What’s your favourite law movie or TV show?

What’s your favourite law movie? Or favourite TV show about lawyers?

What are your favourite lines from such movies or TV shows?

I guess it depends on your vintage and the law movies you saw  – especially during the most impressionable parts of your life. My all-time favourite law movie is AND JUSTICE FOR ALL

When I look back  – I see how impressionable I was as a young law student and lawyer and how that movie was so “inspiring”!

Young Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Queensland before winning scholarship to study in the US

If you haven’t seen this movie before – check it out.

If you haven’t seen it for a while – watch it again!

Sure – the movie is far more exiting  than the real practice of  law for most lawyers (at least  in my experience!) .

I’m a massive Pacino fan and I love the script that is so dramatic and with such great lines you wish you could say in real life.

I always ached for the chance to say or  to borrow from lines such as:

“…the prosecution is not gonna get that man today. No! Because I’m gonna get him!”

and

Mr. Kirkland you are out of order!

Arthur: You’re out of order! You’re out of order! The whole trial is out of order!

Of course, I never got to say  any of those things in court – I was a junior solicitor (after being an  articled law clerk) – not a barrister – and the cases I was in court for were cases for Insurance Personal Injuries – not criminal matters.

These cases were for big bucks – not nickel and dime.  (another And Justice for All reference!)

Still…I look back in amusement (and a hint of embarrassment) at old moot court photos. My suit and shirt matched Pacino’s brown suit and blue shirt! So impressionable!

When I was a law student this was my ONLY  suit. I got more suits when I went to work in a law firm! Don’t laugh –  that brown colour was once fashionable and I recently saw a twenty-something hipster in the same type of suit (he must have scored from a vintage clothing store).

I loved it when as a young law student I’d get a call from friends or friends of friends who “got into some kind of trouble” on a Friday or Saturday night.

They’d be at a police station. I’d put on my Al Pacino brown suit, grab my brief case (empty) and  go down to the police station – hoping I would get a chance to use some of the  Pacino cool lines!

As a young man I found the real practice of law too dull. Maybe I expected too much! I “escaped” to pursue  a passion – a career in journalism and loved the travel and adventure and training to be an accredited defence correspondent. Still so impressionable back then getting to enjoy TOP GUN experiences!

Reporting on Roulettes

It’s funny… now in my respectable family man stage of life I find myself working more and more with lawyers and the law again – not as as a lawyer  but as a business communications consultant.

Just when I think I’m out, the law pulls me back in! ( to tweak another Pacino line – different movie)

One of my “legal business” projects involved  consulting on making lawyers more exciting and interesting – connecting lawyers with everyday people – through entertaining discussions about the LAW and POPULAR CULTURE.

In the discussions, real lawyers got to show some personality and passion and reveal what inspired them to want to become lawyers.

Law movies and books are so interesting – because they are about conflict. Mind you, the movies are not like the real life of most lawyers.

Still – I bet there are lots of other lawyers out there – who still like to think that they are Arnie Becker (from LA LAW) or  characters from The Practice or Boston Legal or Ally McBeal…or (my favourite) Al Pacino for And Justice for All!

Is that “out of order”?

 

What are your favourite law movies and lines?

Here’s a clip from  And Justice For All: So many memories!

So who is writing this?

Hi, I’m Tony Biancotti and I’m a lawyer turned journalist and  business communication consultant.

Sure, I can be an over-enthusiastic “nerd” when it comes to business communication – but I get  lots of feedback that people like my enthusiastic knowledge of and passion for the power of words and images and  techniques of engaging people.

I will share with you practical and easy-to-apply tips I’ve gathered over many years working as a:

• TV journalist
• political speechwriter
• lawyer
• blogger
• musician and performer
• coach and trainer in persuasion, positive messages, presenting and better e-mail and business writing.

I’m also a very busy dad and husband juggling my work and travel with family life and our two wonderful kids – Orlando and Cleo.

I’m based in Brisbane, Australia – and regularly travel for work throughout Australia and Asia-Pacific.

You can contact me on tonybiancotti@ozemail.com.au    or on Linked In or Facebook. Tony is of course short for Anthony .