6 Films for Law Students – A Must Watch

Law students, while learning about laws and practicing their skills, also need some downtime to chill. As sometimes, reading lengthy books can be tedious. So turn off the lights, microwave some popcorn, and start watching some law and courtroom drama. 

On the Basis of Sex

On the Basis of Sex is an American biographical legal drama based on the life and early cases of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. The movie’s central focus is on the early part of her career, emphasizing her Harvard law school years and her struggles for equal rights. The movie, which writer Daniel Stiepleman explains as “a young lawyer who is trying to find her voice,” can really be a good watch for the students.  

To Kill A Mockingbird

It was released in 1962, and it is the best courtroom drama ever. It is based on the Harper Lee’s novel, which was published in 1960 and was instantly successful. The plot revolves around Atticus Finch, a lawyer in Maycomb, which is a racially divided town of Alabama. The Finch takes up the case to defend Tom Robinson, a young black man who is accused of raping a white woman. The town’s people try all means to make Finch walk out of the case, and even his children were attacked.

Aspiring lawyers should be brave enough to stand against the majority in order to bring justice to the world and ensure that truth and justice prevail. 

Into the Abyss

It is a documentary film directed by Warner Herzog, which is an exploration of a triple homicide case in Conroe, Texas. Two men under the influence of drugs and alcohol, murdered a woman, his step-son and his friend. The film features conversation between two inmates and the victim’s families. Unlike many other films that deal with crimes, this movie does not deal with figuring out what exactly happened, but rather finding out why people?

12 Angry Men

Released in 1957, this is an American courtroom drama, starring Henry Fonda as the dissenting juror in a murder trial attempts to prevent the fate of an 18-year-old young boy, by convincing the 12 jury member to reconsider the evidence. This film wasn’t shot in a courtroom with a judge or a defendant, but entirely shot in one room. The film is a good reminder that jurors are human too and have their own experiences that can impact the way they view the case. In a seemingly obvious murder trial, a juror begins to ask some real questions. This is a classic watch for anybody.

The Verdict

The Verdict is about Frank Galvin, a promising graduate of Boston College Law School who joins an elite law firm in Boston. However, his fate changed when he was used as a scapegoat by his crooked senior partner because he was about to expose the firm’s corrupt practices. 

Due to this, Galvin becomes an alcoholic, but when his friend, Mickey, sends him a medical malpractice case, which he accepts due to his own situation but discovers along the way that he is doing the right thing.

And Justice For All 

A 1979 courtroom drama, is about the life and times of Arthur Kirkland, a defense attorney in Baltimore.

Arthur represents two clients, who are innocent, but due to corrupt legal system, are accused of crimes they never committed. It leads to a situation wherein Arthur is asked to defend Fleming for a crime which Fleming is guilty of committing. The movie revolves around how Arthur fights this case.

As a lawyer, there may arrive a situation where you may doubt the entire legal system. This is a must-watch for law aspirants. There’s a courtroom scene in the film wherein Pacino shouts, – “You’re out of order! You’re out of order! The whole trial is out of order! They’re out of order”.

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