Hal Dockins’ Real Life after The Burial Explained

The Burial is a courtroom dramedy that follows the life of Jerry O’Keefe, the owner of a family funeral business, as he fights a case against the Loewen Group over a breach of a non-penned agreement. One of the show’s most prominent characters is Hal Dockins, and fans have always wondered what might’ve happened to the real Hal Dockins after the O’Keefe vs. Loewen case. 

The Burial is garnished by the presence of a star-studded cast, including Jamie Foxx and Tommy Lee. However, the most notable performance comes from Mamoudou Athie, who plays Hal Dockins.

Hal Dockins is a timid young lawyer who everyone underestimates. However, he ultimately exposes the Loewen Group and uncovers their deal with the National Baptist Convention, which is catastrophic for the Black community. 

However, Hal Dockins was an actual person who went on to have a successful and happy life after the aforementioned case.

In 1999, Dockins and Mike Allred went to the Civil Court to settle a dispute regarding their payment after the O’Keefe vs. Loewen case. After the case, O’Keefe had paid the attorney’s fees in cash, stocks, and a promissory note. 

Allred won the Civil Court case, and Dockins was ordered to pay the entire amount that was determined previously. Dockins appealed to a higher court, and the Court of Mississippi reaffirmed the court’s original decision.

This was followed by Dockins app leaking again after the trial court’s second ruling. This time, the Mississippi court reversed the decision, stating that it incorrectly put the 15% penalty to the entire salary rather than the attorney’s fees they were arguing over, i.e., 21.53% of the total compensation. The case went back to the trial court, and it ultimately corrected the issue. 

This landmark judgment was also used as a precedent in several cases, notably Airtran vs. Byrd. 

Currently, nearly three decades after the film’s events, Hal Dockins practices law in Jackson, Mississippi, and specializes in business litigation, commercial litigation, personal injury litigation, and torts. 

The man also holds the title of senior partner at the law firm Dockins, Turnage & Banks, PLLC. 

However, Dockins is not one to share his personal life on social media. He prefers to use his platform to raise awareness about the issues that affect Black Americans worldwide. 

About The Burial

The Burial is a 2023 American legal drama film directed by Maggie Betts and written by Betts and Doug Wright. It is loosely based on the true story of lawyer Willie E. Gary and his client Jeremiah Joseph O’Keefe’s lawsuit against the Loewen funeral company, as documented in the 1999 New Yorker article of the same name by Jonathan Harr.

It stars Jamie Foxx as Gary, Tommy Lee Jones as O’Keefe, Jurnee Smollett, Mamoudou Athie, and Bill Camp.

It premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 11, 2023, and was released by Amazon MGM Studios in a limited release on October 6, 2023, prior to streaming via Prime Video on October 13, 2023.