Law in Popular Culture

Law firms say they want ‘practice ready’ grads—but who are they actually hiring?

Washington & Lee University Law School’s decision to emphasize practical skills in the 3L year and subsequent enrollment surge was called the “biggest legal education story of 2013” by Indiana University law professor Bill Henderson. And “National Jurist named the school’s faculty as among the twenty-five most influential people in…

Jun 21, 2013 1:30 PM CDT

Did Superman have a legal duty to save lives?

Man of Steel spoilers follow: As most readers probably remember from law school, there’s generally no duty to rescue unless a special relationship applies or the Good Samaritan has voluntarily assumed the duty. But that legal rule can create discomfort, as the Superman movie Man of Steel illustrates, attorney and…

Jun 18, 2013 5:30 PM CDT

‘We see you, loser,’ police chief warns on much-liked Facebook page

The chief of police in a small town in Ohio has a big profile on Facebook, thanks to an alternative approach to law enforcement that has won him a fan base roughly five times the size of the population he serves, which numbers about 10,300. Those who do wrong are…

Jun 17, 2013 5:20 PM CDT

Will an easy-to-pronounce name get you a better shot at partnership?

Does your name matter in your career? How about the descriptive words used in court? The answer, apparently, is yes and yes. New York University marketing professor Adam Alter explains in the New Yorker. One of his findings: Lawyers in U.S. law firms with easy-to-pronounce names rise to partnership more…

Jun 17, 2013 10:40 AM CDT

How do you pronounce ‘lawyer’? What about ‘voir dire’? Will your answer make you a ‘redneck’?

Do you say “vorr dyer” or “vwar deer” or some other variant? And does your pronunciation of “lawyer” rhyme with “saw her”? The pronunciation of “lawyer” is part of a trending story on regional differences in pronunciation. Most people pronounce the word “loyer,” according to a map by PhD student…

Jun 11, 2013 11:10 AM CDT

Actress who starred in law firm commercial spoofing faked injuries sues ad agency

An actress who starred in a local law firm commercial spoofing plaintiffs who exaggerate their injuries has sued the producer, claiming it licensed the spot to other law firms without her knowledge. Elena Aroaz says she was initially paid $600 by the ad agency, the Levinson Trachtenberg Group, to appear…

Jun 10, 2013 6:42 PM CDT

Help pick the best legal novel of the year: Vote for one of three Harper Lee Prize finalists

Three clients—a homeless Iraq war veteran, an aging Cuban musician and the troubled son of an assistant district attorney—are the focal points of three novels selected as finalists for the 2013 Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction. The three finalists were announced Tuesday by the ABA Journal and the University…

May 28, 2013 1:45 PM CDT

Sotomayor takes SCOTUS chief justice seat to re-enact famous baseball case

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor got the chance to sit at the center of the bench, normally reserved for Chief Justice John Roberts, this week as she presided over the re-enactment of a case that unsuccessfully challenged the ability of baseball team owners to virtually own their players. The…

May 24, 2013 8:46 PM CDT

Urban Dictionary defines slang for some court cases, but is it accurate?

Confronted with unfamiliar words that aren’t defined either by Webster’s or Black’s dictionaries, some lawyers and judges are turning to a street-slang resource, the Urban Dictionary. It has been used by courts to define terms including “iron” (a handgun), “catfishing” (Internet predators using fabricated identities) and “dap” (the fist-bump alternative…

May 21, 2013 2:10 PM CDT

Plans for ‘Brooklyn DA’ news series bring lawsuit and a defense lawyer’s objection

An election opponent of Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes isn’t happy about an upcoming news series about the DA’s office that will begin airing on May 28. Nor is a lawyer defending a landlord accused of manslaughter in a tenement fire. The six-part CBS series, Brooklyn D.A., offers a look…

May 17, 2013 2:16 PM CDT

‘Swift Justice’ with TV’s Jackie Glass is followed by real-life criminal case

Sued by her own son, a Clark County, Wash., woman seized the opportunity to resolve the debit card civil-theft case by appearing on the CBS television program Swift Justice with Jackie Glass. When Glass scolded Hazel E. Trent for mistreating her son and imposed a $5,000 judgment in an episode…

May 15, 2013 9:39 PM CDT

Law-prof-turned-TV-judge dies at the age of 92; his on-air career began in 1958

Edgar Allan Jones Jr., a UCLA law professor who moonlighted as a television judge, has died at the age of 92. Jones presided over mock television court cases for six years beginning in 1958, the Los Angeles Times reports. His on-air career was launched with a call from a producer…

May 14, 2013 2:05 PM CDT

Celebrities and others tell how the US Constitution affects their daily lives in new PBS series

How does the U.S. Constitution affect our daily lives? That is the question Peter Sagal, host of NPR’s popular show Wait Wait … Don’t Tell Me seeks to answer in Constitution USA, a new PBS series that premieres Tuesday, May 7. Over the course of four episodes, Sagal travels by…

May 2, 2013 8:07 PM CDT

Law school friends score a reality TV show

When Elura Nanos and Michele Sileo wanted to grow their law student tutoring business, they sought assistance from an adviser who suggested that the two self-described “big-mouth lawyers” raise their profile by appearing on television. The longtime friends knew nothing about TV, but that didn’t stop them. After Googling questions…

May 1, 2013 9:40 AM CDT

New video series looks behind the scenes of innovation at inspiring inventors

Electronic “tattoos” laminated onto patients’ forearms to monitor health indicators, three-dimensional “printers” that use computer-aided design to sculpt items from layers of powder and glue, and bionic exoskeletons that enable paraplegics to walk with crutches are among the inventions profiled in the new Science of Innovation video series at the…

May 1, 2013 9:20 AM CDT