Law in Popular Culture

Do you think apprenticeships are an acceptable substitute for law school?

In a recent Vogue story, media personality and socialite Kim Kardashian West said she has hopes of following in President Abraham Lincoln’s footsteps by not attending law school and becoming a lawyer through “reading the law.” “Took my first test, I got a 100. Super easy for me. The reading…

Apr 17, 2019 1:43 PM CDT

Kim Kardashian West wants to skip law school and become a lawyer this way

Media personality and socialite Kim Kardashian West hopes to follow in the footsteps of President Abraham Lincoln by skipping law school and becoming a lawyer through “reading the law.” West recently told Vogue about her plans, spurred by a meeting with President Donald Trump. She had urged Trump to commute…

Apr 15, 2019 7:45 AM CDT

36-count indictment accuses lawyer Avenatti of stealing from clients; max sentence could be 335 years

Attorney Michael Avenatti has been charged with stealing millions of dollars from five clients in a 36-count indictment that also accuses him of perjury, failure to pay income taxes and bank fraud. The indictment alleges that Avenatti kept settlement money that was due to clients, including a former inmate who…

Apr 11, 2019 12:20 PM CDT

What ‘Hamilton’ can teach attorneys about business development

Lawyer David H. Freeman interprets some of the lyrics from the Hamilton soundtrack in ways that apply as much to lawyers seeking to build a practice as they do to the Founding Fathers looking to build a new nation.

Apr 4, 2019 6:30 AM CDT

Brewer makes limited-edition beer dedicated to this Supreme Court justice

Brewer Samuel Adams has released a limited-edition beer dedicated to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. The beer was to be released Friday at the brewer’s Boston taproom, report USA Today, CNBC, Boston.com and Food & Wine. The beer is called “When There Are Nine.” It is a reference…

Apr 2, 2019 7:30 AM CDT

Take a note from how Bob Dylan cleverly retrofits traditional melodies to craft a story

For me, the most important law songs, the ones that are closest to my heart, are often not about lawyers at all but instead about themes of justice and injustice. The most remarkable of these songs are by our two greatest folk poets: Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan.

Apr 1, 2019 1:30 AM CDT

Have we been pronouncing ‘gerrymandering’ wrong? This man’s descendants think so

Updated: As the U.S. Supreme Court considered the constitutionality of partisan gerrymandering Tuesday, another question lurked beneath the surface. Is gerrymandering pronounced with a soft or hard letter “g”? Gerrymandering was coined from a political cartoon published in 1812. The cartoon bashed Massachusetts Gov. Elbridge Gerry for signing a bill…

Mar 28, 2019 2:01 PM CDT

‘Leaving Neverland’ shows sex abuse allegations are often a war of words

Very rarely do we see instances of reported child abuse committed at the hands of strangers. Most parents won’t leave their child with a total stranger. But some parents, apparently, will leave their child with a pop superstar if he asks.

Mar 28, 2019 7:00 AM CDT

Book chronicles how coach Pat Summitt supported teen’s Title IX quest to shoot baskets

In the 1970s, Tennessee was among about a half-dozen states that restricted the way high school girls could play basketball. Instead of playing “five-on-five” basketball, girls played on six-player teams in which the three players in the forward position stayed on half the court, and the three guards stayed on…

Mar 20, 2019 1:41 PM CDT

Biography of Chief Justice Roberts views him as an enigma

U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. has sided with conservatives in important Supreme Court opinions on campaign finance, gun rights and the Voting Rights Act. But his vote to uphold the Obama administration’s health care law has proved a sore point for some. On the one hand,…

Mar 20, 2019 7:00 AM CDT

The RBG experiment: Would Twitter conspiracy theorists admit Ginsburg was alive?

Conspiracy theorists had a field day when Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg missed oral arguments in January as she recovered from surgery for lung cancer. Some proclaimed Ginsburg was in a medically induced coma. Others said she had died but it was being hidden from the American people. SCOTUSblog decided to…

Mar 18, 2019 12:45 PM CDT

Upcoming Sandra Day O’Connor biography reveals her opinion on Alito, outreach to Thomas

Retired Justice Sandra Day O’Connor privately commented that her replacement was dismantling her legacy, according to a new O’Connor biography scheduled for release on March 19. O’Connor, known as a swing justice, believed that conservative Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. had betrayed her accomplishments, according to biographer Evan Thomas. The…

Mar 15, 2019 4:00 PM CDT

‘Proven Innocent’ proves stale but prompts a discussion about lawyers with criminal histories

I previously wrote about how and why Marvel’s Daredevil isn’t a good role model for defense attorneys. To my surprise, I received quite a bit of backlash. The majority of complaints and negative comments circled around the fact that Daredevil, as a comic book character, isn’t meant to be a “role model” for attorneys. Many readers took offense to my use of a comic book character to equate the real-life tensions and contradictions defense attorneys face.

Mar 14, 2019 8:58 AM CDT

ABA announces 2019 Silver Gavel Awards finalists

The ABA has announced 19 finalists for the 2019 Silver Gavel Awards for Media and the Arts, which recognize outstanding work that fosters the public’s understanding of law and the legal system.

Mar 13, 2019 11:00 AM CDT

BigLaw co-chair charged in college cheating scandal; wiretapped calls are evidence

Updated: Gordon Caplan, co-chairman of Willkie Farr & Gallagher in its New York City office, is among 50 people charged in an alleged bribery scheme to gain students’ admission into top universities.

Mar 12, 2019 2:25 PM CDT