2007

2007 is the stated year for Part Two, where a disrupted routine and an unexpected summons bring Mickey Haller back into the orbit of the courts after a year away. The year’s significance is conveyed through this contrast: time away has not erased his professional instincts, but his return begins with uncertainty about what awaits him.

Temporal Placement

Part Two is explicitly dated 2007. The opening places Mickey Haller in a period when the ordinary rhythms of his working relationships still matter: a Tuesday call from Lorna Taylor is unusual because she normally waits until at least Thursday to check on him. Her insistence that she has been trying to reach him all morning signals that the contact is more than routine, though the date itself is given only as a year.

A Year Away from Court

The same year finds Mickey Haller summoned to appear before Judge Mary Townes Holder, the chief judge of the Los Angeles County Superior Court. He has not been in court for a year and has not heard a verdict for even longer. The summons therefore makes his return feel uncertain: as he drives downtown, he considers whether a complaint or courthouse gossip might have prompted an inquiry, while believing that the cases and clients he left behind had been dealt with.

The Court as an Administrative Setting

Judge Mary Townes Holder’s position gives the summons a significance beyond an ordinary courtroom appearance. Much of her work takes place privately in chambers and concerns administration across Los Angeles County: her purview includes more than 250 judgeships and 40 courthouses, as well as the assignment of judges by location and legal specialty. Her courtroom is used occasionally for emergency motions but rarely for trials. In this setting, Mickey Haller’s apprehension arises not from a known case on the calendar, but from being called before a powerful court administrator without knowing why.