Q&A With ‘Raising the Bar’ Creator, a Former Bronx Public Defender

David Feige has come a long way from his days as a New York City public defender. But the Hollywood wunderkind seems to have a hard time leaving it all behind. All you need to do is ask, and he’ll tell you that the criminal defense system is broken and…

Aug 29, 2008 7:11 PM CDT

Law Firm Life Satirized in Bitter Lawyer Webisodes

A lawyer-turned-TV writer has posted a satirical look at law firm life in four Webisodes posted on the Bitter Lawyer website. The Webisodes feature new associate Nick Conley, who works at Sullivan & Moore, “the most prestigious law firm in the entire country.” In one episode, Nick is directed to…

Aug 25, 2008 5:30 PM CDT

Unabomber Protests Museum Display of his Cabin in Appeals Court Letter

Convicted Unabomber Ted Kaczynski has written a letter to a federal appeals court protesting the display of his cabin in a news museum exhibit called “G-Men and Journalists.” The FBI had loaned the 10-by-12-foot cabin to the Newseum in Washington, D.C., the Washington Post reports. A video tour on the…

Aug 13, 2008 12:36 PM CDT

George Clooney Buys Film Rights to Hamdan Story

Hollywood superstar George Clooney secured movie rights to tell the story of Osama bin Laden’s personal driver Salim Hamdan, who was convicted last week of aiding terrorism and sentenced to 5½ years. If the movie gets made by Clooney’s production company, Smokehouse, it could be a controversial effort, the Los…

Aug 12, 2008 1:45 PM CDT

Honorable Mentions

Among the Other Legal Films Our Jury Cited (in alphabetical order):

Aug 1, 2008 9:30 PM CDT

The Jury

Aug 1, 2008 9:27 PM CDT

The 25 Greatest Legal Movies

Aug 1, 2008 8:45 PM CDT

How I Learned to Litigate at the Movies

5 Lawyers Share Silver Screen Secrets!!!

Aug 1, 2008 5:09 PM CDT

TV’s Best Character: Denny Crane, Flawed Sr. Partner on ‘Boston Legal’

How did a less-than-admirable, arguably over-the-hill lawyer come to be one of television’s most best-beloved characters? Actor William Shatner, 77, who plays the “skirt-chasing, politically incorrect, stogie-puffing tough but tender” senior partner on Boston Legal, says the Denny Crane role was written specifically for him. Crane is the most memorable…

Jul 30, 2008 3:28 PM CDT

Are These the 25 Greatest Legal Movies?

What would Hollywood do without lawyers? In a town built on copyrights and cosmetic surgery, lawyers have done far more than pen the small print in studio contracts or post bail for hollow-eyed stars on the way to and from rehab. From the incisive Henry Drummond and the droll Mr.…

Jul 21, 2008 6:34 PM CDT

True-Crime Book Wins $60K Prize

A non-fiction novel about a notorious unsolved murder of a child that happened more than 100 years ago has won a pricey prize from the BBC. Kate Summerscale says she got the idea for The Suspicions of Mr Whicher: or the Murder at Road Hill House when she happened to…

Jul 16, 2008 7:08 PM CDT

5 Miami Judges Hold Court on Nation’s TV Airwaves

In what is surely a record for any one U.S. city, five former Miami criminal judges are now holding court on reality television shows, and two were nominated for Emmy awards this year. Among them: Marilyn Milian, who has presided over The People’s Court for eight years; David Young, whose…

Jul 8, 2008 7:54 PM CDT

Quick! Which Sitcom Does This Law Firm Most Closely Resemble?

Why is Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom like Leave It to Beaver? Or, for those too young to recall the popular family television show of the 1950s and 1960s, move ahead at warp speed another decade or so, and ponder this question: Why is Cohen, Milstein, Hausfeld & Toll…

Jul 7, 2008 7:10 PM CDT

Attorney & Best-Selling Author Phillip Margolin Still Starts His Day Early

A criminal defense lawyer for 25 years, Phillip Margolin still goes to the office every day in Portland, Ore., at 7:30 a.m. Except now, as a best-selling author of legal thrillers, he is there to work on his current book. His latest, Executive Privilege, is just out, focusing on a…

Jul 3, 2008 3:20 PM CDT

Taboo But True: ‘Savage Grace’

Were it not based on an actual crime, Savage Grace might seem too bizarre a story to merit belief. But the 1972 murder of socialite Barbara Baekeland, who was married to a dissolute heir to the Bakelite plastics fortune, actually happened, and Julianne Moore’s performance in the new movie, as…

Jul 2, 2008 4:28 PM CDT