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Good T.V., Bad Ethics: Legal Ethics in Contemporary Popular Culture (Program)

Lucy Jewel, University of Tennessee College of Law (US) (Moderator); James Milles, SUNY Buffalo Law School (US); Nicole Hyland, Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz, PC (US); Craig Newbery-Jones, University of Plymouth Law School (UK); David Marrani, Institute of Law, Jersey (British Channel Island); and Sandrine Chapon, Lecturer in Legal English at Grenoble Law School (France)

Good T.V., Bad Ethics: Legal Ethics in Contemporary Popular Culture

Legal ethics issues are often woven into the dramatic framework of television shows, science fiction, and other popular narrative forms. Acclaimed shows such as Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, The Good Wife, Rake, and Fairly Legal frequently refer to legal ethics issues. Ethics issues can also be found embedded in other pop culture forms, such as science fiction and popular literature. With current popular culture as a backdrop, this program’s panelists will address topics including:

  • Ethics lessons from popular television shows: dos and don’ts
  • What does popular culture get right in terms of legal ethics and what does it get wrong?
  • What does popular culture tell us about how laypersons view lawyers and the role of the lawyer in society?
  • How can law teachers use pop culture to create engaging ethics lessons for law students?

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