Our legal system is a beautiful, complex creature that can be seen as either cruel or sympathetic.
We throw ourselves to the mercy of Lady Justice in court, hoping her scales weigh in our favor. Since Lady Justice is blind, we need someone to guide her to truth and justice.
Lawyers are the ones to guide her. You can either love them or hate them, but one thing you can’t deny: they make for great Hollywood stories.
As a future lawyer in the making, I can’t deny my love for Hollywood’s fictional lawyers. Even if these shows and movies greatly exaggerate what the day in the life is really like, I can’t help but fall for these characters.
To show my appreciation, I have cultivated a list of my favorite lawyers across movies and television.
Now, this list could go on and on like a rambling buffoon, but I have narrowed this list down to ten, so some of your favorites might not make the cut. In doing so, four lawyers deserve a little recognition as honorable mentions.
Honorable Mention: Jack McCoy (Law and Order)
Jack McCoy is the longest-serving character in Law and Order, who eventually worked his way through the ranks to become the District Attorney.
Honorable Mention: Vinny Gambini (My Cousin Vinny)
Although Joe Pesci is hilariously funny as Vincent Gambini, Vinny’s track record of never winning a personal injury case, sadly, puts him in the honorable mention category.
Honorable Mention: Atticus Finch (To Kill a Mockingbird)
Atticus Finch is a man of integrity. He has a calm presence and represents justice in the purest form. He’s almost so pure that he feels like a standard that no one can reach.
Honorable Mention: Annalise Keating (How To Get Away With Murder)
Annalise Keating is a law professor who teaches Criminal Law 100 and is beautifully portrayed by Viola Davis. She’s intense in the classroom and the courtroom and deserves some recognition.
Now with the honorable mentions out of the way, we can dive into the top ten greatest lawyers of Hollywood.
So without further ado, it’s show time, folks.
10. Ben Matlock (Matlock)
Just because he’s old doesn’t mean he can’t control the courtroom.
Benjamin Matlock is a seasoned defense attorney whose retainer cost $100,000. Matlock is known to go to the scene of the crime to gather evidence. Eventually, this leads to over-the-top revelations, usually exposing the culprit on the stand.
The original Matlock lasted nine seasons, six on NBC, and then three on ABC for a total of 193 episodes.
In 2024, CBS rebooted Matlock with Kathy Bates starring as Madeline “Matty” Matlock, which has just been renewed for season three.
Although I find Bates’ Matlock to be much more exciting, the show wouldn’t be here without Andy Griffith’s captivating audiences over the years. Hence, his version of Matlock takes the tenth spot.
9. Lt. Daniel Kaffee (A Few Good Men)
“You can’t handle the truth.”
Lt. Daniel Kaffee is a Navy lawyer from the Oscar-nominated film A Few Good Men. Kafee is a plea-bargain lawyer who despises going to trial. However, he takes the case involving two Marines accused of murder.
It’s a standout performance by Cruise and his co-star, Jack Nicholson. Their sharp dialogue during Nicholson’s testimony is dynamite.
Kaffee’s character is defined by his willingness to challenge authority and demand the truth.
8. Perry Mason (Perry Mason)
No, Perry Mason did not make the list simply because we share the same last name.
Perry Mason is, quite frankly, the better version of Matlock. He’s a criminal defense attorney who defends the citizens of Los Angeles.
Perry Mason was one of the first shows of the genre. Raymond Burr won an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for his portrayal of this master of timing.
Mason stands for protecting the innocent at all costs during all nine seasons and 271 episodes.
In 2020, HBO rebooted Perry Mason with a dark origin story starring Matthew Rhys set in 1932 Los Angeles.
Much like Kathy Bates, Rhys is how I was introduced to the character. However, Burr clears Rhys as the cultural icon that is Perry Mason.
Now, if I ever had a son, the temptation to name him Perry is real. I guess I would have to choose a joke or my son loving me.
What a dilemma.
7. Elle Woods (Legally Blonde)
Elle Woods may look like a Barbie doll, but her LSAT score of 179 proved that she had the talent to make her way into Harvard Law.
Woods is a combination of killer looks and killer intellect. She is personable with everyone and is keen on the details, like knowing which shoes are in season.
Woods’ confidence and authentic self are what make her a great lawyer.
6. Mickey Haller (The Lincoln Lawyer)
Haller is another Los Angeles criminal defense attorney, only this one conducts his business while being chauffeured in the back of a Lincoln Town Car.
Mickey Haller is street-smart. He’ll defend anyone, innocent or guilty. Haller stands for the value of the presumption of innocence, even if it gets him into occasional trouble.
The character was created by Michael Connelly, who has written eight books starring the character.
Matthew McConaughey starred in the 2011 movie, but Manuel Garcia-Rulfo perfectly embodies the character in the Netflix series that has been renewed for season five.
Now, no disrespect to Haller, he’s a great attorney and a prosecutor’s nightmare, but his taste in cars is lacking. If I were in his shoes, I would be called The Cadillac Lawyer, having someone drive me in my Cadillac DTS.
5. Alan Shore (The Practice / Boston Legal)
Let’s head from the west coast to the east coast to the city of Boston. Alan Shore is an associate at the law firm of Crane, Poole & Schmidt, yet is treated as a partner in the firm.
He’s the definition of an unconventional lawyer. He’ll take cases on a whim, pay drunks to fight a man at the bar for disrespecting him in front of women, and then go on to win that very case against him.
He’s a narcissist, a womanizer, and theatrical, but a master of storytelling who can lure the jury in his favor. Shore uses comedy and his charm, which makes people gloss over the fact that what he does is considered unethical.
Let’s be real, people would hate the character if it weren’t James Spader playing him. Shore made his first appearance in the final season of The Practice before leading the spinoff that lasted five seasons.
4. Billy Flynn (Chicago)
Billy Flynn is known as the silver-tongued prince of the courtroom. This criminal defense attorney hails from the windy city of Chicago.
Flynn’s never lost a case involving a woman who has been convicted of murder. It should also be noted that he only takes cases where he believes the woman is guilty of the crime.
What I enjoy about Flynn is how he treats the courtroom as a spectacle. He loves to fool the jury with some razzle-dazzle. He tap-dances over evidence in court and twists the media’s narrative in favor of his clients.
This charismatic villain highlights why most people get the terms “lawyers” and “liars” confused.
3. Harvey Specter (Suits)
If sugar, spice, and everything nice create the Power Puff Girls, then style, swagger, and ambition create Harvey Specter.
He’s one of the best corporate lawyers in the country in Suits. Specter is arrogant and only cares about winning in the beginning. He is a brilliant negotiator with a sharp tongue that usually wins cases before they ever reach the courtroom.
The show is very unrealistic, but Gabriel Macht makes the character so damn entertaining. One of my favorite quotes from Harvey is, “The only time success comes before work is in the dictionary.”
Now, I would like to point out that I watched Suits back on USA Network in 2011. I’m an original fan, not like those bandwagon Netflix fans.
2. Matt Murdock (Daredevil / The Defenders / Daredevil: Born Again)
The blind lawyer of Hell’s Kitchen, Matthew Murdock, rightfully earns second place on my list.
Murdock is a defense attorney taking on cases for the little guy. He’s deeply rooted in his neighborhood.
He treats the law and his Catholic faith like they are two sides of the same coin. Murdock treats the courtroom like a church. The witness stand is his altar, and Murdock gives his opening argument like a Sunday sermon.
“God’s plan is like a beautiful tapestry, and the tragedy of being human is that we only get to see it from the back,” Murdock said. “With all its ragged threads and muddy colors. We only get to see a hint of the true beauty on the other side.”
The character not only makes me want to pursue a career in law but also to become a better Catholic. Now, I buried the lead that he goes around at night beating up criminals as the masked vigilante Daredevil, but that’s beside the point.
In the courtroom, Murdock defends his clients to the best of his abilities, including being able to hear a person’s heartbeat to determine whether they’re lying on the stand. Remember, it is a superhero show after all.
Murdock is a flawed man, but he will always do everything for the underprivileged.
1. Jimmy McGill/Saul Goodman (Breaking Bad / Better Call Saul)
Without a doubt, Saul Goodman is the best-written fictional lawyer in Hollywood.
First introduced in Breaking Bad, Saul Goodman is portrayed as a crooked lawyer with a sense of humor and an iconic catchphrase.
He was the perfect comedic relief in the world of Walter White. But in the prequel, Better Call Saul, we meet the man who would become Saul Goodman, James “Jimmy” McGill.
From starting as a loser attorney who found a niche in elder law, Jimmy just wanted his older brother’s approval. The show highlights the struggles of starting in the legal field.
It’s not an easy get-rich scheme. It takes time to develop your craft and find out what kind of lawyer you’re meant to be.
Through multiple tragic events, Jimmy McGill slowly sheds his skin, becoming Saul Goodman, this flashy criminal defense attorney.
What I love about Jimmy is that he’s a melting pot of all fictional lawyers. Throughout the show, we know he quotes movies and TV shows. For example, before going inside the courtroom, he’ll go into the bathroom, look in the mirror, and say, “It’s showtime, folks,” quoting the 1979 film All That Jazz.
McGill has probably watched everyone on this list except Harvey to create his Saul Goodman persona. Saul might seem like an idiot in Breaking Bad, but in Better Call Saul, we see he is a master of loopholes and, overall, a legal genius without a fancy law school degree.
Bob Odenkirk’s portrayal of the unethical lawyer proved that Walter White wasn’t the main character of the Breaking Bad universe, but Saul Goodman was.
Now, you can disagree with my list; you’re entitled to your opinion. These are just some fictional lawyers who have inspired me to find my calling in the legal field, even if they are exaggerated.
However, just as in those shows, in the real world, when people need lawyers, it means something is wrong in their lives.
They go to lawyers when they fear losing their freedom or their dreams. I want to practice law because I want to be the person who stands beside them in those moments. I want to be the one to bring them hope when they need it most.
So remember in the future: if you catch a case, call Chase.
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