Random Defense Attorneys From Movies You’d Hire To Get You Out Of A Pickl (15 items)

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  (#1) Atticus Finch

  • To Kill a Mockingbird

  Notable Defense Tactics: Atticus Finch is tasked with defending Tom Robinson, a Black man accused of assaulting a white woman named Mayella Ewell. The story is set in Maycomb, AL, during the Great Depression, which isn't exactly a safe time for a Black man, especially those caught in this sort of predicament. Finch manages to prove that Mayella and her father, Bob Ewell, are lying and lack credibility.

  His work in the trial proves that Mayella made suggestive advances toward Tom, not the other way around. Unfortunately, the jury still votes to convict Tom, and he perishes trying to escape from prison before Atticus could challenge the verdict at appeal.

  Biggest Win: Finch doesn't win the case in trial, but he proves the Ewells lack credibility. In a way, he wins and loses the case at the same time.

  Biggest Loss: The People vs. Tom Robinson
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  (#14) Michael Clayton

  • Michael Clayton

  Notable Defense Tactics: Michael Clayton may have a law degree, but he's not so much a trial attorney as he is a fixer for some very bad people. He's not a fan of the work he does, but that doesn't mean he isn't good at doing it. In the movie, the firm he works for is representing U-North in a 6-year-long class-action lawsuit, and the company is not only guilty, there's evidence of their approval to manufacture a known carcinogen. The evidence results in the loss of Clayton's friend.

  Clayton uses his skills of negotiation well throughout his time dealing with the evidence, despite the attempt made on his life. In the end, he tricks the executive of U-North to pay him in exchange for his silence, which he gets on tape, leading to her apprehension.

  Biggest Win: Unknown in terms of any court proceedings, but he certainly wins in the end by outsmarting the film's antagonists.

  Biggest Loss: Unknown
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  (#13) Arthur Kirkland From 'And Justice for All'

  Notable Defense Tactics: Arthur Kirkland has had trouble with the legal system since becoming an attorney, and he's been charged with contempt of court for it. He routinely goes up against Judge Henry T. Fleming, and the two despise one another. When Fleming is accused of assault, he asks Kirkland to represent him, thinking that having an attorney who publicly hates him arguing for his defense would be an advantage.

  Ultimately, Kirkland takes the case, but shortly before the trial begins, Fleming confesses to him that he did, in fact, inappropriately touch the woman, and he is inclined to do it again. As the trial begins with Kirkland's opening remarks, he loses it and exclaims that his client is guilty, which is followed by the famous line, "You're out of order! You're out of order! The whole trial is out of order! They're out of order!"

  Biggest Win: Unknown

  Biggest Loss: The People vs. Jeff McCullaugh
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  (#3) Joe Miller

  • Philadelphia

  Notable Defense Tactics: Despite his discomfort at first, Joe Miller agrees to represent Andrew Beckett in his wrongful termination case, which Beckett believes is the result of his manifestation of AIDS. Proving that Beckett was fired for having the disease is no easy task, but Miller manages to do it by tirelessly picking apart numerous stories and innuendo around Beckett's employment; he is able to win the case in the end.

  One of the most telling scenes in the movie involves Miller asking Beckett to take off his shirt so he could show the court an example of the lesions he was showing shortly before he was fired. The shocking revelation helps convince the jury that not only was Beckett fired for having AIDS, but that he deserves punitive damages totaling $5 million.

  Biggest Win: Andrew Beckett vs. Baker McKenzie

  Biggest Loss: The central trial of the film is the one involving Andrew, which he wins, but in the beginning, both attorneys are representing their respective parties against one another in a different lawsuit. The details of the case aren't explored in much length, but Miller loses the case to Beckett.
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  (#4) Vinny Gambini

  • My Cousin Vinny

  Notable Defense Tactics: After Stan Rothenstein and Bill Gambini are accused of taking down a store clerk, they call on Bill's cousin Vinny to represent them. It's Vinny's first case, and he's woefully unprepared without the necessary experience to properly defend anyone.

  Fortunately, he perseveres and, in the end, he wins the case by thoroughly examining the evidence, derailing the credibility of the witnesses, and tipping off the sheriff, who ends up finding the ones truly responsible through a little investigative work.

  Biggest Win: The People vs. Bill Gambini and Stan Rothenstein

  Biggest Loss: None
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  (#8) Elle Woods

  • Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde, Legally Blonde, Legally Blonde: The Musical

  Notable Defense Tactics: Elle Woods is put on the defense team of Brooke Windham as part of a special group of students. Eventually, she replaces Windham's counsel despite not having graduated law school yet.

  Upon cross-examining the main witness, Elle quickly realizes she is lying, and it is all figured out due to her knowledge of what a woman would and would not do regarding a perm. Through her examination, she gets the witness to confess, resulting in a dismissal of the charges against her client and the application of new charges against the witness.

  Biggest Win: The People vs. Brooke Windham

  Biggest Loss: Getting fired for opposing her firm's representation of the C'est Magnifique Corporation.

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