Before law school, your first training in law was probably from television. The first time you heard the word “objection” may have come from a studio courtroom or a “Phoenix Wright” game. Even though our first experiences with lawyers might’ve come from entertainment, that doesn’t mean they didn’t have some real knowledge to share.
Here are some of the best fictional lawyers that audiences can’t get enough of:
Vinny Gambini, “My Cousin Vinny”
A foul-mouthed Italian lawyer with no experience in a courtroom, Vinny Gambini travels from Brooklyn, N.Y., to the middle of nowhere, Alabama to help get his cousin out of a first-degree murder charge. He may not be the smartest lawyer in the bunch and he may be the only lawyer to ever wear a red tuxedo in a courtroom, but Gambini’s overconfidence gets the job done. To this day, “My Cousin Vinny” is a pertinent example for lawyers. Even United States Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia used the film as an example of the pros and cons of being represented by a family member.
Bob Loblaw, “Arrested Development”
The straight-faced lawyer who briefly represents the Bluth family, Attorney at Law Bob Loblaw (say that 10 times fast) is strictly on this list because of his tongue-tying name. That, and the fact that he’s the most tech-savvy lawyer of the bunch — giving out free law advice through his blog: Bob Loblaw’s Law Blog (it never gets old.)
Fred Gailey, “Miracle on 34th Street”
Vying for neighbor Doris Walker’s heart, Fred Gailey won the most important case in history — proving that Santa Claus is real. That alone makes Gailey one of the best lawyers around. Sure, if you really break down his case none of it would hold up in a real courtroom. But hey, Christmas miracles can happen anywhere, even in a courtroom that’s wasting taxpayer money on a case about the existence of Santa Claus.
Saul Goodman, “Breaking Bad”
If you need a criminal lawyer with emphasis on the word “criminal,” then you better call Saul. He might look like an investment broker and talk like a car salesman, but Saul Goodman is the real deal when you need to get out of a tough situation — that is, as long as you have the money up front for his services. Even though “Breaking Bad” is ending its acclaimed run in a couple of months, there’s talk of Saul Goodman getting his own spin-off. Hopefully the rumors are true, and his larger-than-life but slower-than-molasses bodyguard Huell will return with him.
Atticus Finch, “To Kill A Mockingbird”
Both the book and the Academy Award-winning film adaptation make Atticus Finch one of the most important lawyers in fiction. Any character structure of a lawyer hero in film or television from the last 50 years comes from Finch. His passion for family and giving social outcasts a fighting chance is infallible even in the most trying times. The American Film Institute ranked Gregory Peck’s Atticus Finch as the greatest hero in American film. A lawyer as America’s greatest hero — that’s something you don’t hear every day.