Our Favorite Legal Movies
In celebration of Film Prize Weekend here in Shreveport, we’d like to tell you about a few of our favorite movies about the law. This is not, by any means, an exhaustive list. Nor is it a list of the “best” movies about the law. These are just a few of the movies we turn to again and again when we think about our profession. (Or some that just get quoted repeatedly at our office as we work!)
To Kill a Mockingbird
There’s a reason that, when we had to come up with pseudonyms to take the bar exam, we were told not to choose “Atticus Finch.” This movie and the book it is based on are the reasons why.
12 Angry Men
A look into the jury room most attorneys never get to see and a glimpse into the criminal court system many will never get to experience.
A Few Good Men
I think this movie is the reason many attorneys keep baseball bats in their offices. It is certainly one of the movies that is quoted in our office on a regular basis. “[We] want the TRUTH!”
Legally Blonde
“What, like it’s hard?” Elle Woods is treated by many people in her law school class and the firm where she’s interning as dumb because of her clothes, makeup, and hair. She proves them all wrong when that knowledge helps her save her client and allows her to take down her jerk of a boss.
My Cousin Vinny
Another underdog saves the day story. And a movie that may get quoted in our office more than is really necessary.
Chicago
Whenever we are getting ready for a trial, Katherine likes to think about Richard Gere singing: “Give ‘em the old razzle dazzle!” We practice law a fair bit more ethically than Gere does in this movie, but who doesn’t love a musical about murder?
On the Basis of Sex
Notorious RBG before she was notorious. This movie is the story of Ruth Bader Ginsburg as one of the few women at Harvard’s law school and how she started her career as a fearless champion for the rights of others.
Obviously, there are a million movies we know we’ve forgotten on this list, but these are some of our favorites. Drop by our facebook page if you’d like to give us a list of more to add to our to-watch list!