Jake Brigance certainly does not take up Carl Lee's case for the money. Carl Lee is a poor man and does not have the money that most of Jake's other clients usually have. Rather, Jake is compelled to take up the case because he can empathize with Carl. At home, Jake describes to his wife the feeling that he has when he imagines what happened to Tanya, Carl Lee's daughter, as if it were his own daughter, Hannah. He knows that he would have (or at least would have wanted to have) taken justice into his own hands as well if it were his daughter who was raped. It is this sense of empathy that ultimately convinces Jake to take up Carl Lee's defense in spite of the many threats he is receiving from the KKK. It is this appeal to empathy in his closing statements that eventually helps convince the jury to acquit Carl Lee.

It also helps that this is a high-profile case. In addition to feelings of doing the right thing, Jake relishes the attention that he receives from this case. Author John Grisham often created lawyers who chase the spotlight, and Jake is no different. Jake sees this case as a way to propel his career. He knows that if he can win a tough case like this one, he will be considered one of the greatest attorneys in Mississippi.