Why did you become a lawyer? What made you want to pursue a legal career? Maybe you have family members who are lawyers. Maybe you want to make a difference. Maybe you like the challenge of navigating the legal code to prove your case. Or maybe you fell in love with the legal process on the silver screen.
We know that the legal sphere trends towards the serious end of the spectrum — but we like to keep it lighthearted from time to time here at Civille — and what better way than to make a list of the Best Lawyers in TV and Movies. Here are our favorite lawyers and attorneys on the silver screen and television that will keep you entertained, informed, and on the edge of your seat.
What lawyer or attorney in a TV show or movie inspired you in your career?
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Top 10 Lawyers in TV and Film
We know there are way more than 10 lawyers and attorneys in pop culture that can make the list and we know that the accuracy of this list lies in the eye of the beholder — but for better or worse — here are our top 10 lawyers and attorneys on screen.
10. Gomez Addams — The Addams Family
Did you know that Gomez Addams was a defense attorney? We didn’t. Gomez Addams doesn’t make this list because of his success in the courtroom — he actually never won a case. He is on the list because we loved his fun and eccentric antics as the father and husband of The Addams Family.
9. Lt. Daniel Kaffee — A Few Good Men
You can’t handle the truth! Lt. Daniel Kaffee is a Navy lawyer played by Tom Cruise that is witness to maybe the most memorable and quotable line in a legal-based film in A Few Good Men. We love the courtroom scene in this film and enjoyed watching Lt. Kaffee go punch for punch with Col. Nathan Jessup played by Jack Nicholson, and we know this scene inspired its fair share of future lawyers.
8. Ally McBeal — Ally McBeal
Played by Calista Flockhart in the title role, Ally McBeal is a Boston attorney that entertained viewers for five seasons from 1997 to 2002. The legal comedy drama series is fraught with fun and comedic banter between Ally McBeal and the rest of the cast that had the show winning a Golden Globe for Best Television Series and an Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series.
7. Saul Goodman — Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad
Bob Odenkirk puts on a masterful performance as Saul Goodman — a less-than-ethical lawyer — and the title character in Better Call Saul with several appearances in Breaking Bad. Saul Goodman has a penchant for representing the bad guy and pushes the boundaries of the law to win his cases. Saul Goodman may not be the best lawyer in the courtroom, but many of us have enjoyed watching him scam and slither his way around legal obstacles on screen.
6. Vinny Gambini — My Cousin Vinny
Who doesn’t love Joe Pesci? My Cousin Vinny is without a doubt one of the best legal-based comedies to ever hit the silver screen and Vinny Gambini is the title character that won hearts and cases in the courtroom — even if it took a few tries for him to pass the bar. Popular for its accurate legal strategy and its memorable comedic moments, My Cousin Vinny is a fan favorite here at Civille.
5. Elle Woods — Legally Blonde and Legally Blonde 2
Bubbly, energetic, and entertaining may be the best way to describe Elle Woods, played by Resse Witherspoon in Legally Blonde and Legally Blonde 2. These fun-filled legal comedy films follow sorority girl Elle Woods on her search for love as she decides to shake things up and pursue a law degree at Harvard and finds out she is a legal trailblazer that uses her fashion acumen and reason to win cases.
4. Harvey Specter — Suits
Suits is a legal drama series that kept many of us entertained for nine seasons and 134 episodes — and Harvey Specter is a lead character in this fan favorite. Played by Gabriel Macht, Harvey Specter is an intelligent, debonair, and merciless high-powered attorney that takes a young Mike Ross (Honorable Mention) under his wing and proceeds to dominate the courtroom, even though Mike is not a lawyer and never went to Harvard.
3. Ben Matlock — Matlock
Few lawyers on television or the silver screen can compete with Ben Matlock on this list. Matlock starred Andy Griffith in the title role of this mystery-legal drama series that entertained families for nine seasons, 193 episodes, and a pilot film. The popular television series follows Ben Matlock as he solves cases inside and outside of the courtroom, ensuring that his clients were on the right side of guilty and innocent.
2. Jack McCoy — Law & Order
We all know the telltale sound of a Law & Order episode on television and this list wouldn’t be complete without Jack McCoy. The longtime criminal prosecutor and District Attorney was a character on multiple variations of Law & Order and was a regular character from Season 5 until Season 23 when the show went off the air. Appearing in an estimated 400 episodes, Jack McCoy may be the most experienced and accomplished attorney on this list — and came out on top in most episodes.
1. Atticus Finch — To Kill a Mockingbird
We love the classics here at Civille, and To Kill a Mockingbird is a classic book and film with maybe the most famous fictional lawyer on the list as one of its premier characters. Atticus Finch is portrayed by Gregory Peck in this classic film that highlights civil rights in the South. The film sees Atticus defend Tom Robinson in the courtroom against rape charges in a futile farce of a trial that sees him found guilty. To Kill a Mockingbird was awarded a Pulitzer Prize as a book and an Academy Award as a film.
Honorable Mention: Dan Fielding — Night Court
Honorable Mention: Mike Ross — Suits
Honorable Mention: Annalise Keating — How To Get Away with Murder
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Do you love to sit back with some popcorn and watch a legal drama or comedy? Did you grow up watching Matlock or Law & Order with your family? We know we love legal TV shows and films here at Civille and we hope you enjoyed our list of the Best Lawyers in TV and Movies. Don’t be afraid to let us know if we missed anyone!
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