There are a lot of television shows, movies and plays out there about court proceedings. There’s a lot of law that happens outside the courtroom. This prep work may not always show up on film. The best films about court proceedings often include a depiction of this background work.
My Cousin Vinnie
Writer Dale Launer consulted with members of the National Institute of Trial Advocacy to craft the dialogue featured in My Cousin Vinny. Because the attorney depicted is not well-versed in criminal law, he receives quite a bit of guidance in the courtroom. This film is actually used in training young attorneys. Your Philadelphia criminal defense lawyer will not need this training, but this film is a great lesson for anyone interested in the law.
A Few Good Men
An attorney’s courtroom voice can have a huge impact on how the jury responds to their client and the outcome of the trial. The portrayal of JoAnne Galloway by Demi Moore is cited as a good example of the difference between powerful and powerless language. Anyone interested in studying the best way to present as a defense attorney in Philadelphia will want to study the inflection and vocal power used in this film.
Salt of the Earth
While legal proceedings generally only refer to one facet of a person’s life, their story matters. Sharing of testimony is important, but a skilled attorney will need to get people to truly share their stories. While racism was once actually upheld and institutionalized by the courts as part of our political system, this movie reminds us of what is possible.
Judgment at Nuremberg
This film offers great examples of how to line up questions in such a way that a witness delivers bombshell answers at the end of a series of questions. Start with a question that will catch the ear of the courtroom and the jury specifically, and end questions with the biggest bang.
Anatomy of a Murder
If you need to deconstruct testimony that doesn’t track, this film is quite realistic. Careful review of a timeline of behavior, particularly in a film that centers around an act of passion, offers the questioning attorney the chance to correct the narrative. In this film, an uncontrollable act of passionate rage by a man defending his wife is shown to actually be a premeditated murder by a cuckolded husband.