television

It’s always fun to see lawyers portrayed on television. Some, like Law & Order’s Jack McCoy or Matlock’s Ben Matlock illustrate the most virtuous aspects of the justice system. Others, like Arrested Development’s Barry Zuckercorn or Lionel Hutz from The Simpsons essentially wrap up decades of lawyer jokes into one succinct character. To help separate the wheat from the chaff, legal tabloid blog Above the Law has developed a bracket of their readers’ favorite fictional lawyers. Click through for my predictions.

On the air for more than 20 years, the iconic family cartoon sitcom “The Simpsons” has covered just about every topic you can think of. So it’s no surprise that the show has addressed – and mocked – many legal issues. In fact, The Simpsons has managed to cover personal injury law, sexual harassment, false advertising, criminal law, food safety, copyright law, and more. While the plots of these episodes themselves are hilarious, they wouldn’t be quite as great without shuckster attorney Lionel Hutz (Phil Hartman). We’ve compiled a list of our favorite lawsuits in the Simpsons, in chronological order.

Since TV first hit households more than a half-century ago, legal dramas and legal comedies have been two of the most consistent and quality genres. Legal dramas have pointed out (and probably embellished) the heroic and filthy aspects of the legal system and lawyers who operate within it. Comedies have fulfilled a similar function, but often through the lens of bumbling, feckless attorneys. The list below looks at some of the most prolific television attorneys since the networks began making legal programs. Some have been great, some have been terrible, and some have been downright criminal. But all have been entertaining.