Movie Therapy for Law Students (And Pre-Law, Paralegal, and Related Majors)

      Movies Included:  12 Angry Men, Absence of Malice, The Accused, Adam’s Rib, Anatomy of a Murder, And Justice for All, A Civil Action, Class Action, Erin Brockovich, Find Me Guilty, The Firm, Flash of Genius, The Fortune Cookie, Fracture, Guilty as Sin, The Hurricane, Inherit the Wind, Jagged Edge, Legally Blonde, Liar Liar, Michael Clayton, My Cousin Vinny, Night Falls on Manhattan, North Country, Paper Chase, Philadelphia, Presumed Innocent, Reversal of Fortune, Reversible Errors, Silkwood, Suspect, A Time to Kill, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Verdict, Wall Street, and Young Mr. Lincoln     

Movie Therapy for Law Students involves putting your legal brains to work on some great movies while enjoying some quality time for yourself during the intense three years that you are a law student.  With legal issues being the focal point, you can read this book in conjunction with your movie time and feel no remorse for watching movies when you really should have been reading your torts textbook. 

The book may also be a good read during your short break between law school graduation and studying for the bar exam.  To give you a head start on the laborious process of studying for final exams and bar exams, I have included certain material that is tested on the multi-state bar exam, some state essay exams, and other law-related tests.  I have also included dozens of exam tips throughout the material, which I have marked:    Exam Tips.  

In presenting some of the legal questions that these movies raise, I am attempting to elicit thought from you; answers are not necessarily provided in this book, but may be provided in the cited references or the movies themselves.  I have provided relevant statutory material, rules, case law, and other resources to guide you in the thought process.  The geographic settings spread the country and the temporal settings range from the 1930s to modern day, encompassing over 75 years of legal changes throughout the nation.  For ease of discussion and reference, I have tried to use current federal and/or uniform rules and codes, and I encourage you to view the corresponding law in whatever state you plan to sit for the bar exam and/or practice, keeping in mind that the law in your jurisdiction could be changing as you read this.  Also, many of these movies are based on actual cases that you may want to read as part of your studies.  I have cited sources for additional information about some of the real life stories. 

I have placed the movies in chronological order, according to their release.  Watch how images and dynamics of gender and race begin to shift.  Notice how the faces of the juries, judges, and lawyers become more diverse as the country evolves, both theatrically and socially.

WARNING:  It is assumed you have already seen each movie as you read beyond this point.  Verdicts and endings of whodunits may be revealed!

Sample Exam Tip: An exam study tip that can be helpful for intensive memorizing is the use of a handheld mini-tape recorder. Read into the recorder the portions of your notes that you are struggling to remember, and play it back several times.