It’s hard not to be charmed by David Boies. I’ve met Boies on several occasions and interviewed him about a range of topics—from his opinion about Donald Trump, a skirmish he got into with Alan Dershowitz, to his star turn on The Good Wife. He’s a rock star of lawyers, a maverick who looms above the stuffed suits of the profession and a shiny knight for liberal causes.

And, of course, he’s brilliant. Yet, he comes across as soft-spoken, direct and remarkably homespun (those iconic Sears’ suits! those Merrell shoes!).