Plot

An underdog lawyer takes on a fraudulent insurance company.

Rudy Baylor is a young attorney out to make a difference in the justice system. He is also the only hope of an elderly couple after their corrupt insurance company refuses to pay out a claim that could save their child's life. In this judicial drama, Baylor rails against corporate lawyers, corrupt judges, and abusive husbands, all with the help of a fellow lawyer who hasn't even passed his bar exam. He is facing long odds in the courtroom - and this is only his first case.—Steve Richer <[email protected]>

Rudy Baylor's a young lawyer who goes to work for an ambulance chaser. He brings with him a case wherein a woman wants to sue an insurance company, that stalled on paying her son's medical bills, eventually he got too ill that he's now terminal. When his boss is investigated for his unethical practices, Deck Schifflet, another man who works at the law office, suggests that he and Rudy open their own office which they do. Deck has gone to law school but for some reason has not yet passed the bar. And now the two of them, try to handle the case themselves but they are up against Leo Drummond, a powerful and wily lawyer. And Rudy would like to do things honestly.—[email protected]

A young Tennessee lawyer fresh out of law school takes the case of his life in this amazing courtroom drama. When a big insurance company tries to keep from having to pay for the care that a young man diagnosed with leukemia needs, the family decides to hire a lawyer. Rudy (Damon) takes on this client in his first case after the head of his law office has to hide because he's wanted by the feds. He must overcome many obstacles inside and outside the courtroom as he attempts to find out what it means to be a lawyer and how far you have to go before you become a sell-out.—thexotherxchris

Rudy Baylor (Damon) is a graduate of the University of Memphis Law School. Unlike most of his fellow grads, he has no high-paying job lined up and is forced to apply for part-time positions while serving drinks at a Memphis bar.

Desperate for a job, he reluctantly is introduced to J. Lyman "Bruiser" Stone (Mickey Rourke), a ruthless but successful ambulance-chasing lawyer, who makes him an associate. To earn his fee, Rudy is required to hunt for potential clients at a local hospital. He meets Deck Shifflet (DeVito), a less-than-ethical former insurance assessor, now a paralegal who has failed the bar exam six times. However, Deck is resourceful in gathering information and practically an expert on insurance lawsuits.

Rudy has just one case, one of insurance bad faith. It could be worth several million dollars in damages, but his personal life is falling to pieces and he is about to declare himself bankrupt. When his employer is raided by the police and the FBI, he and Deck set up a practice themselves. They file suit on behalf of a middle-aged couple, Dot and Buddy Black, whose 22-year-old son Donny Ray is dying of leukemia, but could have been saved with a bone marrow transplant, denied by their insurance carrier Great Benefit.

Rudy passes the Tennessee bar exam but has never argued a case before a judge and jury. Now he finds himself up against a group of experienced and devious lawyers from a large firm, headed by Leo F. Drummond (Voight), a showman attorney who uses unscrupulous tactics to win his cases.

The original judge assigned the case, Harvey Hale, is set to dismiss it because he sees it as one of many so-called "lottery" cases that slow down the judicial process. But a far more sympathetic judge, Tyrone Kipler (Glover), takes over when Hale suffers a fatal heart attack in his swimming pool. Kipler, a former civil rights attorney, immediately denies the insurance company's petition for dismissal.

While preparing his case, Rudy seeks new clients and meets pretty Kelly Riker (Danes), a battered wife whose husband Cliff's savage beatings have put her in the hospital. He persuades Kelly to file for divorce, but this leads to a confrontation with Rudy that results in the abusive husband's death. To keep Rudy from being implicated, Kelly tells the police she was alone and killed her husband in self-defense. The district attorney declines to prosecute her.

Donny Ray dies, but not before giving a video deposition in the front yard of his home. The case goes to trial, where Drummond preys on Rudy's inexperience. He gets the vital testimony of Rudy's key witness, Jackie Lemanczyk, stricken from the record. Nevertheless, thanks to Rudy's single-minded determination and skillful cross-examination of Great Benefit's unctuous president, Wilfred Keeley, the jury finds for the plaintiff.

It is a great triumph for Rudy and Deck, at least until the insurance company quickly declares itself bankrupt, thus allowing it to avoid paying fifty million dollars in punitive damages. There is no payout for the grieving parents and no fee for Rudy.

Deciding that this triumph will create unrealistic expectations for future clients, Rudy decides to abandon his new practice after only one case to teach law with a focus on ethical behaviour instead. Furthermore, he leaves town with Kelly, out of a desire to remain low profile and protect Kelly from any possible retribution from Cliff's vengeful relatives.