As teaching faculty in law school, I often use references to movies in my class. I have a huge appreciation for the things the movie can teach us. At times a good movie can teach you to lot more than the lecture in law school. Though most of the movie's reflection of court procedure, proceedings and technicalities are far from the real court proceeding, they do help us in understanding justice system and other aspect associated with it. I do not argue that 'movies' should be primary learning reference but movies definitely can teach you a lot.
I have often been asked about the movies I'd personally recommend for law students or anyone in the legal field and I tend to name few movies that strike my mind at that point. I have decided to list out my recommended movies for law students along with its short description (available in imdb.com) of the movie. The trailer of the movies is also included as this will give the general idea of if you want to watch the movie.
I have listed 26 movies that I have seen. I am sure that I have missed out on other movies. The list of movies is based on my choice of movies and my idea of its relevance to law students. The list is arranged in alphabetical order.
Please feel free to add your favorite movie to the list and do let me know about the movies I have missed out.
i. 12 Angry Men
A jury holdout attempts to prevent a miscarriage of justice by forcing his colleagues to reconsider the evidence.
ii. Anatomy of a Murder
In a murder trial, the defendant says he suffered temporary insanity after the victim raped his wife. What is the truth, and will he win his case?
iii. Class Action
Jed Ward is an attorney who specializes in whistleblower, David vs. Goliath, type cases. He finds a client who is suing an auto company over a safety problem that has had a severe effect on his life after the accident. He must replace the current attorney and be ready for trial quickly, and then he finds that the defense attorney will be his estranged daughter.
iv. Disclosure
A computer specialist is sued for sexual harassment by a former lover turned boss who initiated the act forcefully, which threatens both his career and his personal life.
v. Erin Brockovich
An unemployed single mother becomes a legal assistant and almost single-handedly brings down a California power company accused of polluting a city's water supply.
vi. Find me Guilty
Based on the true story of Jack DiNorscio, a mobster who defended himself in court for what would be the longest mafia trial in U.S. history.
vii. Fracture
An attorney, intent on climbing the career ladder toward success, finds an unlikely opponent in a manipulative criminal he is trying to prosecute.
viii. In the Name of the father
A man's coerced confession to an IRA bombing he did not commit results in the imprisonment of his father as well. An English lawyer fights to free them.
ix. Jolly LL.B
A small time lawyer files a PIL in court against his own idols case.
x. Judgment at Nuremberg
In 1948, an American court in occupied Germany tries four Nazi judges for war crimes.
xi. Law Abiding Citizen
A frustrated man decides to take justice into his own hands after a plea bargain sets one of his family's killers free. He targets not only the killer but also the district attorney and others involved in the deal.
xii. Michael Clayton
A law firm brings in its "fixer" to remedy the situation after a lawyer has a breakdown while representing a chemical company that he knows is guilty in a multi-billion dollar class action suit.
xiii. My cousin Vinny
Two New Yorkers are accused of murder in rural Alabama while on their way back to college, and one of their cousins--an inexperienced, loudmouth lawyer not accustomed to Southern rules and manners--comes in to defend them.
xiv. No One killed Jessica
A journalist, who is more of an activist team up with the sister of a murdered model, as she gets interested in the case and wants to bring justice to her case.
xv. North Country
A fictionalized account of the first major successful sexual harassment case in the United States -- Jenson vs. Eveleth Mines, where a woman who endured a range of abuse while working as a miner filed and won the landmark 1984 lawsuit.
xvi. Philadelphia
When a man with AIDS is fired by his law firm because of his condition, he hires a homophobic small time lawyer as the only willing advocate for a wrongful dismissal suit.
xvii. Pink
When three young women are implicated in a crime; a retired lawyer steps forward to help them clear their names.
xviii. Provoked: A True Story
It's the true story of a Punjabi woman named Kiranjit Ahluwalia who leaves India to marry a London-based guy, only to be badly abused. She ends up in prison for murdering her abusive husband.
xix. Shahid
The account of Human Rights lawyer Shahid Azmi, an ordinary citizen with an extraordinary commitment to justice.
xx. Talvar
An experienced investigator confronts several conflicting theories about the perpetrators of a violent double homicide.
xxi. The Insider
A research chemist comes under personal and professional attack when he decides to appear in a "60 Minutes" expose on Big Tobacco.
xxii. The Pelican Brief
A law student uncovers a conspiracy, putting herself and others in danger.
xxiii. The People vs. Larry Flynt
A partially idealized film of the controversial pornography publisher and how he became a defender of free speech for all people.
xxiv. The Rainmaker
An underdog lawyer takes on a fraudulent Insurance company.
xxv. The verdict
A lawyer sees the chance to salvage his career and self-respect by taking a medical malpractice case to trial rather than settling.
xxvi. To kill a mockingbird
Atticus Finch, a lawyer in the Depression-era South, defends a black man against an undeserved rape charge, and his children against prejudice.
A good movie can teach you more than same duration lecture.
Enjoy the movies :)
