Is Micky Haller in Netflix's ‘The Lincoln Lawyer’ based on a real person? Author Michael Connelly reveals all
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Everyone loves a smooth talker. And if he’s a defense attorney who works out of a car in Los Angeles, anyone would want to learn about his tryst with law enforcement and beyond. ‘The Lincoln Lawyer’ is a legal drama on Netflix that is returning for a second season where its protagonist, Micky Haller takes on tricky cases involving people who end up on the wrong side of the law. Haller’s discomfort in representing the guilty is a common occurrence that is captured by the show. Viewers may be surprised to know that ‘The Lincoln Lawyer’ is adapted from a book published a few years ago.
The Netflix legal drama is an adaptation of a 2008 novel named ‘The Brass Verdict’ by Michael Connelly which acts as a sequel to his original novel, ‘The Lincoln Lawyer’. Author Michael Connelly revealed that the smooth-talking Haller is loosely based on a real-life person, David Ogden, a Los Angeles attorney who passed away in 2020. But was Ogden the only inspiration behind creating the character of Micky Haller?
Florida-based lawyer Dan Daly helped Connelly
Connelly revealed that Ogden served as the first inspiration for Mick Haller as Ogden is believed to have mostly worked out of his Lincoln to keep up with the huge volume of cases he handled. He is said to have had a physical office space as well but to keep up with continuous appearances in courts and meetings, Ogden spent most of the time driving and working out of his Lincoln. But if Ogden was the foundation, author Connelly also built up the character of Haller with the help of a friend who was also a legal eagle. Dan Daly, a Florida-based lawyer, acted as the author's advisor to help him cement and nail the character of Mickey Haller.
Connelly met Daly when they worked together at the Daytona Beach News-Journal. Daly later went to law school and became a defense attorney, carving out a career that has come to bear many similarities to Mickey's. Once Daly invited Connelly to join him and some lawyers for dinner. As the lawyers spoke about their cases, Connelly got charged up and took notes of the conversation. Later he put two and two together, devised an entire universe of characters, and thus ‘The Lincoln Lawyer’ was born. Connelly was smart enough to take the aspect of a lawyer working out of a Lincoln from Ogden and merge it with the intensity of the cases that Daly and his colleagues fought. The result was a criminal defense attorney who could race into courtrooms and douse fires for his clients.
Is Netflix’s ‘The Lincoln Lawyer' sequel to Matthew McConaughey’s 2011 film?
Matthew McConaughey’s 2011 film ‘The Lincoln Lawyer’ bears no resemblance to the Netflix show. The Oscar-winning star played the titular role which was based on Michael Connelly’s first novel about Micky Haller titled ‘The Lincoln Lawyer’ while the Netflix series is based on its sequel. The show primarily adapts the second book ‘The Brass Verdict’ and acts as though the events of the first book never happened, hence eliminating the risk of being seen as a sequel to Matthew McConaughey's ‘The Lincoln Lawyer.’
‘The Lincoln Lawyer' Season 2 Part 1 will be available to stream on June 6 on Netflix.