The Lincoln Lawyer, tells the story of the legal defense of an affluent playboy accused of attempted murder and centered around one-time criminal defense attorney Mickey Haller (played by Matthew McConaughey). Becki Newton’s performance as Lorna Crain, his second wife and legal aide, has been deemed the film’s unsung hero by critics. Her performance shines in comparison to McConaughey’s and Marisa Tomei’s, making her role one of Hollywood’s best kept secrets. The Lincoln Lawyer’s Unsung Hero: Lorna Crain
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Lorna Crain – The Unsung Hero of The Lincoln Lawyer
What may have been the most interesting aspect of The Lincoln Lawyer wasn’t even mentioned in the film at all, but was instead relegated to deleted scenes on the DVD and Blu-Ray releases. During the scene where Mickey Haller (Matthew McConaughey) meets with his client, Carl The Mads Panzram (Ryan Phillippe), it’s revealed that Haller will be joined at trial by assistant district attorney Lorna Crain (Marisa Tomei). But who is this woman?
Who is Lorna Crain?
In Scott Turow’s legal thriller, The Lincoln Lawyer, Mickey Haller (Matthew McConaughey) is a one-time criminal defense attorney who has fallen on hard times. After his wealthy father cuts him off financially and he loses his house to foreclosure, Haller goes into business for himself by taking on the case of an affluent playboy accused of attempted murder.
What role does she play in The Lincoln Lawyer?
Lorna Crain is portrayed in the movie by Marisa Tomei. In the book, she is a tough divorce lawyer who does not let Mickey Haller’s lack of experience stop her from taking him on as a client. She also makes an agreement with Mickey that he will do anything for her within reason if she takes his case and helps him with it. In the movie, she puts up a front to make others think she is just a secretary but in reality she plays an important role in helping Halle
How does she contribute to the story?
Haller’s secretary, Lorna Crain, is the unsung hero of The Lincoln Lawyer. Lorna is the woman behind all the success that Mickey has had in his career, and she takes care of everything so that he can focus on his clients. When Mickey needs to get to a location quickly, she provides him with a car and driver. She also helps him research every detail about his cases so that he can use all available information to win his case.
Why is she the unsung hero?
In most novels and movies, the protagonist is the hero, but in this film, Lorna Crain is the unsung hero. She is a lawyer who defends people that can’t afford to hire their own counsel. She’s not glamorous or exciting, but she does what needs to be done. She’s not always successful and it’s hard for her to get paid, but she has a strong moral compass and fights for justice.
Meet Lorna Crain
Played by Becki Newton, Mickey Haller’s (Matthew McConaughey) second wife and legal aide has been his secret weapon. In The Lincoln Lawyer, Mickey is a Los Angeles based defense attorney who works out of his car. One of my favorite scenes in The Lincoln Lawyer takes place when Mickey meets with Tanner Bolt (Ryan Phillippe) at his law office to discuss how he will be defending Michael Mickey Haller for possibly murdering two hit men that killed one of Bolt’s clients. During that meeting Mickey is supposed to take notes but can’t because he’s drunk from taking too many pain pills following an incident with another client.
Her importance in Mickey Haller’s life
She is everything to him. She is someone he loves and respects, someone who helps him manage his life outside of court. She encourages him when he feels like giving up on a case and she brings out his softer side. It would be safe to say that if Mickey Haller ever had an anchor in his life, it would be her. Although she often fades into background, Becki Newton delivers a performance worthy of praise in The Lincoln Lawyer.
Her character is both Mickey’s rock and an integral part of getting viewers invested in his story–and hers as well; you want them to work out their issues because they’re so much fun together.
How she aids him in preparing a case
In The Lincoln Lawyer, Mickey Haller has just taken on his most high-profile case ever. He’s defending Louis Roulet, a real estate mogul who’s accused of beating and raping a young woman. The case brings with it all of Mickey’s strengths and weaknesses: experience, wit, and his ability to juggle cases at once—and also a tendency to bend ethics when needed. So Mickey does what he always does—he enlists a team to help out in areas where he lacks expertise. In addition to his investigator Frank Levin (Brad William Henke), who makes sure every box is checked off in their legal strategy, he also employs two other attorneys from different firms to tackle specific tasks throughout their discovery process.
How she aids him in getting information
In every great defense lawyer’s toolkit, there is one legal assistant or secretary who knows exactly how to get answers in ways others cannot. She may have any number of sources that allow her access to information other people do not have. In The Lincoln Lawyer, Mickey Haller (Matthew McConaughey) relies on his second wife, Lorna Crain (Becki Newton), for many things. First and foremost, she’s his most trusted confidante in all things – including information gathering and often times she’ll do it without him even knowing she was looking into something. Other times she’ll feed him clues without him realizing it until he pieces them together with something else he has learned during discovery or questioning a witness.
How she helps him with the jury
Our readers know that Mickey Haller is an excellent attorney and a superb manipulator. What they may not know is that while Mickey has been handling all of his clients’ defense cases, his wife, Lorna, has been doing most of his legwork (and it’s quite a lot). Think of her as Michael Clayton with more than just a law degree—she’s really his right-hand man. Unlike Michael’s wife in that film, however, Lorna spends quite a bit of time on screen and even gets to show off her own legal expertise during critical junctures in Mickey’s biggest case. In fact, we see that she can kick some serious courtroom ass herself.
The character background of Lorna Crain
Lorna was an associate at a large law firm when she met Mickey. She left to work with him and help him better reach his potential. Along with her legal skills, she has a street savvy that Mickey admires and needs. Together they make a pretty unstoppable team, especially when they’re pushing back against Jack Williams, who is bent on revenge against Mickey. It would appear that Lorna might get her day in court soon as well—unfortunately for her and Mickey, it looks like she’ll have to do it without him.
