Bruce Townsend, a frequent recipient of the Black Cane Award for Outstanding Professor, died in 1995.
By Susan Voelkel
Lawyers--better in the abstract than in person? Maybe. Studies indicate that people think less of lawyers after consulting one than they did before.
Why? Because real-life lawyers cannot measure up to the models portrayed in popular culture such as movies and television, says David R. Papke, the R. Bruce Townsend Professor of law and professor of liberal arts at IUPUI.
Papke is nationally recognized as an expert on the portrayal of the legal profession in the visual media. The topic has been the focus of several of his recent projects.
Less than half the population has consulted a lawyer, Papke notes, and a very small proportion has seen a live courtroom trial. Most people's perceptions of lawyers come more from popular fiction than from reality.
In the movies and on television lawyers often win in dramatic ways; they bring in surprise evidence near the end of the trial, or a spectator in the courtroom jumps up and confesses to the crime. These things do not happen in real courtrooms, Papke says, and clients who expect them to are disappointed.
The misconceptions about lawyers have become so widespread that practicing lawyers often question potential jurors about their perceptions. The American Bar Association (ABA) is taking an active interest in learning how the visual media affects attitudes about the profession.
This is not to say that movies and television programs featuring fictional lawyers are all bad. The media can perform a useful educational function about the legal profession and how our system of justice works, Papke notes.
What about televising real court cases? There are one or two cable channels devoted to televising court cases, Papke says, but courtroom trials cannot be televised in Indiana. He is not opposed to TV coverage, but he is wary of the commercialization of courtroom trials. Papke does not think perversions of justice have occurred because of television.
What about the Simpson trial?
"It was "insignificant, legally speaking," Papke says. He thinks the racial dimension‹the fact that as groups whites and blacks reached different conclusions about Simpson's guilt‹is a more significant thing for American culture. Papke's interest in how the legal system is viewed in American society is not new. In addition to a law degree, he has a doctorate in American studies. He has specialized in the role of law in American culture for 20 years. Last spring, Papke was in Chicago on an ABA panel discussing prime-time television's portrayal of lawyers in the courtroom. Panel members consisted of lawyers, academicians and entertainment celebrities. Papke also helped develop a videotape and wrote an essay on "Fictional Lawyers and Television Justice" for the event, which was conducted in collaboration with the Museum of Broadcast Communication. He notes that it is significant that the ABA is interested in the topic.
Earlier this year, Papke served on a panel at the University of San Francisco Law School on a similar topic about the images of lawyers in the media. An upcoming issue of that school's law journal will be devoted to the depiction of lawyers in movies, and will include a chapter by Papke on Kramer vs. Kramer. Papke is also a contributor to a book, Legal Reelism, published by the University of Illinois Press.
Bruce Townsend, a frequent recipient of the Black Cane Award for Outstanding Professor, died in 1995.
EDITOR'S NOTE:
The Townsend endowed professorship was created last year by the IU School of Law-Indianapolis to honor the late faculty member who served from 1946-1982. During that time, Townsend became one of the most beloved professors at the school while publishing several influential books, articles and monographs. He also served on numerous state and federal commissions.
Return to Table of Contents