Eisen Law Firm Recommendations

With so many stories about lawyers, we’ve rounded up some of our favorites to share. While they may not be true to life, they still offer some great entertainment, as well as a reminder of how justice and law are inextricably linked.

Television Shows

• LA Law: The show that led us to stop whatever we were doing every Thursday at 10, this show takes us inside McKenzie, Brackman, Chaney and Kuzak, a fancy LA law firm. Over the course of its eight seasons, the show featured many episodes that addressed real-life issues such as capital punishment, racism, sexual harassment, and domestic violence, along with plenty of intra-office drama.
• Jury Duty: This mockumentary-style reality sitcom depicts every aspect of a jury trial, from jury selection to presentation of evidence, to deliberations. Every character is an actor, except for one juror, who has no idea that what’s happening is staged. A hilarious take on one of the pillars of our legal system.
• How to Get Away with Murder: When it comes to getting away with murder, who knows better than a defense attorney? Analise Keating (played by Viola Davis) and the five students under her wing find themselves in some truly compromising situations in this legal drama that is filled with twists and turns.
• Law and Order: The first half of each episode is dedicated to “the police who investigate crimes,” while the second focuses on “the district attorneys who prosecute them.” With stories that sometimes mirror actual headlines (despite the disclaimer), the show is decidedly biased toward prosecutors, about whom Dick Wolf, the creator and executive producer has said, “I believed the heroes weren’t the defense attorneys who were getting these scumbags off, the heroes were the prosecutors.” If you’ve never seen an episode of L&O, you probably don’t own a t.v.
• Better Call Saul: This spin-off of and prequel to Breaking Bad focuses on the transformation of Jimmy McGill, a con artist with initial hopes to become a reputable lawyer, into Saul Goodman, a colorful and unethical defense lawyer who specializes in defending some even more questionable and unethical clients.
• The Lincoln Lawyer: Based on Michael Connelly’s books (which have also been adapted into a movie with the same title), this legal drama follows defense attorney Mickey Haller when he takes over for an old acquaintance who has been murdered. Mickey travels throughout LA, working on his cases in the back of his Lincoln as he tries to re-establish his career, which had gone off the rails after he became hooked on painkillers.

Books

• Anything by John Grisham: The Firm and Pelican Brief put this prolific author on the map, but it might be his first novel, A Time to Kill, that showcases Grisham’s ability to tell a story that reveals the complexities of the legal system. When a distraught father takes justice into his own hands, he finds himself with Jake Brigance as his defense attorney. A former lawyer himself, Grisham uses suspense and detail to present Jake’s uphill battle to acquit his client. (fiction)
• Mine!: How the Hidden Rules of Ownership Control Our Lives by Michael A. Heller and James Salzman (2021): Sometimes ownership is clear. But often, it’s quite complicated. If you and a friend are talking, who owns the idea you came up with together? Who is allowed to use an image shared on social media? The authors, two law professors, explore the rules that dictate who owns what, and how it is we come to own something. (nonfiction)
• To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (1960): While currently mired in controversy about whether this novel is appropriate to teach in school, Harper Lee’s story about the fictional southern town of Maycomb County, as it grapples with race and class prejudice, is remarkable. Atticus Finch’s defense of Tom Robinson, who is falsely accused of rape, is riveting. (fiction)
• Gideon’s Trumpet by Anthony Lewis (1964): When Clarence Earl Gideon was arrested for theft, he couldn’t afford a lawyer to defend him. Forced to represent himself, Gideon ended up imprisoned. From there, he worked relentlessly to have his case reviewed. Ultimately, he was assigned a lawyer, Abe Fortas, who used Gideon’s case to argue in front of the Supreme Court. In the landmark decision in Gideon v. Wainwright, the Court held that indigent criminal defendants have the right to an appointed attorney. (nonfiction)
• One L by Scott Turow (2010): Another prolific author, this particular book by Turow describes his first year at Harvard Law School. The story resonated with Brian, who experienced some of the same trials and tribulations in his first year at Harvard Law School, though with much less drama! (nonfiction)
• A Civil Action by Jonathan Harr (1995): This book details a crusade by Jan Schlichtmann, who represented families affected by leukemia that was caused by trichloroethylene (TCE) contamination in the town’s drinking water.  The power the determination of the people and their lawyer butt up against the greed and the power of the companies who are potentially at fault. (nonfiction)
• Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die by Chip Heath and Dan Heath (2007): A manifesto for effective communication, this book analyzes why certain ideas “stick” in people’s minds. Brian often has used concepts explored in this book when persuading juries in the courtroom. (nonfiction)
• Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stephenson (2014): This memoir by Bryan Stephenson traces his journey as a law student who ultimately becomes the founder of the Equal Justice Initiative, an organization that defends the most vulnerable populations: the poor, the wrongly accused, women, and children. Stephenson makes a compelling case that “each of us is more than the worst thing we’ve ever done.”

Movies

• My Cousin Vinny: Two teenage boys find themselves accused of murder and call on their cousin Vinny to defend them. Despite the fact that Vinny has never won a case and has no trial experience, he’s, their guy. Very little rings true in this funny and somewhat farcical depiction of the legal system, but it is well worth watching.
• A Few Good Men: Lieutenant Daniel Kaffee defends two U.S. Marines who have been charged with the murder of a fellow Marine at Guantanamo Bay. Kaffee builds his case and realizes who is really responsible for the events that occur, then uses his legal prowess to prove no one is above the law (not even Jack Nicholson!).
• Erin Brockovich: Based on the true story of a paralegal who, along with attorney Ed Masry, helps build a case against Pacific Gas and Electric Company for contaminating the ground water in Hinkley, California. In this David vs. Goliath story, Brockovich and Masry use the law to make PG & E pay for their abuse of power and the catastrophic harm their negligent behavior caused.
• The Verdict: A young girl is given anesthesia during childbirth, and she is left comatose. Her family wants to settle the case and use the money for her care. Enter Frank Galvin, a malpractice attorney who has seen better days. He declines the settlement (without informing the family) and takes the case to trial, where he seeks a better outcome for the family and the satisfaction of doing the right thing.
• RBG: This documentary digs in to Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s personal and professional life, detailing the obstacles she faced, how she overcame them on her rise to a seat on the Supreme Court, and the gender barriers she broke down every step of the way.