Law in Popular Culture

Ready for Black Friday and Cyber Monday? Check out our 2019 Gifts for Lawyers guide (gallery)

Like clockwork, it’s that time of year again—the holiday season is back. Have you figured out the right present to give the lawyer, judge or other legal professional in your life? If you’re searching for some ideas, whether you’re shopping early to get ahead of the game or bookmarking some…

Nov 26, 2019 12:21 PM CST

Pro se litigants in pop culture show why representing yourself can be a dangerous decision

The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals has a weekly mailing list that sends out the court’s published and unpublished cases. They arrive in quick succession every Thursday morning. It’s a bit of a task to review them all, but I try to categorize the cases for future research. The unpublished…

Nov 25, 2019 10:45 AM CST

Lawyer who suggested then abandoned ‘Breaking Bad’ money laundering plot is indefinitely suspended

An Ohio lawyer who offered to launder money for a confidential informant he thought to be a drug dealer has been indefinitely suspended by the Ohio Supreme Court.

Nov 21, 2019 11:18 AM CST

Kavanaugh jokes about ‘SNL’ parody of him in first major speech since confirmation

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh thanked his supporters and family Thursday and joked about actor Matt Damon’s portrayal of him on Saturday Night Live in his first major appearance since his confirmation to the high court.

Nov 15, 2019 9:56 AM CST

Afternoon Briefs: Madonna sued over late start time of concert; unusual bar ceremony goes viral

Fan sues Madonna for pushing back start time of her concert A Florida man who spent more than $1,000 on three tickets to see singer Madonna in concert at her “Madame X Tour” has sued because she pushed back the start time of her upcoming Miami Beach show from 8:30…

Nov 12, 2019 3:20 PM CST

What’s your favorite trial scene from a movie?

If you're a fan of courtroom scenes in movies, are you more of a "You can't handle the truth!" type via Jack Nicholson in A Few Good Men, or are you more of a "And the truth shall set you free!" type via Jim Carrey in Liar, Liar?

Nov 6, 2019 10:01 AM CST

What are some differences between state and federal criminal prosecutions?

I originally watched Evil Genius: The True Story of America’s Most Diabolical Bank Heist when Netflix released it back in May of 2018. The series tagline was enough to get me interested: “This baffling true crime story starts with the grisly death of a pizza man who robs a bank…

Oct 31, 2019 6:30 AM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Andrew Yang didn’t last long in BigLaw; suit against Taylor Swift revived

Andrew Yang lasted only five months in BigLaw Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang left Davis Polk & Wardwell in 2000 after spending only five months as an associate. He had scored 178 out of 180 on the LSAT and attended Columbia Law School before joining the law firm, but he…

Oct 29, 2019 5:23 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Indiana AG defends his law license; Secret Service asked rapper Eminem about lyrics

Indiana AG testifies his touching at party wasn’t ‘lewd’ Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill testified last week in an ethics hearing that he is “a fun guy” who likely made physical contact with women at a bar in March 2018. But none of the touching was done “in a lewd…

Oct 28, 2019 4:28 PM CDT

Lawyer urges full 11th Circuit to release grand jury records of unsolved 1946 lynching

A historian who researched the 1946 lynching of two black couples in Georgia is no longer alive to pursue his quest for grand jury records in the case. But a lawyer for his widow continued the fight in arguments before an en banc federal appeals court Tuesday.

Oct 24, 2019 10:36 AM CDT

If you could create a spell to use in your law practice, what would it be?

In your legal career, whether it’s spanned decades or you’re fresh out of law school, you may have heard once or twice from clients, judges and even law professors to “work your magic.” With Halloween being just around the corner, now’s the perfect time to flex your creative muscles and…

Oct 23, 2019 9:31 AM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Legal words flummox child murder defendant; judge nixes ‘The Godfather Part II’ clip

News Roundup

Oct 22, 2019 3:55 PM CDT

Panama Papers law firm sues Netflix for libel over portrayal in Meryl Streep film

Updated: The hacked Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca and its two name partners have sued Netflix for libel over their portrayal in the film The Laundromat. The lawsuit claims the film wrongly portrayed lawyers Jürgen Mossack and Ramón Fonseca “as ruthless uncaring lawyers who are involved in money laundering, tax…

Oct 17, 2019 12:25 PM CDT

‘Parks and Recreation’ reminds us how important court reporters are to the legal system

Court stenographers, or “court reporters” as they are commonly referred to, are often left overshadowed and underappreciated. But proper and reliable conclusions to controversies would not be possible without their invaluable work, says lawyer Adam Banner.

Oct 16, 2019 6:30 AM CDT

Venture capital firm sues its former general counsel, once a child actress on ‘The Wonder Years’

A lawyer who portrayed Becky Slater on The Wonder Years, a TV show than ran from 1988 to 1993, is facing a lawsuit of more than $1 million stemming from her work as a general counsel for a venture capital firm.

Oct 8, 2019 10:23 AM CDT