Are you a movie buff? Do you enjoy sitting down on your couch with a tub of popcorn and a good movie? Have you thought about watching some really great legally themed movies? As an attorney, I might not always be in the mood for a legal drama, but there happen to be quite a few great movies out there, anything from the triumph of the little man, freedom from oppression, to prove that the American judicial system can bring justice to those who deserve it.
Here are some of our Team Members’ favorite legal-themed movies.
- To Kill a Mockingbird
One of the greatest novels of all time also happens be a great film starring Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch, a lawyer in the south during the Great Depression. Atticus is thrust into a case representing a black man against undeserved rape charges, while Atticus’ children deal with the prejudices associated with this action. It’s one for the ages.
- Legally Blonde
Legally Blonde may not be the most accurate in terms of the law, or law school, but it certainly is an amusing movie. Plus, everyone loves a Hollywood ending, and Elle Woods certainly triumphs while at Harvard Law School.
- A Few Good Men
If you are in the mood for a legal and military drama, this is the movie for you. Starring Tom Cruise and Jack Nicholson, who shouts “You can’t handle the truth.” This movie centers around the case of whether Marines accused of murder were acting on orders.
- A Civil Action
One of the ultimate movies that illustrates the difficult journey in achieving civil justice. It stars John Travolta as the plaintiffs’ attorney and Robert Duvall as the corporate attorney, and deals with the families of children who have died due to dumping of toxic waste by the two companies responsible.
- Erin Brockovich
Julia Roberts’ Academy Award winning role places her as a legal assistant to a personal injury lawyer where she brings down a power company accused of polluting a city’s water supply. Based on a true story, this centers around one of the biggest class action lawsuits in American history against a multi-billion dollar corporation.
- The Rainmaker
The Rainmaker stars Matt Damon as young man recently out of law school who takes on a case for an elderly couple whose insurance company will not pay for an operation. While representing them, he uncovers insurance fraud and fights to win the case on their behalf.
- Anatomy of a Murder
The movie centers around a murder trial with a defendant claiming he suffered from temporary insanity after the victim allegedly raped his wife. But what’s the truth? Starring James Stewart as the attorney for the defendant, watch to see if the defendant gets off.
- Amistad
The story of a group slaves in the 1800s that lead a mutiny on a ship and are eventually imprisoned as runaway slaves. Matthew McConaughey plays an abolitionist lawyer who a takes on their case arguing they are free citizens of another county and not slaves. The case makes it all the way to the Supreme Court, where former President, John Quincy Adams (played by Anthony Hopkins) pleas for their release.
- The Verdict
Starring Paul Newman as a lawyer who takes on a medical malpractice case, and rather than settling so he can get his fee, he fights for his clients in court in the hopes the truth comes out in trial regarding the doctor’s negligence.
- 12 Angry Men
The 1957 classic stars Henry Fonda as Juror 8 and is based on the play of the same name. The movie focuses on the process of 12 men deciding if a young man is guilty of murdering his father. The movie highlights the jurors’ prejudices and presumptions of the trial, the defendant, and each other.
Did your favorite make our list?
