The American judicial system, its strengths and weaknesses are showcased in the novel from very nearly every echelon: law students, lawyers, and judges.

The novel predominantly criticizes the brutal competitiveness of law school with feeding into the shark-like nature of many lawyers. The difference between theoretical knowledge and practical knowledge of law is also addressed, though minutely.

From the very start of the novel, the profession of lawyer as something positive is called into question, and it is argued that most go into law in the hopes of making a fortune in court, or working for rich clients so that they can bill at astronomical rates. Rudy’s primary gripe with the legal system and the legal profession is the blurred line between ethical and unethical behavior and the blurred definition of morals. Rudy is cheated and mistreated by the conspicuously legitimate law firms: Brodnax and Speer fire him so that the partners can sell out and earn lots of money; Barry X at the Lake firm tries to cheat him out of the Black case, and Tinley Britt simply believes that he is not good enough for their firm, which actually means he isn’t blue-blood, and who tap his phones during the trial.