A legal drama is a work of dramatic fiction about law, crime, punishment or the legal profession. Types of legal dramas include courtroom dramas and legal thrillers, and come in all forms, including novels, television shows, and films.
It is widely believed by most practicing lawyers that legal dramas result in the general public having misconceptions about the legal process. Many of these misconceptions result from the desire to create an interesting story. For example, conflict between parties make for an interesting story, which is why legal dramas emphasize the trial and ignore the fact that the vast majority of civil and criminal cases in the United States are settled out of court. Legal dramas also focus on situations where there is an obvious injustice or ones in which either the plaintiff or defendant is very interesting and unusual. As a result, things such as the insanity defense occur far more often in legal drama than in real life. Finally, legal dramas often focus on areas of the legal process which can be portrayed dramatically, such as oral arguments, and ignore areas which are less easily portrayed, such as researching a written legal brief.
Television shows that fall into this category include:
For example, for the observer untrained in the law, the most significant aspect of a courtroomdrama may be the injustice he perceives in the trial and the conviction of a defendant with whom he sympathizes or whose guilt is in doubt.
The drama is a particularly effective means for critique because it relies so heavily on words (the dialogue), action and the perception of action (by the characters and the observer), and on the interpretation of both words and action as evidence of guilt or innocence.
An acceptance of the existence of, indeed the necessity for, stable irony in the courtroomdrama stems from the playwright's didactic purpose.
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