Analysis of Movie "A Civil Action"

Introduction to the Legal Drama

A Civil Action, a film directed by Steven Zaillian, is a gripping legal drama that dives deep into environmental law's complexities and the moral quandaries lawyers face while seeking justice. It's based on a real story about water contamination in Woburn, Massachusetts, where two big companies were taken to court for allegedly messing up the town's water and causing serious health issues among folks living there. This essay will look at the legal and ethical stuff shown in the movie and see how they match up with real-life hurdles in fighting environmental lawsuits.

Themes of Corporate Responsibility

One major theme in A Civil Action is whether big corporations should be held responsible for environmental mess-ups. The film shows this intense legal fight between Woburn families and two companies—Beatrice Foods and W.R. Grace—accused of dumping toxic stuff into the town’s water. What does this case tell us? It makes you think about whether our current environmental laws are enough and how much companies should pay when they harm public health or the environment.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. has a pretty thorough set of laws to protect human health and nature. But, as A Civil Action points out, enforcing these laws isn’t always easy, especially when powerful companies get involved. The movie shows how corporate lawyers play games to drag things out and scare the little guys, pointing out how unbalanced things can be in environmental cases.

Ethical Dilemmas in Legal Practice

The movie also digs into tough ethical choices faced by its main character, lawyer Jan Schlichtmann, and his team while taking on these giant firms. At first, Schlichtmann sees dollar signs from a possible huge settlement. But as he fights on and sees what it does to the people involved, he starts questioning if he's doing the right thing.

The American Bar Association (ABA) sets ethical rules for lawyers, saying they must act for their client’s best interests while keeping the legal system honest. Yet A Civil Action raises questions about chasing justice versus money pressures lawyers face daily. Schlichtmann's inner battle mirrors what real lawyers deal with—trying to balance duty with what's right morally.

Impact of Environmental Litigation

A Civil Action is more than just a story; it's a wake-up call about the tangled web of environmental lawsuits and broader issues like company accountability and lawyer ethics. It pushes us to think hard about what works—and what doesn’t—in our environmental regulations. How do big business interests shape legal outcomes? And what about those ethical lines lawyers must walk?

As we saw in Woburn’s case, taking on environmental lawsuits can be long, tough going and demands lots of resources and know-how. Plus, it really hits home just how deeply communities suffer from such harms while trying to find justice through courts—a process not often straightforward or fair. These insights matter not just for policymakers or legal pros but for everyone concerned with setting things right environmentally.

Conclusion: Lessons Learned from A Civil Action

To wrap it all up, A Civil Action gives us a powerful look at both legal wrangling and ethical puzzles within environmental law battles. By reflecting on Woburn’s ordeal through this film’s eyes, we gain critical insights into hurdles faced when holding companies accountable for wrecking nature and people’s health—and dilemmas faced by those standing up against them legally.

The film is a potent reminder of just how personal these environmental wrongs get—for individuals and whole communities alike—and calls for more awareness, responsibility-taking, even action tackling such issues head-on.

References:

• Bodie, M.T., Cherry, M.A., McCormick, M.L., & Tanghetti-Taylor C.J., 2006.
  The Labor Lawyer’s Guide to Human Resources.
• Morgan J.C., 1995.
  The EPA’s Efforts In Encouraging Environmental Law Enforcement.
• Trevino L.K., & Nelson K.A., 2017.
  Managing Business Ethics: Straight Talk About How To Do It Right.