8 favourite lawyers from literature
Literature has produced a number of memorable lawyers over the years. We’ve put together a gallery containing eight of our favourite lawyers from fiction.
To view all these iconic lawyers, scroll through the gallery above.
Dr Gonzo – Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas
Hunter S. Thompson famously blurs the line between fact and fiction in this book, with Dr Gonzo understood to be a reference to real life attorney Oscar Zeta Acosta.
Sydney Carton – A Tale of Two Cities
This Charles Dickens classic features Sydney Carton, an alcoholic lawyer with disdain for everyone around him except for his unrequited love for Lucy Manette.
Paul Biegler – Anatomy of a Murder
In this thriller by Robert Traver, Paul Biegler is the underdog, humble country lawyer who is up against a big-city prosecutor in what seems an unwinnable case.
Jake Brigance – A Time to Kill
John Grisham generally has the literary community divided, but his history as a successful lawyer has let him to create compelling characters like Jake Brigance.
Guillaumin – Madame Bovary
An opportunistic antagonist in Gustave Flaubert’s classic novel, Guillaumin takes advantage of Emma Bovary when she comes to him seeking financial advice.
John Milton – The Devil’s Advocate
As far as evil bosses go they don’t come much better than John Milton in Andrew Neiderman’s novel, who’s quite a bit more evil that anyone would think!
Portia – The Merchant of Venice
While she’s technically not a lawyer, Portia manages to pull of the legal move of the century while in court in Venice with Shylock demanding a pound of flesh.
Atticus Finch – To Kill a Mockingbird
And who could forget Atticus Finch? The main protagonist in Harper Lee’s classic To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus is a noble, principled protagonist.
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