There are plenty of films about disillusioned lawyers compelled to rethink all the assumptions they once held before taking the bar exam, before the business of the law robbed the profession of its noble virtue of standing up for another in crisis, before the truth became something to fudge rather than find. This is true in such films as The Firm, Changing Lanes, The Rainmaker, Michael Clayton and Regarding Henry. The lawyer becomes filled with self-loathing and disgust, having taken an oath to uphold the honor of a profession that is prone to failure and the shady politics of compromise.

The idealism of the 1L gives way to the rote detachment of the senior partner. 12 Angry Men, although about a jury, has a similar theme: The general public, those without JD parchments, recognizes its own failures and prejudgments when serving the law. Runaway Jury accomplishes the same thing by giving jury tampering a good name. It’s as if the legal system contaminates all those who come into contact with it—especially the lawyers.

Quiz: Which movie lawyer are you?