Lawdragon Discusses The Last Days of Night, Featuring Paul Cravath’s Role in the Advent of Electricity

On September 1, 2016, Lawdragon published an article entitled “Consider the Lawyer: How a Young Paul Cravath Took on Edison,” which features the highlights from a conversation between author and Oscar‑winning screenwriter Graham Moore and Cravath Presiding Partner Allen Parker, in which they discussed Graham’s latest novel, The Last Days of Night. The book chronicles, through the eyes of its protagonist, Paul Cravath, the historic legal battle between George Westinghouse and Thomas Edison over the right to produce the light bulb in the late 1880s. In its piece, Lawdragon details Graham’s impression of Paul following the five years he spent researching and understanding Paul, who had been tasked with defending George Westinghouse in what Lawdragon describes as “the trial of the century.” While Graham describes the distinct fondness he came to feel for the young lawyer who played a central role in his storytelling, Lawdragon notes that “no institution bears Paul Cravath’s imprint more than Cravath, Swaine & Moore,” which “handles the world’s biggest trials and deals.”

In a separate piece, Lawdragon featured an interview with Graham as a “Writer Limelight,” which was also published on September 1, 2016. In the interview, Graham discusses the immense challenge of compressing more than 300 lawsuits into a single story, but also posits that telling the story through Paul was a crucial element in effectively communicating with and engaging the audience. He explains how Paul’s character unlocked for the audience many of the legal and scientific complexities related to the case by talking them through with his client, George Westinghouse.

Please click here to read about Graham Moore’s visit to Cravath.

Please click here to read the Writer Limelight feature.