62 pages 2 hours read

Jonathan Harr

A Civil Action

Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 1995

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Key Figures

Jan Schlichtmann

Schlichtmann is lead counsel for the plaintiffs in the Woburn case. He is a successful young lawyer whose early successes and gambles in the profession have given him a sense of invulnerability. However, as will become clear during the case, he possesses self-destructive tendencies and a supreme inability to see beyond his own needs and/or urges at times. He is driven to work himself to the brink of sanity but is not always sure why he does it. Jan does not always understand his own motivations, and his efforts usually come at a great costto himself and to others. He seems to enjoy very little in his life, which paints a poignant picture when he begins continually questioning the value of his life and work. Ultimately, he abandons the legal profession and moves to Hawaii after the case ends. 

Jerome Facher

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