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Fictional lawyers. We love them and the badder and madder the better. From Maurice Levy in The Wire to Jim Carey in Liar, Liar, we can’t get enough of their antics.
What is it about an upholder of the law who stretches rules and twists them into knots or cuts the bonds of morality entirely that makes them so compelling?
Well there’s the glamour, sharp intellect and impeccable suits.
In most dramas, on screen or on the page, the legal eagle is the smartest person in the room. They’re the one with all the ‘smarts’, able to manipulate those around them and bill for the hours while they’re at it.
It’s entertaining and it’s inspirational, if you’re looking to become a paralegal or solicitor.
So spill the beans! Was it old pro Gene Hackman or trainee Tom Cruise in The Practice, who sparked your interest in a legal career?
Here at s1jobs we love a great fictional lawyer and, while our favourite is the heroic Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird, we have to admit to a sneaky affection for Saul Goodman, legal representative of Walter White in Breaking Bad, whose devious antics earned him his own telly series.
Shakespeare was always banging on about the profession. “Let’s kill all the lawyers!” he memorably wrote in Henry VI Part II and it was Charles Dickens who declaimed “The law is a ass!”.
Clever, curmudgeonly Horace Rumpole would disagree. He’d save that term for most fellow barristers in his chambers at Equity Court or the judges at the Old Bailey, but not for the law itself.
And then there’s Elle Woods, currently polishing her Jimmy Choos for her next outing in Legally Blonde 3. Too pink, too perky, too saccharine? Elle’s all of these, but we love her, whether she’s fighting sexism or defending animal rights.
And, if it comes down to a bare knuckle fight, we’d rather have Erin Brockovich in our corner than our opponent’s. The great thing is she’s actually real.
Julia Roberts may have brought her to the big screen but the lady herself exists and continues to win high-profile cases against environmental polluters.
As role models go she’s one of the best but there are plenty more to choose from.
So settle down with a good book or a fine movie and find inspiration for your next career move in the Legal sector with s1jobs.