Glenn Reynold writes:

WATCHED PAUL NEWMAN’S The Verdict with the family last night. One of the great lawyer movies ever, and one of Newman’s best performances. For a project I’m working on, I’m interested in movies and TV about law and lawyers — not just stuff with a legal setting, but stuff that revolves around lawyers and what people think of them. Any suggestions?

First, he’s absolutely right about The Verdict, it’s still really compelling.

Second, off the top of my head: The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance is vital to any discussion of lawyers in Hollywood movies. Another movie that I think is chock-full of disturbing libertarian themes: Miracle on 34th Street. Here we have a case where a judge — a judge! — will decide if Santa Claus exists! And he decides he does exist — and he’s sitting right there! And . . . more stuff requiring even more exclamation points!

Other movies, good and bad, that may be of interest: Rules of Engagement (pretty good), Malice (pretty bad), A Few Good Men (good, though I hate saying so), To Kill a Mockingbird, etc. I’m sure he’s getting all of these.

As for TV shows, there’s a lot that’s pretty obvious (Perry Mason, The Practice, etc). But I would definitely include Hill Street Blues, which painted one of the bleakest pictures of inner-city criminal justice and helps people today understand why crime was such a salient issue in the 1980s (it’s also easily one of the best shows ever made). Also, Dragnet is pretty interesting because of it spans pre-Miranda to post-Miranda America. I’m sure there’s something interesting to be said about Hollywood’s view of the law in Ally McBeal.

Make sure to send him (I said him!) your suggestions.