Law School Television Tropes

I’m tired.  And a bad American.  I did not watch the State of the Union address last night.  In my defense, I don’t get home from the Daley Center on Tuesday nights until at least 9 pm. 

Anyway, I’m always interested in how law school is portrayed in the media, particularly through television and movies.  And I have to admit, that one of my favorite guilty pleasure television shows over the last couple years has been ABC Family’s “Greek.”  In the show, two of the main characters started law school this year, and I have found myself yelling at how dead wrong a scriptwriter can get something.

So…I bring you “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.”

The Good: 

The Rumor Mill:  Everybody knows everything and everybody tells everything and there are no secrets.  So when the main character’s reputation was ruined before classes even started?  Not entirely unbelievable. 

Getting a Good Seat:  You can’t arrive for the first class five minutes before class starts and expect to get a decent seat.  When one of the characters said “I got here 20 minutes early and barely got THIS seat,” he wasn’t kidding.  However, what WAS wrong was that these students seemed to want to sit in the back.  The earlier a student gets to his class, the more likely he's the type of student who wants to sit in the front row.

The Bad:

The Admissions Office Cares:  When one of the characters doesn’t get in, she goes to the admissions office, and they tell her WHY.  And then SHE CHANGES THEIR MINDS.  AND THEY LET HER IN.  Let me say this:  the admissions process is a well-kept secret.  You don’t know why you did or did not get in, and the staff isn’t even going to let you into the office to debate it.

Small Classes:  1L classes are tight-knit, sure, but they’re also made up of 80-100 people in giant lecture halls. 

SO MUCH READING:  Yes, there’s a lot of reading.  But 1500 pages and 30 cases to brief in two days?  It’s not possible to read and there’s no way your prof can go over that many cases in an hour and a half.  Let me put it this way:  You’re going to read three 500-page books.  OVER THREE MONTHS.  Sure that’s 1500 pages, but it’s only about 80-100 pages a week.

The Ugly:

If You Don’t Get Into A Study Group, You Might as Well Kill Yourself:  Seriously, I have noticed this not only in Greek, but also in the ever-so-popular movie Legally Blonde.  Seriously.  This is NOT EVEN A THING.  Is a study group helpful?  Yes.  Is it a great way to review/outline?  Also, yes.  Is it absolutely necessary?  No.  I have never been in a study group, I hate studying with other people, and I’m doing just fine.

I guess what I don't really understand is WHY scriptwriters get these incredibly basic things so wrong.  I understand that smaller class sizes make for a better shot, and a character not being able to get into a study group makes for better drama, but there's PLENTY of drama without that.  And if writers aren't sure what law school is like, wouldn't it make more sense to hire a law school "consultant" and give them a hundred bucks for playing along?  We're always desperate for cash.  (That being said, I am open to being a consultant on the look of law school.)

Have you noticed anything weird about law school movies or television?