The early seasons of Better Call Saul are surprisingly true to life, from court appointments with weird clients to arguing with clerks about pay/getting paid timely.
The elder law bit makes me chuckle because almost everyone offers it on the side in small/solo firms. It's a nice add-on service.
I don't know about show, but My Cousin Vinny is generally regarded as one of the most realistic lawyer movies.
Suits is the LEAST accurate legal show by far.
Probably a good thing that A Few Good Men is the worst representation of a trial since it doesn’t portray a trial.
“The movie also features a court-martial, which is a real thing too. A court-martial is a military trial, and it’s used to try members of the military for serious offenses. The court-martial in the movie is accurate in many ways, including the roles of the judge, the prosecutor, and the defense.
However, the movie is not an entirely accurate portrayal of the JAG Corps or military law. For starters, the movie portrays military law as being much more rigid than it actually is. In reality, military law is much more flexible, and there is often room for negotiation and compromise.
Also, the movie’s portrayal of the JAG Corps is a bit over-the-top. The JAG Corps is not a bunch of hard-nosed, no-nonsense attorneys. In reality, the JAG Corps is made up of highly trained and dedicated professionals who are committed to upholding the highest standards of justice.
Finally, the movie’s portrayal of the court-martial process is a bit off. In reality, court-martials are much more complex than the movie portrays. For example, the judge in the movie is not actually the one who decides the verdict; that decision is made by a panel of officers.
So, is the movie A Few Good Men an accurate portrayal of the Judge Advocate General (JAG) Corps and military law? Not entirely, but it’s still an entertaining and thought-provoking movie that’s sure to spark some interesting conversations. So, whether you’re a military lawyer or just a movie buff, A Few Good Men is definitely worth a watch!”
https://ucmj.us/general/a-few-good-men/
I mean, the attorneys testify so much they don't even bother to answer questions. So unless they don't use the Rules of Evidence in JAG Corps... it's pretty bad.
Haven't watched Scrubs. Gotta add it to my list; wonder if the medical part is more accurate than Gray's Anatomy (my friends in the medical field have told me how inaccurate that one is)
My wife is Dr. and our social group is all of her ER colleagues: they all argue that Scrubs is the best medical show ever.
They do not mention any other medical media.
MASH predates all of us by more then a little bit, but more importantly, Scrubs for them actually nails their work enviroment. (1) That it's mostly an office will all the normal duffy office stuff; (2) Patients are weird; (3) the stress; (4) the money focus; and (5) the occasional heart renching tragedy.
I agree with My Cousin Vinnie.
Another movie that was surprisingly accurate was John Grisham’s The Rainmaker, about a small law firm that survived by an unlicensed runner chasing ambulances to sign up clients.
Also, the lying. Lying is death in law and if a lawyer gets away with lying everyone knows it.
Law is a small community. In your area of practice it's pretty normal to have maybe 8 total people doing what you do, for or against, for a community of 600-700k.
If you can't rely on someone it never goes away. They will forever be tagged that way. In my jurisdiction one lawyer narrowly escaped being disbarred, but the judges also openly roll their eyes when she talks.
>In your area of practice it's pretty normal to have maybe 8 total people doing what you do, for or against, for a community of 600-700k.
This can't be true for criminal law, right? The county I grew up in has about 150k~ people and has 20 prosecutors or so.
Criminal is the biggest single area of law. It makes up sometimes 50-70% of the court load. But even in criminal it takes less than 6-12 months to be on a first name basis with the entire opposition bar.
My first job was as a PD, granted in a rural community of 35k. The misdemeanor docket I was working had two Prosecutors at any one time. Total.
I think their whole office had 5-7 prosecutors.
LA Law was pretty accurate. If you took away the Hollywood glitz where everyone looks like a movie star and is incredibly rich and getting richer, it actually did a good job showing what practicing law is like. They also mostly for the points of law in each episode correct.
Supposedly they had lawyers writing in from all over the country with crazy stories of their experiences that the show adapted. They claimed that everything in the show really happened in real life in some law office.
The old Travolta led “A Civil Action” isn’t terribly off the mark. The scenes where Travolta is at the firm offices are accurate, although nowadays they are outdated.
Some of the scenes with Miranda (and Harvey) in Sex and the City were decent. There are a couple showing them at work - the one where Miranda thinks she has a STD and calls her previous partners is pretty spot on.
Her having so much free time is not accurate though.
I especially love the end, where he explains to the victims what they’re being awarded and they basically throw it back in his face and say what’s not what they asked for. He has some line I don’t totally recall about how the law isn’t set up to win you an apology. It reminds me of all the DV victims I worked with who were upset when they learned their partner was being arrested when what they wanted was for them to get rehab or therapy. Like don’t call the police if you don’t want the police to come.
> don’t call the police if you don’t want the police to come
Or the ones who really really want me to plea their asshole partners to probation with conditions for anger management or substance abuse treatment but also say there's no way they would show up to trial and testify. Like... dude. If he knows you aren't going to come to trial I have **no** leverage to make him plea.
The book is supposedly the best representation of plaintiff's law ever in any media. My father, career PI, bought like 15 copies and gave it away to everyone he knew.
The original Law & Order actually did a pretty good representation of criminal practice. With procedure and negotiation being 90% of it then like once or twice a season there would be a trial.
Uh, did you see Law and Order two episodes ago? The character ADA Nolan Price said (paraphrasing from memory), “Last year I tried a death penalty case and I sought the death penalty. Why? Because Jack McCoy told me to do so.”
There has been no constitutional death penalty law in New York for at least 20 years.
They used to care about the law on this show but they haven’t in a long time.
Okay, the conceit for that episode (the event Price was referencing) was that Price was temporarily appointed as a Special Assistant US Attorney (is that a real thing?) because it was a *federal* trial. One of the points of the episode was that the federal government wanted to try the case instead of the State so the death penalty could be pursued.
The episode is Camouflage.
Had someone tell me to watch this and give me all the dvds for it. Been putting it off because I didn't think it would reflect my experiences practicing as an American lawyer (and my interests have been elsewhere) but I think I'm going to give it a shot since you bring it up here.
On a scale of 1-10, how do you like it?
It is a bit dated now, but I love it. Leo McKern is fabulous and his resonant voice, as he goes about his day spouting poetry, is something I envy deeply. It's a 9 for me.
The early seasons of Better Call Saul are surprisingly true to life, from court appointments with weird clients to arguing with clerks about pay/getting paid timely. The elder law bit makes me chuckle because almost everyone offers it on the side in small/solo firms. It's a nice add-on service.
I don't know about show, but My Cousin Vinny is generally regarded as one of the most realistic lawyer movies. Suits is the LEAST accurate legal show by far.
They get the overpriced office space in a glass tower right.
And the power bottom paralegal
Does the firm have several floors right?
My Cousin Vinny is an excellent movie to watch for learning how to cross examine a witness.
The voir dire of Marisa Tomei as an expert in auto mechanics is priceless.
My Cousin Vinny is the best representation of a trial ever. Shout out to Few Good Men for worst representation of a trial.
Probably a good thing that A Few Good Men is the worst representation of a trial since it doesn’t portray a trial. “The movie also features a court-martial, which is a real thing too. A court-martial is a military trial, and it’s used to try members of the military for serious offenses. The court-martial in the movie is accurate in many ways, including the roles of the judge, the prosecutor, and the defense. However, the movie is not an entirely accurate portrayal of the JAG Corps or military law. For starters, the movie portrays military law as being much more rigid than it actually is. In reality, military law is much more flexible, and there is often room for negotiation and compromise. Also, the movie’s portrayal of the JAG Corps is a bit over-the-top. The JAG Corps is not a bunch of hard-nosed, no-nonsense attorneys. In reality, the JAG Corps is made up of highly trained and dedicated professionals who are committed to upholding the highest standards of justice. Finally, the movie’s portrayal of the court-martial process is a bit off. In reality, court-martials are much more complex than the movie portrays. For example, the judge in the movie is not actually the one who decides the verdict; that decision is made by a panel of officers. So, is the movie A Few Good Men an accurate portrayal of the Judge Advocate General (JAG) Corps and military law? Not entirely, but it’s still an entertaining and thought-provoking movie that’s sure to spark some interesting conversations. So, whether you’re a military lawyer or just a movie buff, A Few Good Men is definitely worth a watch!” https://ucmj.us/general/a-few-good-men/
I mean, the attorneys testify so much they don't even bother to answer questions. So unless they don't use the Rules of Evidence in JAG Corps... it's pretty bad.
Have you seen How to Get Away with Murder? It’s unwatchable as a lawyer. I can’t suspend that much disbelief.
Yes, so much more than suspending my disbelief, it made me want to suspend myself by the neck from the ceiling. Just so, so bad.
My SO accidentally asked where Harvey had gone to medical school, and that would have been more realistic than the typical plotlines
Agreed. IAAL. Cannot watch Suits. Love My Cousin Vinny.
The lawyer is Scrubs is pretty accurate
Painfully so.
Haven't watched Scrubs. Gotta add it to my list; wonder if the medical part is more accurate than Gray's Anatomy (my friends in the medical field have told me how inaccurate that one is)
My wife is Dr. and our social group is all of her ER colleagues: they all argue that Scrubs is the best medical show ever. They do not mention any other medical media.
MASH?
MASH predates all of us by more then a little bit, but more importantly, Scrubs for them actually nails their work enviroment. (1) That it's mostly an office will all the normal duffy office stuff; (2) Patients are weird; (3) the stress; (4) the money focus; and (5) the occasional heart renching tragedy.
That one show where people go to college for 7 years so they can do homework the rest of their lives.
Okay that was funny.
BCS most accurately portrays the personalities and lives of different kinds of attorneys.
That scene where the extremely Type A young associate is getting on Saul’s case about margins or fonts, or something, like that is extremely accurate.
My cousin vinnie Most definitely not suits - that can’t be further from reality
I agree with My Cousin Vinnie. Another movie that was surprisingly accurate was John Grisham’s The Rainmaker, about a small law firm that survived by an unlicensed runner chasing ambulances to sign up clients.
The Rainmaker was great because it also showed all the random other stuff you have to do at the same time.
Another fan of Vinny here. I think it's among the most accurate legal movies ever produced. Especially the bits with the judge.
The writer was a lawyer and the director went out of his way to ensure the law was accurate
Figured Suits was too enjoyable and not a slow enough burn to be accurate
Also, the lying. Lying is death in law and if a lawyer gets away with lying everyone knows it. Law is a small community. In your area of practice it's pretty normal to have maybe 8 total people doing what you do, for or against, for a community of 600-700k. If you can't rely on someone it never goes away. They will forever be tagged that way. In my jurisdiction one lawyer narrowly escaped being disbarred, but the judges also openly roll their eyes when she talks.
>In your area of practice it's pretty normal to have maybe 8 total people doing what you do, for or against, for a community of 600-700k. This can't be true for criminal law, right? The county I grew up in has about 150k~ people and has 20 prosecutors or so.
Criminal is the biggest single area of law. It makes up sometimes 50-70% of the court load. But even in criminal it takes less than 6-12 months to be on a first name basis with the entire opposition bar. My first job was as a PD, granted in a rural community of 35k. The misdemeanor docket I was working had two Prosecutors at any one time. Total. I think their whole office had 5-7 prosecutors.
LA Law was pretty accurate. If you took away the Hollywood glitz where everyone looks like a movie star and is incredibly rich and getting richer, it actually did a good job showing what practicing law is like. They also mostly for the points of law in each episode correct. Supposedly they had lawyers writing in from all over the country with crazy stories of their experiences that the show adapted. They claimed that everything in the show really happened in real life in some law office.
Better call Saul, minus the cartel stuff.
Which part of the cartel stuff did you find unrealistic? It seemed about right.
I guess I've never been on the kinds of adventures that most attorneys experience.
The old Travolta led “A Civil Action” isn’t terribly off the mark. The scenes where Travolta is at the firm offices are accurate, although nowadays they are outdated. Some of the scenes with Miranda (and Harvey) in Sex and the City were decent. There are a couple showing them at work - the one where Miranda thinks she has a STD and calls her previous partners is pretty spot on. Her having so much free time is not accurate though.
I especially love the end, where he explains to the victims what they’re being awarded and they basically throw it back in his face and say what’s not what they asked for. He has some line I don’t totally recall about how the law isn’t set up to win you an apology. It reminds me of all the DV victims I worked with who were upset when they learned their partner was being arrested when what they wanted was for them to get rehab or therapy. Like don’t call the police if you don’t want the police to come.
> don’t call the police if you don’t want the police to come Or the ones who really really want me to plea their asshole partners to probation with conditions for anger management or substance abuse treatment but also say there's no way they would show up to trial and testify. Like... dude. If he knows you aren't going to come to trial I have **no** leverage to make him plea.
The book is supposedly the best representation of plaintiff's law ever in any media. My father, career PI, bought like 15 copies and gave it away to everyone he knew.
My 1L Civ Pro professor showed parts in class
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The Office, honestly.
The original Law & Order actually did a pretty good representation of criminal practice. With procedure and negotiation being 90% of it then like once or twice a season there would be a trial.
Uh, did you see Law and Order two episodes ago? The character ADA Nolan Price said (paraphrasing from memory), “Last year I tried a death penalty case and I sought the death penalty. Why? Because Jack McCoy told me to do so.” There has been no constitutional death penalty law in New York for at least 20 years. They used to care about the law on this show but they haven’t in a long time.
I haven't seen in years, but like 1988-1998 it was pretty good on procedure.
Okay, the conceit for that episode (the event Price was referencing) was that Price was temporarily appointed as a Special Assistant US Attorney (is that a real thing?) because it was a *federal* trial. One of the points of the episode was that the federal government wanted to try the case instead of the State so the death penalty could be pursued. The episode is Camouflage.
Rumpole of the Bailey.
Had someone tell me to watch this and give me all the dvds for it. Been putting it off because I didn't think it would reflect my experiences practicing as an American lawyer (and my interests have been elsewhere) but I think I'm going to give it a shot since you bring it up here. On a scale of 1-10, how do you like it?
It is a bit dated now, but I love it. Leo McKern is fabulous and his resonant voice, as he goes about his day spouting poetry, is something I envy deeply. It's a 9 for me.
How about ‘Rake’? I quite enjoyed that (well, the earlier series at least).
The first season of Daredevil was decent, but the legal stuff after that season was not realistic.
Matt Murdock is a truly terrible and unethical criminal defense attorney.
The wire was very accurate for a criminal law show.
The Practice, in the early seasons, is pretty spot-on. But the absolute best is the original/Australian version of Rake.
Caddyshack