Legal dramas have long been popular subjects for popular culture media. In the early days, television and film lawyers were typically portrayed as upstanding citizens but the recent trend has been to show lawyers in a less flattering light. UCLA Professor of Law Michael Asimow believes this is problematic. In Law and Popular Culture: Bad Lawyers in the Movies, Asimow discusses that while the depiction of lawyers in film is a reflection of popular opinion, it is also a force for the formation of new opinions, with perhaps unintended consequences. Columbia Law Professor William Simon also examines how lawyers are depicted in popular culture but presents a different viewpoint. In Moral Pluck:Legal Ethics in Popular Culture, Simon discusses a public morality that is accepting of ethical rule breaking when in the interest of correcting injustice, and seems to suggest that the study of popular culture might lend itself to revisions in ethics standards. Both authors seem to agree that the public perception of what is ethical and moral behavior for lawyers may be different than the state perceives it is or should be, but while Asimow suggests popular culture tends to put down lawyers, Simon suggests popular culture tends to make heroes of them. Although these seem to be opposing views, they both emphasize the important role that popular culture can play in measuring and determining ethical standards.
In Law and Popular Culture: Bad Lawyers in the Movies Asimow examines the portrayal of lawyers in films from 1929 through 1999, as well as those on television from Perry Mason in the late 1950’s and 1960’s to (then) present day shows such as The Practice and Law and Order. Asimow outlines theories for causes of the dec...
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... and therefore have potential consequences perhaps film-makers should be mindful of these effects. Simon also recognizes that popular culture can have influence but suggests that rather than changing popular culture to drive public opinion, it is important to study it to gauge public opinion of ethics and morals and could be used to influence the standards on which rules of ethics are based. Both articles offer compelling arguments about the importance of popular culture to both the study and the formation of legal ethical standards.
Works Cited
Asimow, Michael. " Law and Popular Culture: Bad Lawyers In The Movies." Nova Law Review (n.d.): 24 Nova L. Rev.533. LexisNexisAcademic. Web. 1 Mar. 2014.
Simon, William H. "Moral Pluck: Legal Ethics In Popular Culture." Columbia Law Review 101.2 (2001): 421. Academic Search Premier. Web. 28 Feb. 2014.
Hariman, R. “Performing the Laws: Popular Trials and Social Knowledge” from Popular Trials: Rhetoric, Mass Media, and the Law, Robert Hariman, ed(s)., University of Alabama Press, 1990. 17-30.
Johnny’s experience as an attorney falls far short of being the legal crusader that he envisioned for himself. Rather, it is quite short-lived . His legal career ends abruptly when his unpreparedness for an easy trial against a wealthy white woman causes him to lose the case for his client. Upon his hu...
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In 1929, America experienced a stock market crash that led the country into what is historically known as the Great Depression. Many industries across America experienced alterations in order to fit the social and economic changes that America was undergoing as a nation. Specific industries included Hollywood and the film industry. In the late 1920s and early 1930s, the movies that Americans enjoyed viewing were considered immoral at the time. This was f...
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...s from The Prosecution Function to a real life setting. My tainted movie perception of the criminal justice system no longer exists. While the process does not necessarily always have an unbelievable climax, the excitement lies in the subtle details the opposing counsels must recognize in order to gain an advantage; it truly is a mind game. The immense amount of time and effort that is put forth makes me appreciate the quality of art that lawyers possess. The knowledge and preparation it takes to be successful is astounding, and it is a pleasure to watch.
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The social construction of myths of crime and criminal justice seems to follow a series of recurrent patterns. These patterns allow for an unprecedented amount of social attention to be focused upon a few isolated criminal events or issues. This attention is promoted by intense, but often brief, mass media coverage of a select problem. Intense social concern of an issue is achieved by a variety of means from the mass media, government, law enforcement officials, interpersonal communications, and the interests of reform groups whom all play major roles in focusing the publics attention on select so...
Countering the Culture of Sex is an article by Ellen Goodman dealing with the entertainment industry’s plague upon society. With sex rooted deep in children’s minds it creates this idea of what life revolves around. Digging deeper, Goodman brings up the point of why one never sees the consequences of sex. If the media were to show the consequences of people’s actions, the industry could create a sense of fear into the public.
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