Lawyer Ed Masry on a referral Essay

Erin Brockovich is a true American hero who’s icon status and â€Å"stick-to-it-iveness† only fuels her determination to expose injustice and lend her voice to those who do not have one. Erin Brockovich is a single mother, unemployed, struggling to make ends meet in a world not particularly kind to single moms. After a car accident leads her to seek legal redress, she meets lawyer Ed Masry on a referral. When he loses her lawsuit, she shows up at his office, demanding a job, barely hiding her desperation. Intimidated, Ed gives her one. By pursuing her own curiosity she brings on a difficult and huge case about PG&E. PG&E’s desire to increase its profits was so big that they didn’t even care about their neighbors’ health or security. In a world where heroes are often in short supply, the story of Erin Brockovich is an inspirational reminder of the power of the human spirit. Her passion, tenacity and steadfast desire to fight for the rights of the underdog defied the odds. Her victory made even more sweet by the fact that while helping others, she in turn helped herself. This story is not just a triumph of the little guy over the big nasty corporation, it’s the journey of one woman down the path of self-discovery as well. If only the world had more â€Å"Erin Brockoviches† in it, perhaps there would be more honesty in it. Profile of an extraordinary woman â€Å"She brought a small town to its feet and a huge corporation to its knees.† After watching the movie I realized that Erin’s public self was pretty much the same as her private self: she treated Ed, her boss in the same manner as she treated George, her boyfriend. Erin didn’t take crap from anybody but at times she did let her aggressions take over. Most of the time these hostilities would lead her in contempt, but in the long run usually worked out for the best. It was a good way to get her point across at times but from my perspective she could have approached some of these situations a little differently, for example the night Erin met George she could have asked him nicely to be quiet instead of chewing him out angrily, even after he tried repeatedly to apologize to her. She is aggressive and she loses her temper easily. Another example of this is point where Ed takes on a partner for advice and help with costs on the PG&E cases and when Erin walks in and finds out, she immediately feels offended and flies off the handle when she could have used a â€Å"pillow method† so to speak, to look at the situation from Ed’s point of view and realize that taking on this partner was in the best interests of the case. Incensed by what she has found, Erin begins a crusade to make Pacific Gas & Electric accountable for the illness and death that they have caused. Driven by her own persistence and desire to seek justice for the townspeople, Erin goes door to door to sign up over 600 plaintiffs for a direct-action lawsuit against PG&E. However, not everyone shares Erin’s enthusiasm to see justice done – with PG&E being the largest employer in the area, Erin finds a number of townspeople leery of rocking the boat. Nonetheless, Erin’s persistence and the personal interest she takes in their lives makes them listen. She is one of them. A kindred spirit and her ability to connect with them on their level makes them comfortable, ultimately earning their trust. She thrives on being the voice for those who don’t know how to yell. Along with trust and honesty comes respect. When a person is trusted and shown to be honest, that person is respected for those reasons. Erin experiences respect of her for the first time with the community of Hinkley. Once she knows how it feels to be respected, she realizes how valuable that asset can be: â€Å"For the first time in my life, I’ve got people respecting me. When I walk into a room, people shut up to see if I have anything to say. I never had that before. Please, don’t ask me to give that up.† Erin was also respected for her compassion and selflessness. She genuinely cared about every single victim of P.G. & E.’s lie. She proved this fact when Theresa said Erin’s files needed some holes filled in and Erin recited from memory all the information Theresa wanted and more. Someone who doesn’t have compassion and caring for the townspeople of Hinkley would not have been able to do that. When Erin is hired there is some internal grumbling at the law firm, as a number of Erin’s co-workers resent her outspoken personality and questionable style of dress. She talks in a non-polite way, she always goes straight to her point and she is not afraid of saying what’s in her mind, she is brutally honest: â€Å"That’s all you got, lady. Two wrong feet and ugly shoes!† She also loves ironies: â€Å"I just went out there and performed sexual favors†. Erin is always able to get the evidences she needs by using the means she has, she is extremely confident.