Roman J. Israel, Esq. Monologues

Roman J. Israel, Esq., a driven, idealistic defense attorney, finds himself in a tumultuous series of events that lead to a crisis and the necessity for extreme action.

Each of us is better than the worst thing we ever did.

I'm tired of doing the impossible for the ungrateful.

The real enemies aren't the ones on the outside, they're on the inside.

We are formed of frailty and error. Let us pardon reciprocally each other's follies. That is the first law of nature.

The ability to have conflicting ideas in one's head takes effort.

You know, all those years of practicing, scouring law books, achieving technical triumphs through loopholes and ambiguities, none of which were adequate to save me from the reality of my present situation. Then today, in the middle of nowhere, lost, I had a revelation; an insight so sweeping, so clear. It's me George. See, I didn't see it before because I never experienced the other side. I'm the defendant and the plaintiff simultaneously. I file against myself, I represent myself, I convict myself, hereby expanding the full scope of the legal desert, because the judgment's built in. The only thing left is forgiveness and I grant that to myself. An act doesn't make the person guilty unless the mind is guilty as well.

Well, I'm sorry for taking a nanosecond off of your assembly-line, rubber stamp existence

I think you brought me in to put your feet to the fire 'cause you're tired of treating low-income clients like dollar signs, and maybe because you remember what it feels like to actually care. That's what I think, George.

I need money." -chuckles drily- "Badly. Of course. But what I really need, George, is an ally. I've been waiting to meet someone of your high caliber, and yes, I am selective. So what I'm offering to you, right out here, now, is the chance to partner with me. On a piece of groundbreaking litigation I've been working on for over seven years now. Inside this case, is arguably the most important legal brief in modern legal history. A sweeping federal challenge that could yield nothing less than a grand new era of social reform, and I say that with all due confidence. The constitution guarantees us the right to a fair trial, but there can't be any fairness is ninety-five percent of all cases never get heard. Criminal cases never get heard by a jury or a judge. I am building a wholly original class action lawsuit with over thirty-five hundred names, all former clients, aimed at the heart of-of-of plea bargain reform. I'm talking about reforming the system where prosecutors are trying to pull sentences out of their hat, where actual guilt or innocence is being completely replaced by fear of having your day in court. Where people are being forced... George, to plead guilty, under the threat of overly harsh, and coercive sentences. It's a job for a legend, or someone who wants to be one.