Graphics by Brenan Sharp.
The ABA Journal has been exploring a fascinating romance between lawyers and popular culture. We’ve traced this connection through films and plays and television, and the conclusion is inescapable: Not only do lawyers seem to love pop culture; pop culture seems to love lawyers back.
But this year we’re raising the bar. We’ve attempted to survey the world of literature to find the best portrayals of lawyers and the law. Our panel picked their personal favorites. Their choices defined for us the top 25 legal novels (actually 26, as you’ll see—there was a tie!).
These are stories that have endured for years or decades, or even generations. Many of them are familiar; some of them, less so. Among them are stories of life and death, courage and betrayal, loyalty and honor, revenge and redemption—in other words, human existence.
See also:
The 25 Greatest Legal Movies
The 25 Greatest Legal TV Shows
The 25 Greatest Fictional Lawyers (Who Are Not Atticus Finch)
The Theater’s 12 Greatest Courtroom Dramas
30 Lawyers Pick 30 Books Every Lawyer Should Read
