Television Made Us Love and Hate Lawyers, Streaming Gives the Flawed Version

Television - remember that medium - actually had shaped the culture from the beginning of the 1940s until the late 2000s. 

Part of that was developing our love and hate for lawyers. And much of the influence on us had been triggered by the drama embedded in the courtroom. 

For Boomers, our first lawyerly love affair was with Perry Mason (1957 - 1966). That series had such pull power that even legal families, such as that of Paul, Weiss partner Brad Karp, gathered around the small screen weekly to enjoy the trial theatrics. Karp is a third-generation lawyer. Not only his parents but his maternal grandfather had practiced law.

As the years rolled on the pro-lawyer shows became much more theatrically sophisticated as well as embedded in relationship dynamics. The model was probably "LA Law." Wedded and engaged couples watched Ann Kelsey and Stuart Markowitz navigate their own marriage. 

The high point might have been "Boston Law." But holding its own had been "The Good Wife." I had predicted the very unrealistic  "The Deep End" - none of the associates looked tired - wouldn't last. Back around 2010 it didn't.

Of course, the related "CSI" programming influenced how we expected lawyers would present their cases. Actually defense teams had to be retrained in what juries expected because of the CSI mindset. 

In counterpoint to that was television which positioned and packaged lawyers as the enemy of law and order. 

The series literally titled "Law & Order" (1990 - 2010, 2022 - 2026) popularized the phrase "lawyering up" as what undermines earnest, hard-working police work. Created by Dick Wolf, that spun off equally riveting dramas such as "Law & Order SVU." 

It became okay not to join Big Law and instead become a prosecutor. As such you could help the real-life analogues of Olivia Benson. That was good lawyering, not what the defense crowd did. Clever prosecutors tended to showcase to juries how overmatched they were in resources by Big Law lawyers. That was what down during the Rhode Island public nuisance lead paint litigation. 

However, over the years there also had been scripting about over-zealous prosecution. 

Our current image of lawyering, good and bad, is likely to come from streaming. Free platform Tubi has a whole niche in courtroom drama. 

The typical depiction is the tormented or even corrupt lawyer. TV like "The Sopranos" and "Making Bad" addicted us to the humanized bad guy. Tony Soprano had his panic attacks related to that awful mother and Walter White wanted to provide for his family after he died of lung cancer. 

So, in real life there is also plenty of fascination with what is presented as the flawed genius lawyer.

 SCOTUS jack-of-all-trades Tom Goldstein had earned a six-year sentence. 

Did astute dealmaker Scott Barshay overestimate the range of his ability when he took on the leadership role at Paul, Weiss. The branding part isn't going so hot. 

And what a pickle Kathy Ruemmler got herself into networking with pedo Jeffrey Epstein. Many lessons there on the destructiveness of ambition.

Meanwhile, the law firm we know from both television and streaming could vanish. 

AI could be creating blockbuster new profit centers more lucrative than practicing law and private equity could become major investors. 

Overall, eventually because of AI there could be fewer lawyers. Those few would be doing strategy. 

In the courtroom the battle of wits could be between opposing AI agents.  ChatGPT is smarter than most of us. 

In coaching, I reassure youth that law-school deans aren't lying. Yes, the JD is an open-ended degree. Most recently it is being applied to legal engineering. Go for it.

Careers. Forget all that. It’s about earning a good living, no matter what.

Complimentary consultation with Jane Genova, StreetSmart Coaching (janegenova374@gmail.com)





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