Law in Popular Culture

Honors Grad Working as Doc Reviewer Sues Law School, Says She Was Misled by US News Stats

A woman who says she graduated with honors from Thomas Jefferson School of Law in 2008 and passed the California bar exam but cannot find a decent legal job has sued the institution, contending that she was tricked into attending by employment statistics TJSL provided for the annual U.S. News…

May 27, 2011 10:38 PM CDT

Around the Blawgosphere: Seeking Fictional Lawyers; UK Blawgs Soar; Strauss-Kahn and Hotel Security

Fictional Lawyer Smackdown Above the Law is looking for nominees as it attempts to create a March Madness-style bracket of 32 fictional lawyers, and determine, by process of elimination, who is the greatest fictional lawyer of all time. If you have suggestions, send them to [email protected]. For inspiration, you can…

May 27, 2011 1:41 PM CDT

Vote for the Best Legal Novel of the Year

To honor the 50th anniversary of the publication of To Kill a Mockingbird, the ABA Journal and the University of Alabama School of Law have created the Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction. And you can help pick this year’s winner. Novels by Michael Connelly, John Grisham and Randy Singer…

May 26, 2011 5:35 PM CDT

9th Circuit Cites ‘12 Angry Men,’ Says Holdout Juror Should Not Have Been Dismissed

A federal appeals court based in San Francisco has cited the classic film 12 Angry Men to illustrate why a holdout juror in a murder trial should not have been dismissed for bias. The May 23 opinion (PDF) by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the murder conviction…

May 25, 2011 1:18 PM CDT

Asked About Famous 1961 Speech, Ex-FCC Chair Says TV is No Longer a ‘Vast Wasteland’

A former chairman of the Federal Communications Commission who became a household name after calling television a “vast wasteland” in a 1961 speech says he’s changed his opinion about the medium since then. Speaking at a National Press Club event on the 50th anniversary of his famous remarks, Sidley Austin…

May 12, 2011 6:06 PM CDT

Signed 1st Edition of Beloved Trial Novel, ‘To Kill a Mockingbird,’ Sells for $25K

A signed first edition of a famous trial novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, has reportedly sold for $25,000. Author Harper Lee’s reclusive reputation added to the value of the rare 1960 book, which may be the most expensive copy of the novel ever sold, according to the Jacket Copy blog…

May 9, 2011 9:26 PM CDT

Felony Franks Sign Doesn’t Cut the Mustard, Chicago Says; Owner of Misdemeanor Wiener Provider Sues

Tired of what he describes as unreasonable ongoing delay by the city of Chicago and a local alderman in approving a sign for his restaurant, the owner of Felony Franks has filed a federal lawsuit. Customers deserve a chance to buy a “misdemeanor wiener” at his Near West Side hot…

May 5, 2011 12:31 AM CDT

Attorney Hopes to Publicize Her Law Firm by Dancing with ‘Incredibly Talented’ Ballet Star

It could be embarrassing, a Missouri criminal defense attorney admits. But Jennifer Bukowsky is hoping to gain a higher profile for her law firm by participating in Dancing with Missouri Stars later this week. “In my business, I am the product. I have to seize opportunities to get the word…

May 2, 2011 7:47 PM CDT

New TV Series Will Explore What Happened to Young Lawyer in Grisham’s ‘The Firm’

Remember Mitch McDeere? By the end of attorney John Grisham’s best-selling legal thriller, The Firm, the fictional Harvard Law School graduate, his wife and his prison-escapee brother are hiding out somewhere in the Caribbean after providing the government with evidence to bring down a Tennessee law firm that was actually…

Apr 28, 2011 9:02 PM CDT

Mark Lanier ... Movie Star? Lawyer Plays Himself in Film Based on Antitrust Case

A Houston lawyer is getting positive reviews in a new movie in which he pretty much plays himself. Although based on an actual case, Puncture is “a loose conglomeration of several cases with plenty of Hollywood mixed in,” the trial lawyer tells the Wall Street Journal Law Blog, which links…

Apr 26, 2011 7:44 PM CDT

3 Years of Peeps in Law

To help welcome spring over the last three years, the ABA Journal has invited legal-themed dioramas showcasing the marshmallow candy, Peeps. Each year our staff picks their favorites, then readers vote for theirs, with bragging rights going to the winners. Below are 15 of the more visually appealing dioramas, five…

Apr 22, 2011 7:58 PM CDT

Facebook Posts Lead to Arrests of Suspects in $62K Bank Robbery

It took a tip to authorities to focus attention on two 19-year-old tellers after a March 23 bank robbery in Houston committed by armed, masked suspects. But with the help of incriminating Facebook posts by Estefany Martinez and her boyfriend, four defendants including the pair, another teller at the International…

Apr 22, 2011 6:04 PM CDT

To Expand Client Base, Atlanta Lawyer Joins Singer Toni Braxton’s Family-Oriented Reality Show

An Atlanta attorney appearing in a promotional teaser for a recently launched reality show has already garnered the attention of prospective clients. Antavius M. Weems is raising his profile through his involvement with a reality show centering on Grammy award-winning singer Toni Braxton and her family. Weems, who represented Braxton…

Apr 20, 2011 8:13 PM CDT

Post-Settlement Word War Looms Between Law Firm and Taco Bell, Which Plans Ad Seeking Apology

Although a law firm and Taco Bell Corp. have reached an undisclosed settlement concerning a would-be class action filed over the fast-food chain’s description of some of the items on its menu, a war of words continues. Taco Bell is now planning a new national ad campaign in which it…

Apr 20, 2011 7:24 PM CDT

Graffiti Exhibit in LA Is Magnet for Taggers and Cops; At Least One Famous Street Artist Detained

An exhibit of graffiti at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles is intended to bring public attention to what some view as exciting—albeit illegal in a number of settings—and cutting-edge works. But in a development that museum officials say they anticipated, the exhibit has apparently drawn some of…

Apr 20, 2011 6:35 PM CDT