Fall TV is back, and with it comes the latest season of ABC’s hit legal drama, ‘How to Get Away with Murder‘. While many are drawn to the show’s thrilling plot twists and captivating characters, particularly Viola Davis’s Emmy-winning portrayal of Professor Annalise Keating, a burning question lingers for those in or around the legal field: How much of this high-stakes legal world is actually rooted in reality? Let’s delve into the series’ depiction of law school and the legal profession, separating fact from captivating fiction.
Viola Davis as Professor Annalise Keating in How to Get Away with Murder, teaching law students in a classroom
The Allure of the Adjunct Professor: Real-World Legal Expertise?
One of the show’s most compelling elements is Annalise Keating herself. Portrayed by the phenomenal Viola Davis, Keating isn’t just any law professor; she’s a high-powered criminal defense attorney who teaches a coveted course on advanced trial skills. This immediately strikes a chord of realism. The most impactful law school courses are often those led by adjunct professors – practitioners who bring real-world experience into the classroom. These aren’t academics theorizing about the law; they’re veterans from the trenches, offering invaluable insights gleaned from actual cases and courtrooms. Students in ‘How to Get Away with Murder‘ recognize this, flocking to Keating’s class, some even transferring schools for the opportunity to learn from her.
Keating’s opening address to her class further emphasizes the gritty reality of criminal defense. Her stark monologue about the sacrifices, the emotional toll, and the brutal nature of the profession resonates with the often-unvarnished truth of legal practice. “This is a sacrifice. From this point on, you will have no time for friends or family. Instead, you wake up hating yourself for choosing this life, but you’ll get up anyway, killing yourself to win cases … only to lose and watch innocent people go to jail. And then you’ll drink to make yourself feel better, or take pills, or fantasize about going to sleep … forever. That’s the life you’re choosing. Brutal, mean, depressing, ruthless … but that’s what it costs to change the world. So who wants in?” This dramatic, albeit hyperbolic, speech captures the demanding and emotionally taxing nature of criminal law, a reality many practicing attorneys can attest to.
The preference for practitioner-led courses is a genuine sentiment in law schools. Students often value the practical knowledge and battle-tested wisdom that adjunct professors bring, making this aspect of ‘How to Get Away with Murder‘ surprisingly accurate. The show taps into the inherent appeal of learning from someone who isn’t just teaching the law but actively living it.
Sink or Swim: The Cutthroat Reality of Law School?
The show takes a dramatic turn when depicting classroom dynamics. Keating is portrayed as employing a harsh, almost Darwinian approach to teaching. In one scene, she dismisses a student for not having a strong “legal passion” and questions the presence of first and second-year students in her advanced class, suggesting they “will not survive.” While perhaps exaggerated for television, this does touch upon the pressure-cooker environment that law school can sometimes be.
While professors likely can’t summarily dismiss students from classes as Keating does, the underlying sentiment of law school being a challenging and demanding environment rings true. The infamous Socratic method, cold-calling, and the sheer volume of reading material are all designed to push students to their limits. Anecdotes of professors being tough, even intimidating, are common in law school lore. The show amplifies this to dramatic levels, but the core idea of law school testing students’ resilience and intellectual fortitude is grounded in reality.
However, the extent to which Keating can unilaterally control enrollment and dismiss students feels firmly in the realm of fiction. Law schools operate within institutional frameworks, and such arbitrary power for a single professor is highly unlikely. Yet, this dramatic license serves to highlight the high stakes and intense competition portrayed within the show’s legal world. It underscores the message that only the most driven and capable can truly thrive in the demanding field of criminal law, mirroring the show’s title and central theme of survival and getting away with the seemingly impossible.
The Fickle Legal Market: Is Blacklisting a Real Threat?
Beyond the classroom drama, ‘How to Get Away with Murder‘ also ventures into the realities of the legal job market. In the season five premiere, Annalise Keating is shown navigating the complexities of job seeking after a period away from the legal scene. The show depicts a montage of negotiations, highlighting Keating’s initial perceived advantage due to her reputation and experience. However, this quickly shifts as she faces a series of rescinded job offers and veiled rejections.
The reason? Keating’s past actions have created enemies and raised concerns among potential employers. She’s told of malpractice insurance implications and political pressures influencing firms’ decisions, suggesting a form of “blacklisting.” While perhaps dramatized, this aspect touches upon a genuine, albeit less sensational, reality of the legal profession.
“Blackballing,” or professional repercussions due to past actions, certainly exists in the legal world, though perhaps not to the extreme depicted in the show. The legal community, while vast, can also be insular. Reputation is paramount, and unethical or controversial behavior can have lasting consequences on career prospects. While the specific reasons for Keating’s professional ostracization are likely heightened for dramatic effect, the underlying principle of past actions impacting future opportunities holds weight in the legal profession. The show uses this plot point to create tension and further develop Keating’s character, showcasing the high-stakes environment where even a brilliant lawyer can face professional peril due to past choices – choices that may or may not be related to, well, getting away with murder.
‘How to Get Away with Murder’: Entertainment Over Exactitude?
Ultimately, ‘How to Get Away with Murder‘ is a legal drama, prioritizing entertainment and gripping storytelling over strict adherence to legal accuracy. While it incorporates elements of realism – the demanding nature of law school, the importance of practical experience, and the potential pitfalls of the legal profession – these are often amplified and dramatized to create compelling television.
The show’s title itself, ‘How to Get Away with Murder‘, signals its focus on the extreme and the morally ambiguous, rather than a straightforward depiction of everyday legal practice. It’s a thriller designed to keep viewers on the edge of their seats, and in that regard, it succeeds admirably. Viola Davis’s performance alone is worth tuning in for, and the show’s exploration of complex ethical dilemmas, even within a heightened reality, can be thought-provoking.
For those seeking a realistic portrayal of the mundane realities of legal work – endless paperwork, meticulous research, and often slow-paced proceedings – ‘How to Get Away with Murder‘ might miss the mark. However, for viewers seeking a thrilling, fast-paced drama that uses the legal world as a backdrop for complex characters and high-stakes situations, the show delivers in spades. It offers a glimpse into a hyper-dramatized version of law school and legal practice, one that is undeniably entertaining, even if best enjoyed with a healthy dose of skepticism regarding its factual accuracy.
Adam Banner
Adam R. Banner is the founder and lead attorney at the Oklahoma Legal Group, a criminal defense law firm in Oklahoma City. His practice focuses solely on state and federal criminal defense. He represents the accused against allegations of sex crimes, violent crimes, drug crimes and white collar crimes.
The intersection of law and pop culture continues to fascinate, and ‘How to Get Away with Murder‘ provides a prime example of how legal themes can be woven into captivating narratives, even if those narratives sometimes stray from the strict confines of reality.
