Instructions:

Please select one of the following questions and craft an essay

response. Your response, not including in

text citations and a bibliography of

sources used to develop your response, cannot exceed 1500 words. Please use

material from our Textbook and the ‘Suggested Readings’ to support your

arguments.

Question Options:

1.You have had the opportunity to view “Anatomy of a Murder” and the film addressing Harper Lee and “To Kill a Mockingbird”. How would you characterize the behavior of the attorneys in both these films? Do these films present attorneys who are acting zealously for their clients? Would you consider the behavior of these attorneys ethically appropriate? To what degree did these films present attorneys in a realistic manner?

2.Some scholars feel that the popular media (especially films and television) present lawyers in a very negative manner. Based on what you have examined during the first five weeks of the course, what would lead these scholars to such a conclusion? If their conclusion has merit, to what degree does this negative portrayal impact the actual operation of the American justice process?

3.Why is Atticus Finch so often viewed as such a great role model for American criminal defense attorneys? Analyze his role as Tom Robinson’s defense counsel both as to what he did effectively and what he might have done differently to aid his client. How does his advocacy compare to that shown by attorneys in the Scottsboro Boys trials?

4.What about the actual practice of criminal law (especially as it impacts law school education, trial preparation, and trials) leads filmmakers to present highly fictionalized portrayals of the criminal justice system in their movies? Does this highly fictionalized presentation have a negative impact on how the public views lawyers and the actual criminal justice process?

5.What inaccuracies exist in popular legal culture (be as specific as possible) and what are the potential ramifications of those inaccuracies for the American justice system?