The Firm follows the chief character. Mitch McDeere. as he graduates from Harvard Law School with awards. interviews for an associate place at assorted esteemed jurisprudence houses. and During his first few months as a attorney. Throughout the film. Mitch is faced with many personal ethical issues. such as equilibrating work-life demands and imbibing on the occupation. every bit good as concern ethical issues. Each determination Mitch makes. is evaluated and acted upon from a different phase of moral development. harmonizing to Kohlberg’s theory and other ethical models. The Firm portrayed the concern environment in a really negative visible radiation. The first few scenes show the different jurisprudence houses offering more money than other houses to lure Mitch to accept their offer of employment. Each trade included more and more benefits. fringe benefits. and extra money and fillips. This cast the concern environment as a cut-throat competitory and money driven kingdom of society. Subsequently in the movie. after Mitch accepted an associate lawyerposition with Bendini. Lambert. & A ; Locke ( the jurisprudence house ) . the concern environment is farther portrayed as corrupt and deceitful.
As portion of Mitch’s employment offer. he is given a fullyfurnished place. However. the steadfast wire-tapped and bugged the place to supervise Mitch’s personal life. to guarantee he and his married woman. Abbey. would ever move in the firm’s best involvements. Finally. it is revealed that merely 30 % of the firm’s clients are existent people. some of the “companies” the house invests in bash non really exist. and much of the net income the house received is from money laundering. drug smuggling. and its ties to the Chicago Mob. These ties to the Mob besides resulted in the deceases of four lawyers who all attempted to “blow the whistle” on the house. These are all kept up secrets from those outside the house and new associates. After the house is able to derive an associate’s trust or set up plenty coercive power. they are told about the true operations and activities that keep Bendini. Lambert. & A ; Locke in concern. All these elements combined present concern as a damaged industry.
Multiple concern moralss issues were raised in The Firm. From Mitch McDeere’s position. he was pressured throughout to take between collaborating with the FBI’s probe. moving in the best involvements of the house and rabble. giving in to his married woman and go forthing the house. interrupting the confidentiality of the attorney-client privilege. and whistleblowing activities within the house. From the jurisprudence firm’s position. the spouses and associate lawyers wittingly operated unethically. They routinely altered fiscal paperss. accepted money earned illicitly. overcharged their clients for legal work. and worked with the Mob to cover up slayings of any lawyer that tried to go forth the house or study Bendini. Lambert. & A ; Locke to the FBI. Despite the legion concern moralss issues in The Firm. the three major quandaries are Mitch’s determination whether he will assist the FBI gather information about the house. comply with the civilization of the house and the Mob. and if he will continue his curse as an lawyer. Early in his calling. Mitch was contacted by FBI agents who were presently look intoing Bendini. Lambert. & A ; Locke.
They wanted Mitch’s aid with roll uping certification that would assist the FBI’s probe and finally shut the house and let the federal authorities to collar members of the Chicago Mob. Here. the agents used their coercive power when they told Mitch he could either cooperate with them or finally be arrested with the other lawyers. Mitch ab initio began copying files to assist indict the house on counts of money laundering. slaying. and falsified fiscal paperss. However. one time he understood the hazards. such as losing his occupation. and danger of his wife’s life being threatened. Mitch became much more hesitating to assist the FBI. Initially. Mitch acted harmonizing to Kohlberg’s 4th phase of development. thereby “obeying the public institutionalised jurisprudence. and believing that everyone else is every bit obligated to obey the law” ( Castleberry. April 18. 2009 ) . The whistleblower Torahs province that one should prosecute in illegal concern patterns in order to get 3enough information for prosecution. Therefore. he was moving in conformity with the jurisprudence. and believed the house was apt for the offenses they committed.
However. after Mitch assessed the personal hazard of describing the house. he acted harmonizing to Kohlberg’s 2nd phase of development. Mitch was concerned about losing his esteemed occupation. house. auto. and lifestyle. After hesitating throughout the class of the movie. the issue was eventually resolved when Mitch did non supply the FBI with the paperss needed to prosecute Bendini. Lambert. & A ; Locke for the charges the authorities were look intoing. Alternatively. Mitch provided paperss turn outing Bendini. Lambert. & A ; Locke mailed bills with hyperbolic billable hours to clients. a lesser federal discourtesy. but still punishable under the jurisprudence. Utilitarianists would reason it is ethical to whistleblow and supply the paperss to the FBI sing all the discourtesies of the house. which many would argee is the proper manner to decide this ethical issue. Get downing with the interview procedure. there was a distinguishable civilization within the house. The employees appeared to be a closely knit unit with a high degree of trust and regard for each other. Everyone who entered the house passed the saloon test. were compensated at really high degrees. and ne’er left the house. However. what was non clear to Mitch ab initio is that those who tried to go forth the house were “mysteriously” murdered and the organic structures were ne’er recovered.
The Department of Justice eventually informed Mitch that the house finds bright jurisprudence school alumnuss. entices them with everything he had already been given. coerces them into state of affairss that can subsequently be used as blackmail. tease their place. and intercept their phone lines in an attempt to derive their deathless trust and trueness ( rooted in fright ) before uncovering the house has strong links to the Chicago Mob and engages in a broad assortment of illegal concern patterns. Mitch considers go oning along the typical way of associate lawyers and ab initio does so. His married woman claims he is merely making it because he is seeking to do up for his financially tough childhood and his desire to supply more for his married woman and future kids. Here. Mitch is following a rigorous act deontological line of thought. He does non see the regulations or effects for his actions. Rather. he is making as he pleases and accomplishing his ain ends and dreams. As antecedently mentioned. Mitch does non go on on with the house. Alternatively. he uncovers falsified bills to clients. which he turns over to the FBI. Afterwards. he leaves the house and moves out of the metropolis to get down his ain little jurisprudence house on the east seashore.
Again. this issue should hold been resolved with him describing all the errors he was cognizant of to the FBI. thereby discontinuing every bit much illegal activity as possible. Once Mitch passes the Bar test. he takes an curse to continue his place with the highest of criterions and keep the confidentiality of the attorney-client privileges. About instantly after accepting the place as associate lawyer he is asked to interrupt confidentiality. Since the house works for the Chicago Mob he is required by his curse to non unwrap any information shared with him outside a tribunal of jurisprudence by the Mob. However. he does so with his brother. married woman. his “whistleblower assistant” . every bit good as other characters in the movie. None of these cases led to the house discontinuing their illegal concern with the Mob or other inappropriate and unethical behaviours. Therefore. by Mitch sharing this information with others and interrupting the curse. demonstrates he acted “impartially to those affected by his decision” ( Castleberry. April 25. 2009 ) . This is noted by Kohlberg’s 6th phase of moral development. Mitch broke the curse but did so through his ain self-chosen rules.
This determination should hold been resolved by non sharing information about the Chicago Mob to anyone unless they were straight involved in describing the offense to the federal authorities. This thought is in alliance with an utilitariast point of position every bit good as Kohlberg’s 4th phase of moral development. where what is ethical is dictated through jurisprudence. 5 Overall. this activity helped to understand Kohlberg’s phases and other ethical models in a practical scene. It clearly demonstrated the procedures of ethical determination devising and how a individual arrives at their determination. It besides highlighted how this can alter depending on fortunes. Besides. this activity. through The Firm. demonstrated how toxic power and authorization can be to persons. groups. and society.
Bendini. Lambert. & A ; Locke deliberately coerced new employees to derive their trueness and continued devotedness to the house. They did so trusting the persons would non describe them to research workers and the authorities. These Acts of the Apostless of development merely furthered the injury to the general populace. The Chicago Mob was empowered in their drug dealing and money laundering ; Bendini. Lambert. & A ; Locke continued to offshore money and corrupt immature attorneies ; some of the best and brightest graduating attorneies were forced into a life style of unethical. immoral. and illegal Acts of the Apostless. These actions would merely function to make greater injury in the hereafter if they were non reported and ceased. Through this activity. it is even more evident how of import and unsafe whistleblowing can be. The mean citizen may believe offense happens on the streets. This movie communicated that error is everyplace ; “I [ Mitch ] went to Harvard and you [ his brother ] went to gaol. and we are both surrounded by crooks” ( The Firm. 1993 ) .