ABSTRACT
Women comprise approximately one-half of all law students and more than 31 percent of all American lawyers, a dramatic increase since the 1970s. 1 As the number of women lawyers increases, public perceptions about them affect their professional success and credibility in the legal arena. Americans rely on mass media, including film, for 95 percent of their information about the law. 2 The big screen gives audiences larger-than-life, long-lasting images; 3 thus, it is important to study periodically the film images of lawyers. Respect for the rule of law depends largely on public perceptions of legal actors, so it is important to dissect underlying film narratives about law and women lawyers.
