Recently, the Law Library posed two questions on the weekly prompt board: Who is your favorite fictional lawyer? And, in a redux, what is your favorite courtroom drama? Students answered in force—four colors of marker, a thicket of “+1”s, check marks, and hearts, and at least one taped-on illustration. Accordingly, with Halloween falling on a Saturday this year, we decided to convert that data into something practical—costume ideas drawn directly from your own votes.
The Verdict
The top of each board was not close. Elle Woods carried the fictional-lawyer prompt with eleven votes—more than double her nearest rival, Matt Murdock—and My Cousin Vinny took the courtroom-drama prompt with seven, ahead of 12 Angry Men. Beyond the leaders, the top ten ranged from the canonical (e.g., Atticus Finch) to the gloriously unserious (e.g., Charlie Kelly, self-proclaimed expert in bird law).
Notably, the results suggest a useful costuming principle. Stated concisely: nearly every fictional lawyer is a suit plus one signature detail. That is, the interview suit already hanging in your closet is half a costume; the other half is a color, a prop, or a pair of glasses.
The Top Ten, Costumed
Whether you wish to masquerade as a bird law expert cross-examining an ornithologist in Philadelphia’s trial of the century or, alternatively, maybe you’d like to spend the night as a New York personal injury attorney on a trip down South to try out being the defense counsel in a murder case, the list has it all! Accordingly, not only are the top ten fictional attorneys as voted by the Richmond Law community detailed below but, additionally, what you need to properly create the costume.
- Elle Woods (Legally Blonde, 11 votes). Pink—head to toe. Her best-known courtroom look is a hot-pink dress with a pale-pink belt, strappy pink heels, and loose blonde waves. Add a stuffed Chihuahua in your handbag for Bruiser and a résumé printed on pink paper; scented stationery is optional but encouraged.
- Matt Murdock (Daredevil, 5 votes). A gray suit, white shirt, dark tie, and folding white cane—plus the essential detail: round sunglasses with red lenses. For the after-hours variant, trade the suit for head-to-toe red and a horned mask.
- Vinny Gambini (My Cousin Vinny, 4 votes). Two options. Day-one Vinny is a black leather jacket, black shirt, gold chain, and cowboy boots—the outfit that so offended Judge Haller. Trial Vinny is the secondhand suit: a rust-red, tailcoat-style three-piece with orange piping, a pleated pink shirt, and a burgundy bow tie. Vinny found his at a secondhand store; so can you.
- Bob Loblaw (Arrested Development, 4 votes). A suit, a briefcase, and a name tag—or better, a sign—advertising the Bob Loblaw Law Blog. Say it aloud, often. Pair with a friend as Barry Zuckerkorn, who earned two votes of his own, for a complete Bluth family legal team.
- Atticus Finch (To Kill a Mockingbird, 4 votes). A three-piece seersucker suit and round, wire-rimmed glasses—Gregory Peck’s look in the 1962 film. A copy of Harper Lee’s novel under one arm completes the costume.
- Charlie Kelly (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, 4 votes). Two separate entries crowned Charlie an expert in bird law. The costume rewards neglect: an ill-fitting thrift-store suit, a toy bird on one shoulder, and a legal pad covered in indecipherable “research.” Indeed, the worse the fit, the stronger the argument.
- Miranda Hobbes (Sex and the City, 4 votes). A red bob—wig or your own—and a sharply tailored early-2000s power suit, briefcase in hand. Of the ten, Miranda is the costume you could most plausibly wear to an interview the following week.
- Annalise Keating (How to Get Away with Murder, 3 votes). A structured sheath dress or tailored blazer, statement jewelry, and a criminal law syllabus. The costume is mostly posture: practice the stare.
- Donald Gennaro (Jurassic Park, 3 votes). Entered on the board as “the one from Jurassic Park that gets eaten.” A rumpled suit and briefcase supply the lawyer; a toy T. rex—and, for the fully committed, a toilet seat—supply the punchline.
- Jimmy McGill / Saul Goodman (Better Call Saul, 2 votes). Loud is the point: a plaid or brightly colored suit, a purple shirt, a patterned tie, gold jewelry, and a stack of homemade business cards. Card stock and a home printer will do.
Top Five Group Costumes, Lawyer-Style
But that’s not all! Maybe group costumes are your jam … and attorney-centric group costumes at that. If so, look no further (well, look no further than right below this sentence) because we have options for you!
- My Cousin Vinny (7 votes). Pair either Vinny with Mona Lisa Vito: big hair, bold prints, and the unshakable confidence of an expert witness on automotive differentials.
- 12 Angry Men (5 votes). The ideal study-group costume: up to twelve people in 1950s white shirts and narrow ties, each wearing a numbered juror badge. Whoever draws Juror #8 holds out.
- Anatomy of a Fall (3 votes). The pet option—if you own a border collie, your dog is already dressed as Snoop, the film’s scene-stealing canine.
- Better Call Saul (2 votes). Saul joined by Kim Wexler (crisp suit, high blonde ponytail) and Howard Hamlin (immaculate suit, immaculate everything)—both of whom drew votes on the lawyer board as well.
- Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (2 votes). A blue suit, spiked hair, an attorney’s badge, and an “Objection!” speech bubble cut from foam board—arguably the most recognizable prop on either board.
Further Character Costume Guides
- Elle Woods: CostumeWall; Carbon Costume.
- Matt Murdock: Carbon Costume; Costume Wall.
- Vinny Gambini: BAMF Style Wardrobe Breakdown; CostumeWorks.
- Atticus Finch: BAMF Style.
- Saul Goodman: CostumeWall; Costume Realm.
