EXPLAIN IT TO ME LIKE I'M A FOUR-YEAR OLD: The ABA Journal wants your vote on its list of
The 25 Greatest Fictional Lawyers Who Are Not Atticus Finch. [Among those not even on the Also Receiving Consideration list: Lionel Hutz, Elle Woods, Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer and Dan Fielding.]
Alejandro "Sandy" Stern- on paper he's good; as portrayed by Raul Julia he was THE MAN.
ReplyDeleteI voted for Stern. Although I didn't care for "The Burden of Proof," the Stern of Presumed Innocent is just awesome, the Stern of Innocent is still great, and the Stern that pops up in some of the other Kindle County books (I won't name them because it's a surprise in at least one case) is terrific. And, as Kevbo says, Raul Julia's Stern was just amazing (even though Turow says Julia's stature was nothing like what he had in mind). This is the one reason I kind of hope they do not make a movie of Innocent -- I can't imagine who could do as good a job.
ReplyDeleteVinny Gambini, with Henry Drummond as a runner-up.
ReplyDeleteWhere the hell is Tom Hagen? You're telling me that walking malpractice suit Ally McBeal is a better lawyer than Hagen?
ReplyDeleteAnd Maurice Levy?
Without even looking at the list, just the fact that Elle Woods was left off lets me know that this list is likely littered with David E. Kelley lawyers and that annoys me. Seeing GoldnI's comment that Vincent LaGuardia Gambini/Jerry Gallo/Callo isn't on the list adds fuel to my fire.
ReplyDeleteNow I'll go check it out and see how annoyed I am.
Not nearly as bad as I was afraid. Just goes to show I should read first, expound later.
ReplyDeleteDan Fielding gave my father a life motto which he duly passed on to me: "Suck up or die." This list is irrelevant if he is omitted.
ReplyDeleteThat was still me. I just cannot remember to change the handle.
ReplyDeleteBing, good call.
ReplyDeleteC'mon, ABA, no sense of humor? No Dan Fielding? No Caveman Lawyer? NO SINGLE FEMALE LAWYER?
ReplyDelete<span>Single Female Lawyer,
Fighting for her client,
Wearing sexy miniskirts,
And being self-reliant.
[break]
Single Female Lawyer,
Having lots of sex—</span>
(Though it warms my heart to see that Vinny Gambini is winning in a rout so far.)
I would have voted for Eugene from The Practice.
ReplyDeleteNo Saul Goodman?!?! For shame!
ReplyDeleteEasily the only lawyer on The Practice that I'd consider hiring.
ReplyDelete(I mean, I guess Helen was ok too, if you don't care about ethics or lunch breaks.)
ReplyDeleteIf I didn't care about ethics, I'd hire the Alan Shore of the final season of The Practice, who was a fascinating study of a man who'd made ethical compromises in the name of money and was entirely comfortable with having done so. (Sadly, on Boston Legal, the character became far less interesting and nuanced.)
ReplyDeleteBob Loblaw, but I suspect that's not the definition of "Great" the ABA Journal has in mind.
ReplyDeleteWell, I suppose if they want to nominate the layer with the best law blog...<span> </span>
ReplyDeleteNot to beat a decapitated horse, but again, if I didn't care about ethics, I wouldn't even start thinking about anybody from the Practice until I'd talked to Tom Hagen.
ReplyDeletewhat about "the lawyer," from It's always sunny?
ReplyDeletehttp://www.hulu.com/watch/108483/its-always-sunny-in-philadelphia-seeking-legal-advice
Brian Unger does such excellent deadpan.
Matt, Isaac, and Adam are all assuming, I think, that in this hypothetical world one doesn't necessarily get to sleep with one's attorney.
ReplyDeleteIt's like y'all read my mind. Eugene was definitely the best of the lawyerly bunch there.
ReplyDeleteNow, with Russ's proviso, I'd have to give Bobby Donnell a thought.
I'd sleep with Tom Hagen before I'd sleep with Ally McBeal, particularly if the alternative is sleeping with the fishes.
ReplyDeleteI said Helen, not Ally. Although I'd go for Flockhart over Duvall if forced to choose.
ReplyDeleteRon Silver as Alan Dershowitz in Reversal of Fortune? Denzel Washington repping Tom Hanks in Philadelphia (as your webhead suggests)? Reese Witherspoon as Elle Woods in Legally Blonde? Susan Sarandon in The Client?
ReplyDeleteA couple of others missing, thanks to the folks at Fark:
ReplyDeleteJennifer Jones/She Hulk
Jackie Chiles
Harvey Birdman
Matt Fraking Murdock/Daredevil
But I agree that Ally McBeal is a walking malpractice suit. In outfits real lawyers wouldn't be caught dead in.
ReplyDeleteNo Samuel T Cogley, who defended Captain Kirk in "Court Martial" -- an episode whose most ridiculous science fiction trope was that lawyers in the future would rely too heavily on computer databases. I mean, yeah right.
ReplyDelete