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Greatest fictional lawyers - vote for Bill Doberman!!

The latest issue of the ABA Journal has, as its cover story, "The 25 Greatest Fictional Lawyers (Who Are Not Atticus Finch)." These are not necessarily the fictional lawyers described as being the most able, but rather the best characters who are lawyers. E.g., unclear if Ally McBeal would be on the list otherwise.

You can vote here, and I'd personally be inclined to vote for Vincent "Vinny" Gambini, from the delightful film My Cousin Vinny.

There's also a second list here of "Other Notable Characters That Did Not Fit into Our Top 25." Here we find such personal faves as Tom Hagen from The Godfather and Jackie Chiles from Seinfeld, and there's some indication that fun fictional characters end up here if they are simply too odious and dishonest. For example, Ned Racine of Body Heat is here with the comment that "he's lazy and corrupt ? and we like that in a fictional character, but maybe not in a lawyer."

Especially given that last comment, I must put in a word for my own Getting It lead character, Bill Doberman. He definitely belongs on this list, if I do say so myself. OK, if there are ethical standards of any sort, then the "Other Notables" rather than the main list.

I mean, c'mon - Claire Huxtable from the Cosby Show? And on the main list, Arnie Becker from LA Law? Truly a pale shadow of Doberman though some overlap of personality types.

The only excuse the jury that selected the notables can offer for not adding Doberman - but admittedly it's airtight unless we apply a strict liability standard - is that they presumably haven't read Getting It or heard of him.

Full post as published by Start Making Sense on July 29, 2010 (boomark / email).