List of fictional law firms

Fictional law firms are a common element of fictional depictions of legal practice. In legal drama, generally, they create opportunities to depict lawyers engaged in dramatic interactions that are reflective of the real-world drama of the profession. The portrayal of law firms varies by the media in which they are presented, with law firms in novels and in films (many of which are simply adaptations of the novels) being presented in a negative light, while law firms in television series tending to be presented more positively. Asimow notes that these portrayals have real legal significance because "stories about law, lawyers, or the legal system in film, television, or print" are the vehicle by which "the public learns most of what it thinks it knows about law, lawyers and the legal system".<ref name="Asimow"/>
Although the first film specifically about a law firm, the 1933 film Counsellor at Law, portrays the fictional New York City law firm of Simon & Tedesco as an upstanding practice populated by attorneys who are good-hearted (if occasionally lapsing in their ethical conduct), this type of entity was thereafter typically portrayed on film as a villainous enterprise.<ref name="Asimow"/>
John Grisham, in particular, has displayed a penchant for portraying large firms as evil entities, contrasted against heroic solo practitioners, small firm attorneys, law students, and against their own more ethical young associates.<ref name="Asimow"/>
In television
Fictional law firms that serve as the backdrop for television shows tend to be portrayed in a more sympathetic light.<ref name="Asimow"/> Asimow wrote that it is "striking how much more favorably law firms are portrayed on dramatic television series than in film".<ref name="Asimow"/> This is reflected in the earliest television series depicting a law firm, The Defenders which revolved around the father and son firm of Preston & Preston.<ref name="Asimow"/> Other sympathetic portrayals are found in L.A. Law, Ally McBeal, and The Practice,<ref name="Asimow"/> and Will & Grace (which is not centered on a law firm, but prominently depicts one in several episodes as a title character's place of employment). Each of these shows depict a mid-size firm, rather than an office of a very large firm, and each depicts attorneys employed by the firm as having very different legal specialties and temperaments.<ref name="Asimow"/> These positive portrayals, however, do not extend to larger firms.
Many television programs having law firms at their core have been written or created by David E. Kelley, himself a Boston University School of Law graduate who had worked for a Boston law firm. Kelley was a writer for L.A. Law, and created Ally McBeal, The Practice, and Boston Legal, and also scripted the film, From the Hip, a legal thriller that centered some ascerbic attention on the machinations of the lead character's law firm.
Fictional law firms
This list contains notable fictional law firms, being those that exist only as an integral part of a notable work of fiction. They are categorized by the media in which the firm was first introduced.
From books
* Agee, Poe & Epps, New York law firm in The Associate by John Grisham
* Baker Potts, San Francisco law firm in The Associate by John Grisham
* Bendini, Lambert & Locke from The Firm by John Grisham<ref name="White"/>
* Boone & Boone, in Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer by John Grisham
* The Law Offices of J. Clay Carter II in The King of Torts by John Grisham
* Dodson & Fogg in Bleak House by Charles Dickens<ref name="White"/>
* Drake & Sweeny from The Street Lawyer by John Grisham
* Durban & Lang, New York firm in John Grisham's short story "Fish Files"
* Findley and Baker, Memphis law firm in The Client by John Grisham
* Garton, London law firm in The Associate by John Grisham
* Graham Douglas & Wilkins, Toronto law firm in Jeffrey Archer's short story "Christina Rosenthal"
* The Law Offices of Harry Rex Vonner in John Grisham's short story "Fish Files"
* Haskins, Haskins & Purbright, law firm in Jeffrey Archer's short story ""
* The Law Offices of Jacob McKinley Stafford, LLC, in John Grisham's short story "Fish Files"
* The Law Offices of John L. McAvoy in The Associate by John Grisham
* Logan & Kupec, New York law firm in The Associate by John Grisham
* Lomax, Davis and Lomax, firm of solicitors in Jeffrey Archer's short story "The Loophole"
* Michelin Chiz & Associates, Pennsylvania law firm in The Associate by John Grisham
* Morecombe, Slant and Honeyplace from the Discworld novels by Terry Pratchett
* Myers & O'Malley, "...the oldest law firm in D.C..." in The King of Torts by John Grisham
* Rosato & Associates from various novels by Lisa Scottoline
* Scully & Pershing, New York law firm in The Associate by John Grisham
* Walker-Stearns, New York law firm in The King of Torts by John Grisham
* Warpe, Wistfull, Kubitschek and McMingus from The Crying of Lot 49 by Thomas Pynchon
* Salitieri, Poore, Nash, De Brutus and Short from Gravity's Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon
* Ganganelli, Pecci, Peretti from A Frolic of His Own by William Gaddis
* Dewey, Cheetham & Howe from JR by William Gaddis
From films
* Arnell, Delano & Strauss from Changing Lanes
* Churchill, Harline & Smith from Enchanted
* Ducksworth, Saver & Gross from The Mighty Ducks
* Kenner, Bach & Ledeen from Michael Clayton
* Milton, Chadwick & Waters from '
* Patton, Shaw & Lord from Absolute Power (1996)<ref name="White"/>
* Sheffield & Associates from Scarface
* Simon & Tedesco from Counsellor at Law
From television shows
* Barnes, Lockheart, and Gardner from The Good Wife
* Barr, Robinovitch & Tchobanian from
* Cage, Fish and Associates from Ally McBeal
* Crane, Constable, McNeil & Montero from
* Crane, Poole & Schmidt from Boston Legal
* Dewey, Cheathem & Livingstone from 30 Rock
* Law Offices of Doucette and Stein from Will & Grace
* Gage Whitney Page (aka "Gage Whitney") from the Aaron Sorkin series The West Wing and Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, as well as the January 12, 2009, episode of 24
* Feline Feline & Hairball from MADtv
* Firth, Wynn, & Meyer from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
* Greenberg & Greenberg from Jimmy Kimmel Live
* Grey & Associates from Kevin Hill
* Hackey, Joake & Dunnit from The Simpsons
* I Can't Believe It's a Law Firm! - from The Simpsons
* Lotus, Spackman & Phelps from Is It Legal?
* Jackman, Carter and Clein - Charmed
* Kingdom & Kingdom from Kingdom
* Levy, Saunderson and Brown from Brookside
* Luvem and Burnem Family Law from The Simpsons
* "McKenzie, Brackman, Cheney, and Kuzak" (later "McKenzie, Brackman, Cheney, Kuzak, and Becker", then "McKenzie, Brackman, Cheney, and Becker"; informally "McKenzie Brackman") from L.A. Law
* Rabinowitz, Rabinowitz, and Rabinowitz from All In The Family
* Sterling, Huddle, Oppenheim, & Craft - The Deep End
* Stuart, Whitehead and Moore from Neighbours
* Rebecchi-Cammeniti from Neighbours
* Robert Donnell and Associates (later Donnell, Young, Dole and Frutt and then Young, Frutt and Berluti) from The Practice
* Sebben & Sebben from Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law
* Sagman, Bennett, Robbins, Oppenheim and Taft from Seinfeld
* Tim Collins and Associates from Neighbours
* Vitale, Horowitz, Riordan, Schrecter, Schrecter, and Schrecter - Daria
* Wethersby, Posner, and Klein (later two firms: Wethersby & Stone and Posner & Klein) from Eli Stone
* Whitcomb, Wiley, Hawking, Harrison and Kendall from The West Wing
* Wolfram and Hart from
From unknown or miscellaneous sources
* Dewey, Cheatem & Howe, referred to by the Three Stooges, Groucho Marx, Daffy Duck, Leisure Suit Larry III, Car Talk, and many others
* Flywheel, Shyster and Flywheel, radio vehicle for the Marx Brothers in the 1930s
* Goodman, Lieber, Kurtzberg & Holliway, from She-Hulk comic books
* Larsen E. Pettifogger, from the comic strip, The Wizard of Id
* Nelson & Murdock, from Daredevil comic books
* Roper, Bender & Raper, from Frank Zappa's Thing-Fish album
* Sue, Grabbit & Runne, featured regularly in Private Eye magazine
* Wright & Co. (previously Fey & Co.), from Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, a video game
* Wolff & Byrd, attorneys of the Macabre from the comic books of the same name

Main Menu

See Also

Main Menu