Hollywood Loves Lawyers

In the history of cinema, no character has been more heroic than defense attorney Atticus Finch in “To Kill a Mockingbird” – so says the American Film Institute in its “100 Years … 100 Heroes & Villains” list. Several other lawyers appear on the list: Mahatma Gandhi in “Gandhi,” at 21; Juror No. 8 from “12 Angry Men,” at 28; and corporate attorney Andrew Beckett from “Philadelphia,” at 49. “But why is the law such an attraction for artists?” Thane Rosenbaum asks in ABA Journal. Perhaps “the promise that the banging of a gavel will restore order and that a crusading lawyer will make us all feel less alone.” Movies, according to Rosenbaum, are “not tutorials for budding lawyers but cautionary tales for enlightened citizens – an expression of our collective longing for justice and fair treatment.” In short, “Audiences crave universal truths, and by the time the closing credits roll, movies about the law have left behind wisdom to live by.