A Civil Action

Facher is the lead counsel for Beatrice Foods. He is in his sixties, distinguished in the profession, and has a reputation for being a brawler in the courtroom. He enjoys pugnacious arguments and has a talent for intimidation. He is not a charismatic speaker, however, and combined with his haughty demeanor, it does not bond the jury to him. Facher seems to care little about money and is at his most passionate when accused of misconduct, not when faced with losses in the courtroom. The trial takes a great toll on him, impacting both his health and his outlook on the value of his work.

Skinner presides over the entirety of the case, from the initial filing to the conclusion, and finally through the Appeals Court. He sees himself as highly objective, although there are reasons to question this at times. He is honest enough, however, to admit that the logistics of the case, and the complexities of the scientific data, are baffling. He is not convinced that a case of this magnitude can accurately be tackled in a courtroom. Nevertheless, he proceeds. Skinner seems to be slightly biased against Jan Schlichtmann, but it is never entirely clear where this comes from. Jan prolongs the trial to an exhausting degree, but Skinner begins treating Facher preferentially before any of that begins to happen. When the case finally ends, no one is happier about it than the judge.

Riley is the owner of the Beatrice tannery. Although he is a real person, he could serve as a composite of every pro-business, anti-environmentalist boss in America. He is belligerent and uninformed almost to the point of caricature. During his initial meetings with Jan Schlichtmann, he shows a volatile, intense temper, which leads Jan to believe that he’ll be able to shake him up on the stand. However, Riley comports himself well. By the second time he appears on the stand, though, he is old, sickly, and in the grips of a profound depression. One of the Woburn mothers actually pities him. When his part in the trial is done, he sobs with relief.

Conway and Gordon are Jan’s partners. They are able attorneys, but their function in the book is largely to highlight how destructive Jan’s behavior can be to others, and, at the same time, how hard it can be to resist Jan. Time after time, they know they should stop him, and they beg him to leave the case. But each time he continues, they go with him. It is unclear exactly what it is about him that commands their loyalty.