If you have ever seen Benjamin Leyton Matlock in action, you know what I am talking about. He won't even take a case if he thinks his client is guilty. He has an eerie ability to see into the soul of even the most seemingly guilty individual and see the innocence therein. Most famously, he was able to successfully defend and redeem mob boss Nicholas Baron in a much ballyhooed 1986 murder trial.
ABOVE: Matlock, his daughter Charlene, and mob kingpin Nicholas Baron.But Matlock is not primarily known for such high-profile cases; no, his most common client is the common client: everyday citizens who find themselves on the strong side of justice. Framed by ne'er-do-wells, coincidence or circumstance, these people turn desperately to the man who they know can see through the ostensible to find their deep-seated goodness. And he always does. This man can not only sense the truth like an animal senses danger, but he can sniff it out and pursue it with the tenacity and vigor of a true predator. Never, in all my research of Matlock case law, have I found an instance where the truth has not surfaced. Even in the three instances where Matlock was initially fooled into believing and defending crafty, guilty clients, Matlock was deftly able to submarine his own cases so that justice was served. Were such acts legal misconduct? Perhaps. Could he have faced dis-barment for each case? Yes, of course. But that's just the kind of dedication he has to the truth. Sometimes you have to break a few eggs to make an omelet, he might say.
And Matlock's pursuit of truth has not always been easy. The Southern lawyer has been drugged, beaten, and kidnapped throughout of the years, and he looked a serial killer, Jeffrey Spidell, straight in the eye twice without blinking. He simply does not care what happens to himself. He will pursue the truth with the ferocity of a mother protecting her young, and he will put his own body in harm's way if necessary. As his Daddy always told him, and as he is wont to repeat, "Ain't nothin' easy."
Indeed, those words proved prophetic for the attorney, when, after only one year in practice together, Matlock's daughter, Charlene, disappeared completely. Matlock never let it show on the outside, but he was devastated. As a way to compensate, he began to surround himself with other women. First, he hired Michelle Thomas, an attractive up-and-coming attorney who people close to Matlock say reminds him of Charlene. He also struck up an on-again, off-again relationship with prosecutor Julie March and hired a young assistant, Cassy Phillips.
LEFT: Matlock and his bevy of truth-lovin' ladies.
These women kept the intrepid lawyer grounded while he dealt with his loss, and eventually, his perseverance paid off. Five years after the disappearance of Charlene, Matlock's daughter returned to him. The reunion was not easy, though, as the two had clearly grown apart. For one, Matlock had grown attached to his new team of investigators and partners, and for another, Charlene had changed her name to Leanne and altered her appearance entirely. It was as if she was a totally different person.
But, I think you can all guess how the story ended-- father and daughter teamed up to become an even more formidable agent for truth, and the nation is better for it. Indeed, we need such men as Ben Matlock out there, toiling in the trenches for good men and women like you and me. Without the tireless predation of men like him, this world would be a bleak place to live, and America would not be the land of the free, but rather, the land of the unjustly prosecuted. Let's all raise a cheer for this week's Pred of the Week, Benjamin Matlock.
2 comments:
A very fine choice. A fine choice indeed.
I heard matlock once defended a prederast? How do you square that business?
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