The Metamorphosis

It's a conversation between a partner and an associate under him on the issue of "relocation" of some poor people's homes before the developer, Dibrell, could have his hotel built on the site.

An excerpt from The Colour of Law.

"We're going to take poor people's homes so rich people can stay in a five-star luxury hotel?" Sid looked indignant. "Why don't they ever take rich people's homes?"

"Because rich people can afford to hire lawyers and fight it in court. Poor people can't."

"So the city's gonna buy them out cheap -- with Dibrell's money, bulldoze their homes, and give the land to Dibrell so he can build his hotel? What's in it for the city?"

"Millions more in property taxes. The hotel will be worth a hundred million, minimum. Those little homes are worth a million, max."

Dibrell gets his hotel, the city gets more taxes, and poor people get screwed. And it's all perfectly legal.

...

Every lawyer goes through the same metamorphosis that Sid was now going through, like a caterpillar changing into a butterfly, only in reverse: from a beautiful human being to a slimy lawyer.