A legal drama is a work of dramatic
fiction about law, crime, punishment or the legal profession. Subtypes 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.
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