Movie Guide for Legal Studies

Kent Kauffman is the Paralegal Studies Program Chair at Ivy Tech Community College Northeast, in Fort Wayne, Indiana.  He is a graduate of Temple University and the Dickinson School of Law of the Pennsylvania State University, and is the author Legal Ethics, a textbook published by West Legal Studies.

12 Angry Men

Key Themes: jury deliberations, reasonable doubt, prejudice versus fairness

Best Classroom Use: Criminal Law, Introduction to Paralegal Studies

 

The Accused

Key Themes: sexual assault and justice, plea bargaining, guilt by encouragement

Best Classroom Use: Criminal Law, Interviewing

 

Anatomy of a Murder

Key Themes: insanity defense, questional legal strategies, domestic violence

Best Classroom Use: Criminal Law, Legal Ethics, Intreviewing

 

And Justice for All

Key Themes: corruption in the legal system, injustice, judicial misbehavior, ethical dilemmas

Best Classroom Use: Introduction to Paralegal Studies, Criminal Procedure, Legal Ethics

 

Animal Farm

Key Themes: justice, freedom, goverment control, equality

Best Classroom Use: Constitutional Law, Introduction to Law

 

Body Heat

Key Themes: honesty, ethics, legal malpractice

Best Classroom Use: Wills and Trusts, Property

 

Changing Lanes

Key Themes: fraud and deceit in the practice of law, revenge

Best Classroom Use: Legal Ethics, Estates and Trusts

 

A Civil Action

Key Themes: litigation strategies and injustice, discovery tactics, hardball negotiation

Best Classroom Use: Civil Procedure, Litigation, Torts, Alternative Dispute Resolution, Legal Ethics

 

Class Action

Key Themes: litigation and legal ethics, product liability, law firm politics, father/daughter lawyers

Best Classroom Use: Introduction to Paralegal Studies, Litigation, Torts, Legal Ethics

 

The Client

Key Themes: honesty in litigation, attorney-client confidentiality

Best Classroom Use: Criminal Procedure, Legal Ethics, Introduction to Paralegal Studies

 

Criminal Law

Key Themes: miscarriage of justice, ayyorney-client confidentiality, vigilantism

Best Classroom Use: Criminal Law, Legal Ethics, Interviewing

 

Disclosure

Key Themes: sexual harassmemt, mediation

Best Classroom Use: Employment Law, Alternative Dispute Resolution

 

Erin Brockovich

Key Themes: Toxic Waste litigation, paralegal efforts, corporate fraud, overcoming personal and legal odds

Best Classroom Use: Introduction to Paralegal Studies, Litigation, Torts, Legal Ethics

 

A Few Good Men

Key Themes: military justice, the defense of superior orders, courtroom strategies

Best Classroom Use: Criminal Law, Introduction to Paralegal Studies

 

The Firm

Key Themes: corrupt lawyers, blackmail, racketeering, overbilling

Best Classroom Use: Legal Ethics, Criminal Law, Introduction to Paralegal Studies

 

Jagged Edge

Key Themes: murder trial, ethics violations, lawyer-client involvement

Best Classroom Use: Criminal Law, Legal Ethics, Litigation

 

Liar Liar

Key Themes: lawyer dishonesty, law office politics, martial property distribution

Best Classroom Use: Introduction to Paralegal Studies, Legal Ethics, Family Law, Contracts

 

The Life of David Gale

Key Themes: the death penalty, miscarriage of justice, ends justifying the means

Best Classroom Use: Criminal Law, Introduction to Law

 

Minority Report

Key Themes: preventative justice and actus reus, crime control and constitutional safeguards

Best Classroom Use: Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure, Introduction to Law

 

My Cousin Vinny

Key Themes: fish out of water in the criminal justice system, wrongful accusation, mistaken identity, culture clashes

Best Classroom Use: Criminal Procedure, Criminal Law, Legal Ethics, Interviewing

 

Philadelphia

Key Themes: wrongful termination, illegal discrimination, AIDS and the legal system

Best Classroom Use: Civil Procedure, Torts, Emplotment Law, Introduction to Paralegal Studies

 

Presume Innocent

Key Themes: murder prosecution, litigation strategies, political maneuvering, revenge

Best Classroom Use: Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure, Evidence

 

Primal Fear

Key Themes: insanity defense, honesty in litigation, corruption in the Catholic Church and in government

Best Classroom Use: Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure, Legal Ethics

 

The Rainmaker

Key Themes: insurance company and wrongful death litigation, David vs. Goliath, lawyer ethics violation

Best Classroom Use: Legal Ethics, Civil Procedure, Litigation, Introduction to Paralegal Studies

 

Runaway Jury

Key Themes: honesty in litigation, jury tampering, situational ethics

Best Classroom Use: Civil Procedure, Legal Ethics, Introduction to Paralegal Studies

 

The Star Chamber

Key Themes: justice vs. law, legal technicalities, misuse of power

Best Classroom Use: Criminal Procedure, Legal Ethics

 

A Time to Kill

Key Themes: racism and legal prejudice, vigilantism and the insanity defense, jury nullification and justice

Best Classroom Use: Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure, Introduction to Paralegal Studies, Legal Ethics

 

To Kill a Mockingbird

Key Themes: social injustice, racism, rape trial

Best Classroom Use: Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure, Introduction to Paralegal Studies, Legal Ethics

 

The Verdict

Key Themes: medical malpractice, civil litigation, David vs. Goliath, redemption

Best Classroom Use: Civil Procedure, Litigation, Torts, Legal Ethics, Introduction to Paralegal Studies

 

Wall Street

Key Themes: insider trading, business ethics, greed and redemption

Best Classroom Use: Business Law, Criminal Law, Legal Ethics, Introduction to Law

 

The War of the Roses

Key Themes: divorce and property distribution, spousal conflict

Best Classroom Use: Family Law, Alternative Dispute Resolution

 

The Winslow Boy

Key Themes: justice, litigation risks

Best Classroom Use: Interviewing, Introduction to Paralegal Studies

 

Young Mr. Lincoln

Key Themes: justice, wrongful accusation, courtroom shrewdness

Best Classroom Use: Criminal Procedure, Criminal Law, Intreviewing, Alternative Dispute Resolution