Ever wondered what was your professor’s favourite law movie? Well, look no further!
As law students, we have all engaged with our fair share of law-related movies, television shows, and books. But what about our professors? Just in time for the summer holiday, Ultra Vires has a roundup of U of T Law’s faculty and staff’s favourite law-related media.
Dean Jutta Brunnée
Book: East West Street by Philippe Sands
Film: Eye in the Sky, The Trial of the Chicago 7
Dean Brunnée offered two film recommendations. First up, Eye in the Sky, an “excellent film about how legal advice factors into military and political decision-making on drone strikes (in the context of the “war on terror”).” Next, the Dean chose the recent Oscar-nominated Aaron Sorkin drama The Trial of the Chicago 7. Dean Brunnée described the film as an “excellent courtroom drama around […]… well the trial of the Chicago 7 (lots of resonance with recent events).” For books, the Dean suggested East West Street, “a page turner of a memoir about the genesis of international criminal law.”
Associate Dean Christopher Essert
Book: The King of Torts by John Grisham
Associate Dean Essert does not consume much “law-related media” as he spends “plenty of time reading and thinking about the law already.” That being said, he did offer this anecdote to go along with his book recommendation, The King of Torts:
When I was in my first year of law school, some friends and I made the mistake of watching The Ring (Ringu), the Japanese horror movie. I found the movie so utterly terrifying that I could not sleep for the entire night. And — as those who have seen the movie will know — I could not possibly distract myself for the rest of the night by watching TV. Luckily, my mom had just sent me a copy of the John Grisham book The King of Torts, since she knew that I was taking a class called Torts. And so I stayed up until dawn reading the entire book. It’s been a while, so I don’t remember much about the book, but I am pretty sure it is not very good. That said, it certainly served its purpose, so I can highly recommend it to anyone who finds themselves in the same unfortunate position as I did on that night.
Professor Vincent Chiao
TV: The Wire
Film: Compliance
Being a criminal law professor, it’s unsurprising that Professor Chiao’s TV pick is The Wire, a classic HBO series often ranked as one of the best shows ever made. Professor Chiao says the “depiction of cross-cutting incentives of drug gangs, police, lawyers and city politicians — and that’s just season 1! — is entirely brilliant.” I have likewise watched The Wire, and, dare I say it, it’s better than The Sopranos. On the film side, Professor Chiao recommended Compliance, a movie that “deals with deference to authority, and is a very stark and somewhat disturbing set piece.”
Professor Brenda Cossman
TV: The Good Fight
Book: The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
Film: Legally Blonde, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Verdict, Judgment at Nuremberg, Philadelphia, A Civil Action, Marriage Story
Professor Cossman has taught a course on law and film and chose the classic Legally Blonde as her number one pick, but also offered several films she has screened in class over the years, including To Kill a Mockingbird and the more recent Marriage Story. For television, Prof. Cossman suggested The Good Fight, a spinoff of The Good Wife, and although she doesn’t read books about the law very often, Professor Cossman recommended her favourite novel, The Handmaid’s Tale (and described the sequel, The Testaments, as “shockingly good”).
Amanda Carling, Manager, Indigenous Initiatives Office
Book: Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson
Podcast: You’re wrong about, Criminal, More Perfect, The Trauma-Informed Lawyer
Similar to Associate Dean Essert, Amanda Carling tends to avoid law-related books since she reads so much law material for work. However, Amanda did recommend Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson, a memoir detailing Stevenson’s efforts to overturn wrongful convictions and represent marginalized clients. Amanda is also a big fan of podcasts and had many recommendations, including You’re wrong about (not specifically about the law, but some episodes relate to wrongful convictions), Criminal, More Perfect (a mini series about the Supreme Court of the United States), and The Trauma-Informed Lawyer (created by Métis-Cree lawyer Myrna McCallum).
Professor Katherine Vitale Lopez
Book: My Own Words by Ruth Bader Ginsberg
Film: Anatomy of a Murder
Professor Lopez recommended the “excellent and stirring” book My Own Words, a compilation of Justice Ginsberg’s writings from the eighth grade “all the way to a few years before her death.” In terms of films, Professor Lopez went old school and suggested the 1959 flick Anatomy of a Murder, starring Jimmy Stewart. Prof. Lopez described the film as “one of the only courtroom dramas I’ve seen that attempts to depict with some accuracy a trial from crime to verdict — lots of twists and turns and never boring.”
Professor Jim Phillips
Film: The Castle
Professor Phillips does not watch TV and finds most law movies “a bit run of the mill.” However, he does love The Castle, an obscure Australian film about land expropriation.
Waleska Vernon, Career Development Counsellor
Film: 13th, Legally Blonde
Waleska from the Career Development Office (CDO) recommended her favourite documentary, 13th, about the 13th amendment in the American constitution. As well, like Professors Cossman and Niblett, Waleska suggested Legally Blonde.
Neil Dennis, Director, Career Development Office
TV: Silicon Valley, Arrested Development, Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law, Boston Legal, Ally McBeal
Film: The Trial of the Chicago 7, Liar Liar
Like Dean Brunnée and Professor Ripstein, Neil from the CDO recommended The Trial of the Chicago 7 and the Jim Carrey classic Liar Liar, a movie about a lawyer who can’t lie for 24 hours (imagine the struggle!). For television, Neil suggested HBO’s Silicon Valley which involves many law-related plots, Arrested Development (specifically, the episodes featuring hapless lawyers Barry Zuckerkorn and Bob Loblaw), Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law (an adult cartoon), and finally the classic legal series Boston Legal and Ally McBeal.
Professor Gillian Hadfield
TV: When They See Us
Film: The Social Dilemma
Professor Hadfield suggested two documentaries for students to watch. First, a mini-series on Netflix called When They See Us “about the failures of the criminal justice system for the ‘Central Park 5’.” Second, Professor Hadfield suggested another Netflix production, The Social Dilemma, since “figuring out what to do about social media platforms is a regulatory — legal — challenge.”
Professor Arthur Ripstein
Film: The Trial of the Chicago 7, The Advocate
Professor Ripstein confessed that he’s slightly out of touch with popular culture. However, like Dean Brunnée, he “very much enjoyed The Trial of the Chicago 7.” As well, 30 years ago, Professor Ripstein saw “a movie about an animal being put on trial in late medieval Europe called The Advocate.” At the time, he “found it fascinating, but cannot vouch for [his] former tastes.”
Professor Bruce Chapman
Book: My Life in Court by Louis Nizer
Professor Chapman recommended My Life in Court, a book he read many years ago that recounts the legal cases of the author, lawyer Louis Nizer.
Professor Anthony Niblett
Book: Bad Blood by John Carreyrou
Film: Legally Blonde
Podcast: All the Presidents’ Lawyers, Judge John Hodgman
Professor Niblett does not watch much television; however, he did provide some podcast suggestions including All the Presidents’ Lawyers (“a weekly series looking at some of the more interesting legal problems of US Presidents”) and Judge John Hodgman (a “comedy podcast resolving non-legal disputes in a fake court of law”). For a book recommendation, Professor Niblett offered Bad Blood by John Carreyrou (“not ‘law-related’ per se, but an interesting tale of fraud in Silicon Valley”). Finally, like many others, Prof. Niblett chose Legally Blonde as his film recommendation and gave the following review: “I still love it, even though it’s totally ridiculous. ‘The law is reason free from passion’ … Does anyone know who spoke those immortal words?”
