LETHAL LAWYERS

A newly hired associate fights to survive at a cutthroat law firm in Los Angeles.

Sophia Christopoulos, despite getting an offer from the firm where she worked as a summer associate, sets her sights elsewhere. Thorne & Chase has the prestige and the hefty starting salary she’s looking for. Even before she’s hired, Sophia gets wind of a managing partner stealing a junior partner’s client. The theft is just of one example of the firm’s “culture of client stealing.” When a particularly cold-blooded partner dies from an apparent fall, not everyone is sympathetic. In addition, a nosy local reporter and a handsome, tenacious detective question if the fall was accidental. In the meantime, Sophia proves herself a competent litigator, makes a few friends, and allots time for potential romance all within the walls of Thorne & Chase. But trusting anyone at this firm comes with big caveats, and further suspicious deaths only exacerbate her workload and her stress. In Manolakas’ thriller, it’s not about the cases or the clients, it’s about the billable hours and getting paid, at any cost. Sophia, who also appears in Manolakas’ The Gun Trial (2016), rolls with the punches. She, for example, knows she has the “least amount of pull,” but that doesn’t affect her professionalism or her razor-sharp legal skills. There is, however, an unyielding sense of unease. Sophia isn’t always sure who she can rely on, and ultimately, she grows wary of just about everyone. This engaging storyline of lawyers at one another’s throats overshadows the murder mystery. Killer(s) may be knocking off people at Thorne & Chase, but it’s simply not an immediate concern. Nevertheless, the story effectively wraps up everything, even if the final act is a touch underwhelming.

Ruthless lawyers give this compelling legal drama plenty of fuel.