the meanest and most effective litigator?

Question

I read this sentence from John Grisham's book.

here, meanest could refer to a really ...bluffing lawer who can scare the defandent, and try to squeeze every words from the defandent....???

Or, it means a really good lawer only?

I checked dictionary. There could be two explanation for mean.
1. value ( average value )
2. really good, ( like Charls Ray played mean piano )

I also know that mean could be ...bad....like all classmates are mean to me.....

I am a bit confused.

Answer 1

Mean means (see!) a lot of things, but "meanest" doesn't work in as many situations.

Still, I think the point Grisham is making (and I think I've read all his lawyer books) is that a litigator can't be "really good" unless he's quite nasty. So the word "meanest" here means "nastiest" or "least sympathetic" (I wouldn't go so far as to say "cruel", he's just talking to the defendant/witness) but at the same time suggests "really good" in the Ray-Charles' piano-playing sense.

Answer 2

I think the context of this sentence is going to be your best explanation as to what John Grisham meant by referring to the litigator as the "meanest."

For example, when referring to someone as "lean, mean," etc. generally it doesn't mean that the person is hateful, just...potent and probably feared to an extent within their circle, whatever it may be. Whereas if that someone was "the meanest kid on your block" they would probably be more than just good at whatever they do, one would also assume that they were ill-tempered to boot.

Answer 3

I think 'mean', in this context, relates to offensive, nasty, malicious, cruel. Therefore one could say the most offensive, nastiest, most malicious, cruelest and most effective lawyer. The one who uses fear to harass the witness and so achieve the most effective result.

Answer 4

am thinking of the word "shark" here.

like the series with james woods on TV

Answer 5

I think in this case the attorney is relentless, thus deemed "mean" as in "not pleasant."