ETHICAL MISCONDUCT IN FILM AND TELEVISION: AN ANALYSIS OF LEGAL ETHICS IN POPULAR MEDIA

Authors

  • Robert E. Cosentino St. John’s University Author

Keywords:

LEGAL ETHICS, PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITY, PARALEGAL EDUCATION, POPULAR MEDIA AND LAW, LAWYERS IN FILM AND TELEVISION, UNAUTHORIZED PRACTICE OF LAW, LEGAL ETHICS PEDAGOGY

Abstract

Legal professionals appear constantly on the silver screen, yet contemporary portrayals tend to romanticize unethical conduct rather than model competent, rule‑bound practice. Drawing on an undergraduate Legal Ethics course in a legal studies program, this article analyzes Liar Liar, The Rainmaker, Erin Brockovich, and Suits to spotlight recurring violations of the New York Rules of Professional Conduct and the ABA Model Rules, including unauthorized practice of law, misrepresentation, conflicts of interest, breaches of confidentiality, and failures of supervision. Students first study doctrinal materials and then complete in‑class issue‑spotting exercises based on selected scenes, revealing how media depictions both shape their perceptions of lawyers and provide vivid fact patterns for teaching core ethical concepts. The article offers a practical framework for paralegal and legal studies educators seeking to integrate popular media into ethics instruction to counter Hollywood’s “bad attorney” trope and strengthen students’ appreciation of professional responsibility.

Author Biography

  • Robert E. Cosentino, St. John’s University

    Roberto E. Cosentino is an Assistant Professor at St. John’s University in the Department of Legal Studies. He graduated Summa Cum Laude from St. John’s University and remained to earn a Master of Arts in Government and Politics from the Graduate School of the Arts & Sciences, concentrating in Comparative Government & International Relations, in the MA/JD Program of study. As a trial lawyer, managing attorney and partner he has resolved more than 100 cases at the trial stage and achieved numerous favorable verdicts for his clients in his 25 years of practice. 

    Mr. Cosentino serves as a member of the Committee on Character and Fitness for the New York State Appellate Division, First Department. He is admitted to practice before the New York Bar, the Connecticut Bar, the Florida Bar, the Southern and Eastern United States District Courts and the Supreme Court of the United States. Presently he remains “of counsel” to the law firm of Pillinger Miller Tarallo, LLP. 

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Published

2026-10-18

Issue

Vol. 2 No. 1 (2026): Journal of Paralegal Education and Practice

Section

Articles

How to Cite

ETHICAL MISCONDUCT IN FILM AND TELEVISION: AN ANALYSIS OF LEGAL ETHICS IN POPULAR MEDIA. (2026). Journal of Paralegal Education and Practice, 2(1). https://ojs.aafpe.org/ojs/index.php/jpep/article/view/32