As you may have noticed, we’re active on most social media channels, which gives certain sections of the general public in the UK a chance to tell us how they really feel about Personal Injury Lawyers– particularly in the comments under our Facebook Adverts, where we’ve been likened to drug pushers, pimps and all kinds of creepy crawly insects.
See the comments under our ads for...
...for some examples. Be prepared for some occasional bad language!
We are are often accused of being greedy, cold hearted, loop-hole exploiting opportunists. The reality is very different of course, however, when it comes to TV lawyers, they're all too often guilty as charged!
Which leads us to a discussion we were just having in the office; “Who is the worst TV Lawyer we can think of… and who’s the best?”
Here, (in no particular order), are our nominations…
1 - Lionel Hutz (The Simpsons)
TV lawyers are especially, over-the-top, comedic when in animated form. Lionel Hutz from The Simpsons is no exeption and his infamous oh so memorable quotes are voiced by Phil Hartman:
“Mr Simpson, this is the greatest case of false advertising I've seen since I sued the movie The Never Ending Story."
Lionel Hutz: "Judge, I call for one of those.. bad trial thingies"
Judge: "You mean a mistrial?"
Lionel Hutz: "Yeah, yeah. That's why you're the judge and I'm the... law... talkin... guy"
2 - Saul Goodman (Breaking Bad)
The light relief in the dark, phenomenon that is Breaking Bad comes from greedy, Saul Goodman. His cheesy series of TV and printed adverts within the show are all tagged with the slogan “better call Saul”. Oozing with little class, his office in a shopping precinct boasts an inflatable Statue of Liberty and his white Cadillac has the personalised plate "LWYR UP". Fearless in his 'trash talk' in the face of law enforcement agents, he is summized best by Walt's partner-in-crime, Jesse Pinkman: "We don't need a criminal lawyer, we need a criminal lawyer."
3 - Larry Paul (Ally McBeal)
At my girlfriend's insistence I have to include Ally McBeal's lawyer turned love interest Larry Paul (played by Robert Downing Jr in series 4). Ally herself is perhaps the lawyer you’d least want to represent you as surely someone who sees dancing babies should not be in a court room!
4 - Anna Forbes (This Life)
For every Ally McBeal there is an Anna Forbes, brilliantly brought to life by (and earning a Best Actress BAFTA for) Daniela Nardini. Anna is the inspiration to one of my colleague's chosen career path as a lawyer! With gutsy, career focused tenacity and the sharpest of tongues, the often self-destructing, Scot usually had a cigarette in one hand and a large red wine in the other (the last two traits are nothing like my colleague).
5 - Alicia Florrick (The Good Wife)
The Good Wife has been described by many critics as a post-feminist legal drama. Lawyer-turned-stay-at-home-mother-turned-lawyer-again Alicia Florrick is a politician’s wife who has to transform herself into a career woman when a scandal surrounding her husband turns her life upside down. The show's female characters are fantastic: nuanced, complex, with a dark side seldom shown in action-focused legal dramas.
6 - Joséphine Karlsson (Engrenages/Spiral)
Engrenages (broadcast in the UK under the title Spiral) is a French television police drama which started in 2005 and is now on series 5, with a sixth scheduled for 2014 and features a clever, beautiful and highly cynical young lawyer, Joséphine Karlsson, who is extremely ambitious and always looking for cases that will earn her a maximum of fame and money. She is happy to defend monsters and does not hesitate to cross or double-cross to get what she wants.
7 - Maurice Levy/Rhonda Pealman (The Wire)
Back to the US and we have to mention The Wire, giving us two very different lawyers; Maurice Levy, possibly the most odious TV lawyer ever, Levy is corrupt and unscrupulous, defending drug dealers, murderers and assorted lowlifes (most of whom he knows are guilty) and Rhonda Pearlman the pretty, pragmatic, perennially put-upon prosecutor. Here she offers him a deal she thinks he can’t refuse.
8 - Denny Crane (Boston Legal)
My personal favourite is Denny Crane from Boston Legal, who knew William Shatner would come back in such a manner?
“Alan, c’mon, we hate all our clients. It’s good to hate, allows us to overcharge and still sleep at night.”
Get more Denny Crane quotes here
Denny is pompous, officious, self-centered yet still eminently likeable. All bound together with the friendship between him and law partner, Alan Shore (James Spader), which sees almost every episode of Boston Legal ending with the two of them sitting on the law-firm's balcony discussing the events of the day, sharing a cigar and glass of Scotch.
9 - Perry Mason (Perry Mason)
And what list of TV lawyers would be complete without mentioning Perry Mason, the grandfather of all TV lawyers. A common myth being he never lost a case, although my sources assure me this is untrue (as it ran from 1957 to 1966 I have to take their word for it)! Apparently he lost 3 cases, The Case of the Witless Witness, The Case of the Deadly Verdict and The Case of the Terrified Typist (although the last one was reversed on appeal).
10 - Lilah Morgan (Angel)
Because there just aren’t enough vampire lawyer shows out there - Lilah Morgan from evil lawfirm, Wolfram & Hart in the Buffy spin off, Angel. See some of her best... or worst bits here http://youtu.be/oXlRcQxAKVI
There are, of course, many more and I’ve hardly scraped the surface. These are in no particular order, just some personal favourites and ones suggested by those around me while I was writing this post. But what do I know?
I want to know yours? Please comment on the blog below or on our facebook page and tell me who your favourite TV lawyers are and why?
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