With Steven Spielberg’s biopic Lincoln in the news last week, I thought it would be worth mentioning another Lincoln-related film entitled The Lincoln Lawyer, which received its first teaser trailer recently. Fortunately, the story isn’t a competing biopic about the former president, but a modern-day lawyer who makes shady deals from the back of his Lincoln town car. The lawyer in question is Mickey Haller and he’s played by none other than romantic-comedy’s Matthew McConaughey. The story follows him as he takes on the case of Louis Roulet (Ryan Phillippe), who has been accused of assault and attempted murder. Naturally, the further Haller delves into the case, the muddier the waters become. The film is based on the best-selling book by Michael Connelly and features a solid supporting cast including John Leguizamo, William H. Macy, Marisa Tomei, Josh Lucas, and Michael Pena.

Even though the trailer plays as a pretty standard legal-drama, I am holding out some hope for it. I’ll say that it’s nice to see McConaughey in a serious role again, even if it’s the type of thing he’s done before. I’m of the mind that, when he wants to, McConaughey can bring it. The supporting cast looks impressive (and potentially crowded), so hopefully they don’t get short-changed. The Lincoln Lawyer is set for release on March 18, 2011. Watch the trailer after the jump and tell us what you think.