Book Report on Johnnie Cochran's book A Lawyer's Life Essay

Book Report on Johnnie Cochran's book A Lawyer's Life - Essay Example In order to better understand not only this particular piece of literature but as well the author, Johnnie Cochran himself, we must thoroughly address and discuss the most major and significant areas within this book, and as well any and all key related factors and issues that are involved here. This is what will be dissertated in the following. Cochran approaches a number of different issues in this book, and he tries to explain each one as thoroughly as he possibly can. The literature drifts from one legal matter to the next, really showcasing off his history of work, and one of the most major issues that he tries to bring to attention within it is the reasoning as to why so many African-Americans have a jaded view of the legal system overall. In the beginning of the book Cochran speaks about how he actually began in the business and how he considered himself as having derived "from conceptions of the lawyer embodied by both Dershowitz and Kunstler, leading to an awkward notion of the lawyer's vocation in which contradictory ideals are willfully joined and then corrupted for the sake of convenience (65). Cochran makes numerous different memorable and significant quotes throughout his book, including where he stated that "If one man cannot get a fair trial, no matter how hideous his crime or evil the man, none of us can be certain of getting a fair trial." (72). Another issue that Another issue that Cochran makes significant note of in this literature is in regards to Kunstler's romantic model of the activist lawyer, and he uses this to somewhat reference the strong identifications that he feels he shares with his clients. As he also states in the book, "I looked down and saw that my hands were shaking, not with apprehension but with the power of revelationBeing a lawyer means not only sharing the pain of other people's suffering but also accepting the burden of their trust. In the final moment, being a lawyer isn't about winning or losing. It's about keeping faith." (101). Cochran calculates quite exactly throughout the book, making references to at least parts of most of his cases as well as cases including other credible and notable lawyers, such as Kunstler, and he appeals incredibly to the Kunstler model in order to lay claim to being an African American leader. There is also a certain reliance that is shown by Cochran, particularly on that of the issue of political activism, especially when he feels that he should have evoked the legal process. One of the most significant issues that are discussed however is that of racism and about how his background has helped - and as well in ways negate - cases and other issues that took place during his career. As he states, "There's something in your background, in your character, that helps you understand that this is wrong. Maybe you are the right people, at the right time, at the right place, to say, 'No more, we are not going to have this. This is wrong'." (125). From this review we can conclude many different things, several which are of particular importance, and that includes the matter of racism and how Cochran feels that it is an issue within the judicial system. We truly get to grasp at least a remote idea of Cochran's background and history as a lawyer but more so we get to understand how he feels about being a lawyer and who the figures are in his life that have influenced him along the way. Although there are certainly parts throughout