The law is clear.
The truth
isn’t.
One young attorney. One powerful client.
A case that puts everything on the line.
The law is clear.
The truth
isn’t.
One young attorney. One powerful client.
A case that puts everything on the line.
A career to build.
A conscience
to keep.
The Pursuit of Justice
From a fresh law school graduate to the lead attorney in Birmingham’s most explosive and publicized trial, Colton Stone rises quickly in Alabama's most prestigious law firm, Sterling & Dowling. But ambition comes at a price. Just as Stone nears the peak of his career, he’s handed a case that could unravel everything.
Megan Burton, the 23-year-old daughter of the firm's most powerful client, stands accused of drug trafficking. Her father, Philip Burton—CEO of Burton Pharmaceutical—represents one-third of the firm’s revenue. Stone must walk a razor-thin line between justice and loyalty, as the case spirals into a web of client commitment, professional ethics, and personal conscience.
Every decision he makes risks not only the fate of a young woman—but the future of his career, his values, and the firm itself.
The Complexities Of Justice
Exploration
Stone’s journey begins with ambition fueled by talent, sharpened by challenge. From a new law graduate to a rising star in Birmingham’s top legal firm, his path is one of relentless pursuit. But what lies beyond ambition? What does success cost when principles are tested in uncharted territory?
Conflict
Not all battles are fought on the battlefield. In the courtroom, every word is a weapon, every silence strategy. Representing the daughter of the firm’s most powerful client forces Stone into a silent war of ethics, loyalty, and survival. With his career and a young woman’s future—on the line.
Truth
In the world of law, truth isn’t always what it seems. Stone must sift through layers of deception, privilege, and pressure to find what’s real. In the end, the search for truth may reveal more about himself than the case.
Richard Ulrich
Legal Mind. Master Storyteller. Bold New Voice in Courtroom Drama.
Richard Ulrich brings real-world insight to the world of legal fiction with a storytelling style that is both sharp and deeply human. A former attorney turned novelist, Richard writes with the authority of experience and the imagination of a true craftsman.
His debut novel, MUST, is a gripping legal drama that explores the intersection of ambition, ethics, and justice through the eyes of a young attorney facing the most pivotal case of his career. Drawing from his profound insight into human nature and his deep understanding of courtroom dynamics, Ulrich creates characters and conflicts that are both compelling and unnervingly real.
While Ulrich dives deep into life and the law, he also, with unique humor, schools the reader of the depth of legal preparation and court proceedings.
Inside the story.
Beyond the page.
THE NOVEL
From law school to legal showdown
POWER & PRINCIPLE
The cost of ambition
