Levin is found making the "devil" sign with his left hand (index and pinky fingers extended, ring and middle fingers curled up). Mickey knows what it means--they had referred to Louis Roulet as a devil.

* AllBikersAreHellsAngels: Some of Haller's repeat customers are the members of a motorcycle gang that makes its money running drugs. [[spoiler:When Roulet attacks Mickey near the end of the film, he has them waiting for him. "Hospital, not the morgue," he reminds them as he walks off.]]
* TheAllegedCar: Haller's Lincoln in the book was an up-to-date model he replaced every three years. In the movie it was a 1980's model that would be an overheating, unreliable beast under the kind of use he puts it through.

* ArtisticLicenseLaw: A {{Downplayed}} example, since Haller is in a pretty unusual situation and might not have thought of this- not to mention his primary concern is not simply his job but the physical safety of his family-, but [[spoiler: the "attorney-client privilege" aspect that Roulet is counting on doesn't necessarily apply to this case, since a) Haller is free to report to the police that his client broke into his home and threatened his family, which would put Roulet in jail by itself, b) Californian lawyers are legally required to disclose information that might result in the "grevious bodily harm" of a third party, which would apply to Martinez who is wrongfully imprisoned and in fear of his life inside (in fact in the novel he has even contracted HIV from prison rape), and c) in any event he is free to simply talk to the judge in private, let him know in sufficiently vague terms that he has found himself in a compromising situation, and try and work something out without breaching his legal ethics.]]

* BlackAndGrayMorality: Haller might be an AmoralAttorney who knowingly defends guilty clients, but he's up against much worse. Still and all, don't be surprised if you spend half of the film wondering about who you want to win...

* IAlwaysWantedToSayThat: In the novel, a detective is warning Haller.

* AdaptationNameChange: Jesus Menendez's surname is changed to Martinez in the film.

* AllBikersAreHellsAngels: Some of Haller's repeat customers are the members of a motorcycle gang that makes its money running drugs.

* SpinOff: From the Literature/HarryBosch series. It follows Bosch's [[{{LongLostRelative}} half-brother]].

* ContinuityLockOut: {{Averted}}. Despite being a SpinOff from the Literature/HarryBosch series, the story is completely self-contained and accessible to newcomers to Connelly's work.

* SpinOff: From the Literature/HarryBosch series. It follows Bosch's [[{{LongLostRelative}} half-brother]].

* GrayAndBlackMorality: Haller might be an AmoralAttorney who knowingly defends guilty clients, but he's up against much worse. Still and all, don't be surprised if you spend half of the film wondering about who you want to win...

* ItWasAGift: Haller's rare model of gun, which was handed down to him by his attorney father, who received it from an acquitted mobster client.

* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: An early hint to Louis's true nature is his grievous lack of tact. He says "I woke up with two faggots on top of me", refusing to tone down his language for the court.

* KnightTemplarParent: Mrs. Windsor [[spoiler: goes as far as murdering lawyers to prevent her son, Roulet, from paying for his sadistic hobby.]]

* AmicablyDivorced: Haller and his ex-wife, a prosecutor for the DA's office. Also, Haller and his ''second'' ex-wife, who [[WorkingWithTheEx works as his secretary]].
* AmoralAttorney: An interesting exploration of the concept. Defense attorney Mickey Haller is seen by prosecutors (including his ex-wife) as one. Haller points out that all too often, [[{{Hypocrite}} the prosecution]] tries to pin unsolved crimes on defendants and pull other questionable legal maneuvers. [[spoiler:The prosecutor who took over Roulet's case after Haller's ex-wife left to avoid conflict of interest provided an example]]. Mickey himself makes his living using whatever technicalities or loopholes he can find to help his clients, who are usually guilty as sin. [[spoiler:However, Mickey is horrified to learn that Menendez/Martinez, a prior client he advised to plead guilty to the rape and murder of a prostitute was actually innocent, and that his current client Roulet was the real killer. True to his professional obligations, Mickey defends Roulet to the point that the DA drops charges with prejudice, then promptly burns him for the greater charge of murder to get Menendez exonerated.]]

* GoodParents: Haller and his prosecutor ex-wife are loving parents to their daughter Hayley.

* PapaWolf: There's a scene where Haller stakes out in front of his ex-wife's house to protect his daughter from someone who declared himself to be a threat.

** A literal gun in the case of the one Haller gets from his driver (at his request). It looks like he's going to use it on [[spoiler:Roulet, but he only uses it to ward Roulet off until the bikers arrive. He actually uses it on Mrs. Roulet, who shot him after confessing that she killed Frank.]]

* {{Foreshadowing}}: There's a lot of talk about Jesus Menendez in the early part of the book, but the foreshadowing is ''really'' strong when Raul Levin notes that the Campo-Roulet case is a lot like the Menendez case, except for the DNA Menendez left at the scene.

* StraightGay: Frank is gay but this doesn't show in his behavior. He basically just doesn't like it when people like him are called "faggots".

* VanityLicensePlate: Haller's plate, IWALKEM in the book, NTGUILTY in the movie.