The novel “Unbillable Hours: A True Story” by Ian Graham is a story about how a struggling fourth-year associate discovered that lawyering is not all about the money and prestige and found the deeper meaning of his profession when he took the case of a wrongly convicted indigent client and helped him win his freedom. Graham recounts how he started his career as a young lawyer after he landed a job at the prestigious law firm of Latham and Watkins located in L.A., where he was offered a substantial income. Initially, he knew that he was in the right track and it was the beginning of the good life for him. He was very idealistic as a young lawyer but the harsh realities of life as an associate in the firm caused him to become jaded. In spite of this challenge, Graham felt that he had to do something to break his monotonous tasks and decided to accept the probono case of Mario Rocha that was assigned to him by the firm.
Just from the title of the book, you will already have an inkling that it was not about the money or earning profit out of something. The terms “unbillable hours” meant time spent without earning a single centavo out of it. In the beginning, Graham was informed by the firm that his billable hours for taking Mario Rocha’s case are lowered compared to the other associates in the firm and his failure to help Rocha in his case can affect Graham’s future in the firm. On the other hand, the main purpose why Graham accepted the case is to get a hands-on experience and to be able to serve the community (Graham 2).
One of the things that I liked about the book is how the author shared his personal experiences as a young lawyer that will inspire law students and other students who are still undecided to enter law school. Graham’s story was honest and truthful by telling the audience the current state of the justice system which is relevant nowadays. He knew that being a lawyer will give him a good life because the professional pays well. Aside from the money he earned out of his profession, he knew that it was also time to give back to society and do corporate social work. When Latham and Watkins decided to take Mario Rocha’s case as one of its probono cases and assigned it to Graham, he took it without hesitation. He decided to take a pro bono case to be able to help indigent clients and to make his work more challenging and different for him. Indeed, taking Rocha’s case was a game changer for him because at last, he found the true meaning of what legal profession is all about. Rocha is a Latino who was wrongly convicted at the young age of 16 where the court ordered him to life sentence without parole.
One of the elements that I personally liked is the value of perseverance. I will recommend the book to lawyers, would-be lawyers and even to non-lawyers. In this story, the main objective of Graham was to free Mario Rocha and fought for his vindication. As the days passed, Graham discovered that lawyering revolved around three things: money, power and connections. And because of these challenges, he knew that he had to work double time to give Rocha his freedom. The author shared a lot of his frustrations during the eight-year term of Rocha’s case. It was only Latham and Watkins who took his case and not a single lawyer wanted to defend him. Even if everything appeared to be hopeless, Graham did not give up on him and fought until the end. The lessons of hard work and perseverance are the values that I learned from this story.
I also liked the way that the author slowly unfolded the main idea of the novel using his own personal experiences as a first-year in Latham and Watkins law firm. It was like reading the personal journal of a young man who had big dreams and wanted to make each of them a reality. In the beginning of the story, he revealed that he decided to pursue law school out of curiosity and the moment he got in, he decided to take his studies seriously. After graduating from law school and passing the bar exam, he decided to look for the best law firm to earn experience. He was elated to be accepted in Latham and Watkins law firm because of its prestige and reputable name. Being a volunteer lawyer for Rocha has opened his eyes to the realities of lawyering. When he was assigned to do litigation work and did not earn money out of it, Graham knew that he had to exert extra effort to win the case. The realization finally hit him that poor litigants such as Rocha are victims of injustice.
Another thing that I liked about the book is how the author explained the harsh realities about the legal profession. He saw that the legal profession is not ethical as it seems since people who have money, power and connections can influence the outcome of a case. Graham became the only hope for Rocha to help him in his quest to get vindication and freedom. As a young lawyer, Graham had so much belief in the justice system that he knew he was on the right track to win Rocha’s case. Yet, as days passed he later learned that there are politics within the system and the deceptions being made inside the courtroom. Graham saw this opportunity as a challenge and decided to take the case of Rocha even if will not get paid for it. It took eight years for Graham to work on Mario Rocha’s case until he was finally freed. Rocha’s case is one of the most celebrated cases of all time as it dragged on for 12 years and was argued back and forth in 8 courtrooms. The case became controversial that it became an interest of media and even became an award-winning documentary film known as “Mario’s Story”. People from all sides of the story gave their own opinion about the case including prosecutors, witnesses, defendants and defense lawyers.
Throughout the entire journey of Rocha’s case, Graham recounts that there were times that he felt hopeless, frustrated, discouraged and insecure but that did not stop from fighting for what he believed is right. As the case received a favorable verdict for his client, Graham knew that he has to make major decisions in his career in the future on whether to continue as a corporate lawyer or not.
In the end, Graham won the case for Rocha that gave him his freedom. Graham gave a good fight until the case came to an end. After receiving a favorable decision for Rocha, Graham knew that it was time to move on and left the law firm 2006. He also realized that out of the 47 associates who initially joined the firm, only five of them decided to stay. It is a clear showing that many young lawyers are initially dedicated to their causes and willing to learn the ropes in the legal practice. It was fortunate that Graham won the case for Rocha, which meant also another successful turn-out for Latham & Watkins law firm. Rocha’s case only shows that miscarriage of justice is happening to poor defendants who cannot afford the services of good lawyers. In the end, the novel was able to show that lawyering is not just all about earning money but giving 100 percent dedicated to a client’s whether he or she may be paying or not.
The book appealed to me in an emotional way in the sense that I felt the frustration of a lawyer and the plight of poor defendants like Mario Rocha. Rocha had no money to pay a good lawyer who is willing to defend him. It took him 12 years of prison term for a crime that he did not commit. The justice system in the country is unfair in the sense that only the rich can afford to pay for their freedom. The indigent defendants like Rocha have no other choice but to suffer years of imprisonment for a crime that is not of their own doing. This story is a clear example of miscarriage of justice since the young boy wasted several years inside the prison that he lost the opportunity to enjoy his youth. This novel is highlight recommended because it is a story of hope and faith. Sometimes, we complain over simple things that we fail to look around to see that there are other people who are in greater misery. Learning to become content and thankful for what you have are the lessons I learned from this novel. At the end of the day, what is important is how you lived your life. This is the lesson that the author wanted to share to the audience. Fame, prestige, money and power are not the characteristics that should define a person. Rather, it is how you treat people and helped them to make life easier is what matters the most. For the readers who are about to read the book, I will tell them that the story is very inspiring and the joy that they will experience is best when shared.
Works Cited:
Graham, Ian. Unbillable House: A True Story. Venice, CA: Electric Avenue Publishing, 2010. Print.
