The Backstage Pass

At the climax of the movie, “The Devil’s Advocate,” Satan, who has assumed the guise of law partner John Milton, explains to Keanu Reeve’s character why he chose to be a lawyer; “Because the law, my boy, puts us into everything. It's the ultimate backstage pass. It's the new priesthood, baby.”

I don’t find the devil’s reasoning entirely persuasive; I mean, wouldn’t a power-hungry demon rather be a rock star, sports hero, CEO, local despot, or some other more notorious celebrity. Frankly, I can’t imagine the Antichrist shepardizing case law or cite-checking law review articles. (I could be wrong on that point, perhaps the devil really is into the details?)

That said, the line makes a valid point that lawyers have “the ultimate backstage pass.” Lawyers see the inner workings of a corporation from a different angle than the main actors and can take on the role of a coach and critic for the benefit of the business. Moreover, a certain sense of “behind the scenes” detachment is useful to in-house counsel, both for keeping calm when dealing with the occasional barrage of human foibles, and also for discerning trends and patterns and using that learning to manage future risks.

Because lawyers can, and should, see the entire sweep of the production, rather than one narrow part, they are in a unique position to offer value based on that holistic view. This is an especially useful perspective in the highly-regulated, litigious, global, complex modern business environment, and, in my opinion, is why so many general counsels have been called on recently to assume the mantle of CEO.

Hmmm, perhaps the devil had a point after all.