Lawyers and the Legal Profession in Popular Culture

6. David E. Kelley. Ally McBeal • A popular television series which depicted the young female title character and her role as a young associate in a Boston law firm. One of several projects developed by David Kelley. This series take a more lighthearted look at the legal profession.

7. Barry Levinson and Valerie Curtin.

And Justice For All

• A 1979 film starring Al Pacino as an increasingly disillusioned and cynical defense attorney who struggles with his obligation to represent an esteemed judge accused of sexual abuse. A bleak and cynical presentation of lawyers and the legal profession. 8. Barry Reed. The Verdict • A 1982 film starring Paul Newman as an alcoholic personal injury lawyer who takes on a case involving medical malpractice. With a script by the renowned playwright David Mamet, this movie has the familiar David v. Goliath theme often associated with these types of stories. 9. Dick Wolf. Law and Order • This long-running series introduced the American public to a stable of attorneys engaged in the practice of criminal prosecution in New York City with Sam Waterston’s Jack McCoy at the heart of this series. Wolf spun off two other series focusing on other elements of the criminal justice system. 10. Harper Lee. To Kill a Mockingbird • Generations of Americans have grown to admire the fictional attorney Atticus Finch for his noble and heroic defense of a Black man accused of raping a White woman. Gregory Peck brought Atticus Finch to life. Additionally, nearly every American middle or high school student reads this novel for a class. 11. Erle Stanley Gardner. Perry Mason • Gardner’s criminal defense attorney not only had a decade-long run as a television series starring Raymond Burr in the title character but is additionally a character in over 80 novels and short stories.

12. William Landay. Defending Jacob • A 2012 novel by Landay that Apple TV+ developed into a miniseries. The Jacob of the title is a teenage boy who is the son of the local assistant district attorney. Jacob finds himself a suspect who is put on trial for the murder of a bullying classmate. A compelling story which addresses familial dynamics as well as the process for preparing a trial for both the prosecution and defense.

Though this review has been brief and likely idiosyncratic, it does support the contention that lawyers and the law remain a rich vein of storytelling for subjects that stretch far beyond the

realm of the law itself.

Other Great Movies – Old and New –Dealing with the Law:

My Cousin Vinny 12 Angry Men On the Basis of Sex Lincoln Lawyer Bridge of Spies Runaway Jury Marshall Liar, Liar Denial Just Mercy The Judge The Trial of the Chicago 7 Primal Fear The Accused Philadelphia Anatomy of a Murder A Cry in the Dark Judgment at Nuremberg Inherit the Wind Witness for the Prosecution Let Him Have It Fracture Erin Brockovich Absence of Malice Michael Clayton

Law by the Numbers

Here is a snapshot of the legal profession according to the 2020 ABA Legal Profession Report.

As of January 1, 2020, there were 1,328,692 active lawyers in the United States. The median age for attorneys in 2019 was 47.5 years – five years older than the median age for all U.S. workers. One-fourth of all attorneys were between the ages of 35-44. Cumulative debt for law school graduates was $145,500. The average salary for attorneys is $145,300. Since 1999 attorney salaries have risen 61 percent.

• In 2020, 63% of attorneys were male and 37% were female. • 14.1% of attorneys were people of color in 2020 – a growth of three percent since 2010. m 5.0% African American and Hispanic attorneys m 2.0% Asian American m 0.4% Native American m 2.0% identified as Multiracial

25% of attorneys of color were associates and nearly 10% were partners in law firms. 4.0 percent of LGBT attorneys are associates and slightly over 2.0% of LGBT attorneys were partners in firms. 0.6% of attorneys with disabilities were associates and over .04% were partners in firms.

Kansas has 8045 attorneys with 2.8 attorneys per 1000, ranking 32nd out of the 50 states. New York has the highest percentage of attorneys at 9.5 per 1000, while South Carolina, Arkansas and Arizona have the fewest at 2.1 per 1000. Florida had the highest increase in attorneys since 2010, with 26% growth. In Kansas, Johnson, Sedgwick and Shawnee counties had the most attorneys, while nine Kansas counties had only one attorney listed. According to this report, Topeka ranks in the top 20 of metro areas in terms of demand for attorneys.

40% of White attorneys work in law firms. 28% of African American and 25% of Hispanic attorneys tend to work for the government. 22% of Native American attorneys work in the tribal sector. 21% of Asian American attorneys work as in-house counsel for businesses.

Though popular perception might conclude there are too many attorneys, the data sug-