Legal Technique & Logic – 3F Dean Rico Paolo R. Quicho Pascual, Paolo Enrino T.
S.Y. 2020 - 2021
Trial of the Chicago Seven
The film is based on the a 1969 controversial trial, where the Federal Government
of the United States, charged and prosecuted seven (7) people for conspiracy under
the Rap Brown Law, arising from the 1968 riots in Chicago during the Democratic
National Convention. It portrayed the events of the prior, during and after the trial.
Aside from showing the plight and circumstances of the defendants, it is worth
considering the techniques employed by the opposing counsels in this case, so as to
properly appreciate the skills of both counsels, namely – Richard Schultz, who
prosecuted for the Federal government and William Kuntsler, as the defendants’
lead counsel.
As a law student, it is important that I give more attention to the counsels portrayed
in this movie who demonstrated outstanding skills in presenting their case and
good qualities that is becoming of a good lawyer. It is valuable that I be able to
identify exemplary qualities shown by both the opposing lawyers, as to be able to
emulate such qualities in the future.
1st During the introduction of Richard Schultz (hereafter to be called Richard) to
the new Attorney General, John Mitchell, wherein Richard is handed the case of
the Seven, and that he was to prosecute under the Rap Brown Law, which was
passed so as to hinder Black activist in the past, he was able to respectfully give his
opinion as well as his dissent to the instructions given to him by his superiors.
Properly arguing the demerits of pursuing conviction using the said law just to
send a political message as well as to convey a personal grudge of Mitchell to the
former Attorney General whom he replaced.
Albeit not being able to convince his superiors and being forced to accept the
burden placed on him, Richard showed the value of critical-thinking. He was quick
to have an objective analysis and was able to evaluate his situation, hence, he was
able to come out of the situation with his boss in a favorable manner, while still
being able to express his opinion and reservations but at the same time not hurting
his position. Knowing the law certainly helped his case, but from his demeanor, we
can see that his character takes into consideration not only what the law says, but
also the atmosphere of the room vis-à-vis his current predicament of being
pressured with high expectations being place upon him.
Critical-thinking is a very important quality for a lawyer or any profession there is.
It will allow me to make the best decision in any given situation I am in. It will
prevent me from committing an error that may be detrimental to myself or to my
client when I become a lawyer. Having an objective analysis of any given
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Legal Technique & Logic – 3F Dean Rico Paolo R. Quicho Pascual, Paolo Enrino T.
S.Y. 2020 - 2021
circumstance will prevent me from making decisions solely based on emotions and
not on logic. Proper evaluation is called for when dealing with my future clients
and their cases for me to have a good judgement on how to proceed in tackling any
undertaking.
2nd In the scene where Bobby Seale continued showing contempt against the court
as he finally could not control his emotions towards the blatantly unethical judge,
Bobby had been taken in the backroom of the court, under the order of the judge,
where he was beaten and was gagged and tied to his chair. The sight of a black
man gagged, beaten and tied to a chair, while being in court for his trial, did not
resonate well with the people who witnessed it. Richard then recognizing this fact,
approached the bench and requested that the charges against Seale be dropped and
for Seale’s part, be declared a mistrial.
Some people may interpret this a simple sympathy, but no, this is Richard
showcasing his foresight. He understood how the public and the media will
perceive the events involving Seale, that Seale would be made an icon because of
this, some sort of a martyr. Foreseeing such reaction and possible outcome, he
quickly knew that it would be detrimental to his case and to the image of the
Federal Government. Because then, it might turn into a trial by publicity, wherein
the variables are less favorable to the State. The judge understood Richard’s
position and decided to agree with Richard and declared the case of Seale as a
mistrial for not having a counsel to represent him.
Another quality herein is having foresight. A lawyer must always be active and
never passive and merely reactive. Being one-step ahead of the competition and
being prepared for any contingency requires foresight. As a lawyer, I must be able
to be almost seer-like in my preparations so I am never caught off-guard against an
opponent, in or out of court. I must also be able to take into consideration the
events as they unfold and be able to deduce their outcomes, so as to allow myself
to take the proper course of action and be able to prevent misgivings that are
avoidable. Foresight will give an advantage over and opposing counsel since I will
be prepared and would have given the opponents limited options on how to
proceed against me.
3rd An aspiring lawyer must also appreciate the efforts of the defense counsel,
William Kuntsler. After the voir dire, wherein the former Attorney General
Ramsey Clark was called to the stand by the defense to testify on the motive of the
current case but not in the presence of the jury and was disregarded by the court,
Kuntsler threw down a very thick law book in his table earning him his third (3rd)
count of contempt against the court. While dramatic and disrespectful to the court
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Legal Technique & Logic – 3F Dean Rico Paolo R. Quicho Pascual, Paolo Enrino T.
S.Y. 2020 - 2021
therein, the scene can be said to be the epitome of the passion Kuntsler that he
showed throughout the film in defending his clients.
While disrespect to the court must never be applauded, we must purely focus on
the passion that Kuntsler displayed. As it was established early on, Kuntsler’s team
is severly underfunded, merely working in the premises of someone’s house, and
may even be said to have been under unfair circumstances as he was going against
the State with the judge showing an arbitrary attitude against him and the
defendants. However, Kuntsler’s passion for justice never wavered. Nowhere in
the movie will we see that he had given up on his cause nor lose sight of his
purpose.
I believe that this quality of being passionate for justice and the law is paramount.
As it has always been echoed to us law students that the practice of law is not a
business but a profession, our motivations should never be purely materialistic nor
monetary. It is the administration of justice that is worth being passionate about. In
any field, passion is important for one to succeed, without it, a person will simply
give up when a storm passes or when one encounters failure. Passion is what drives
a person to push forward, when he is pushed backwards and passion will be the
reason to fight when everything else seemed to have failed.
Therefore, this film has exhibited the qualities of critical-thinking, foresight, and
passion. That as an aspiring lawyer, I must further develop my critical-thinking
skills to allow myself to handle any situation in the best way possible. I must have
foresight so I am never caught off-guard and be always prepared. And lastly, I
must be passionate in anything that I do, so that I do not lose sight of my goals and
what justice should be.
