3 Courtroom Drama Series that Every Filipino Looking for a New Brand of Suspense should See

Professions like attorney or a lawyer may have their own dangers, mix of controversies, and appeal to the public. They are often portrayed in movies as sly and deceitful individuals who are willing to side with anyone for the principles of what they fight for. Often times, they are seen in a different light but the distinct charisma of attorneys adds flair to a story plot lines. And we cannot deny that this is how Filipinos see attorneys in the Philippines. They may have an air of pretense with the nature of their work but we all know that it takes more than years of education and familiarity with the laws of the land to be an established attorney. So nonetheless they are still seen as respectable figures in our community. You might also be surprised to know that most of our celebrated presidents and politicians are attorneys too.

In Philippine movies, scenes involving court trials add a serious tone to the development of plot lines. It has been a recurring and widely-used plot element in many classic movies and even modern day telenovelas. With the popularity of global streaming providers like iFlix, Hulu, and most recently NetFlix in Philippine territories, foreign courtroom dramas are slowly finding a niche in the taste buds of the Filipino viewers who are into more complex and technical storylines. These include the following series:

Suits (USA Network)

image source: fbcoverstreet.com

The plotline of Suit revolves around a very talented college dropout Mike Ross (Patrick J. Adams) who works as an associate to Harvey Specter (Gabriel Macht). The show focuses on the two of them being able to close cases while keeping fact that Mike never really attending law school a secret. The series has received an overall consensus from the watching public even earning an approval rating of 77% on Rotten Tomato. As of the moment, Suits has 5 seasons and 76 episodes. The sixth season is scheduled to premiere in the US on June 29.

The Good Wife (CBS)

image source: www.hulu.com

The Good Wife is a highly acclaimed political and legal show that is heavily serialized with many story arcs that carry over several episodes. It stars Julianna Margulies, Josh Charles, Christine Baranski, Matt Czuchry, and Alan Cumming. The series has already won 5 Emmys awards. The seventh season of The Good Wife has started airing last October 4, 2015 and is expected to end on May 8, 2016.

How to Get Away with Murder (ABC)

image source: play.google.com

As the title suggest, the plotline of the series revolves around how to cover up a murder. Viola Davis plays the role of the highly-acclaimed defense attorney and university professor, Annalise Keating. Together with her five selected student interns Alfred Enoch, Jack Falahee, Aja Naomi King, Matt McGorry and Karla Souza, they defend some of the most controversial cases. The series features flashbacks and flashforward sequence that reveals a piece of information about the murder they are trying to cover up. Currently, How to Get Away with Murder has 2 seasons and 30 episodes.

Sadly, there hasn’t been any major Philippine TV series that has revolved in the technicalities of courtroom dramas. But hey, with the way we see attorneys in the community and with the Filipinos’ craving to see something new on television; maybe someday we will be enjoying the sound of solid litigation over dinner.

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THE LEGAL REALITIES: ALTERNATIVE POSITIONS FOR PHILIPPINE ATTORNEYS

Philippine Attorneys have a certain unique charm to them. Being an attorney holds a reputation of having high intellect, poise, and presence. It is not an easy job and it requires good analytical skills, researching skills, excellent deducing skills, and logical thinking ability. Interpersonal skills, communication and mastery of the written and spoken language are also other skills that an attorney should have. It is not a career for those who have a weak heart or are not willing to get their hands dirty. They are often under great pressure and are stressed due to the cases that they are handling. Some of these cases can be really controversial, critical, may affect several lives, and can make them susceptible to danger and threats. In addition, the 1984 Philippine Constitution can be really tricky to interpret.

We may all have an idea how difficult this occupation can get. Starting off from the tedious education years they need to go through and the volumes and volumes of books they need to study as students to get a degree in law. There is the nerve-wracking bar examinations that they need to pass to be able to practice as licensed attorneys. Even after passing the exam, it is also hard to get into a decent law firm. These are just some of the struggles that an aspiring Philippine attorney need to go through. It can be overkill if we think about it closely but these struggles are some of the factors that contribute to the prestige of being a Philippine attorney. We may say that this career is worth the troubles considering it could be a well-paying job.

But not everyone stays in the career path of practicing law. More often and similar to graduates of other courses, law graduates are forced explore other fields other than being an attorney due to the changing demand of employment. Some of them would resort on taking up posts in certain corporations as a part of their legal department; some in completely unrelated field. And some use their legal knowledge or experience as an attorney to run for public office. You may not be surprised to know that some of the most celebrated Filipino politicians are graduates of law or have previously been Philippine attorneys. 

To name a few, here is a short list including the University from which they graduated from:

• Manuel Roxas Manuel A. Roxas - 1st President of the 3rd Philippine Republic; topped the 1913 Bar Exam (University of the Philippines)

image source: wikipedia.org

• Diosdado P. Macapagal - 5th President of the 3rd Philippine Republic; topped the 1936 Bar Exams (University of Santo Tomas)

source: www-bcf.usc.edu

• Ferdinand E. Marcos - 6th President of the 3rd Philippine Republic; topped the 1939 Bar Exams Bar Exam (University of the Philippines)

source: malacanang.gov.ph

• Jose P. Laurel - President of the 2nd Philippine Republic; 2nd placer, 1915 Bar Exams (University of the Philippines)

source: malacanang.gov.ph

• Elpidio C. Quirino - 2nd President of the 3rd Philippine Republic; 2nd placer, 1915 Bar Exams (University of the Philippines)

source: en.wikipedia.org

• Sergio S. Osmeña - 2nd President of the Philippine Commonwealth; 2nd placer, 1903 Bar Exams (University of Santo Tomas)

source: en.wikipedia.org

• Manuel L. Quezon - 1st President of the Philippine Commonwealth; 4th placer, 1903 Bar Exams (University of Santo Tomas)

source: https://en.wikipedia.org/

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