History Main / AmoralAttorney

** In the episode "Homer and Lisa Exchange Cross Words", [[HalfwayPlotSwitch the plot fully kicks in]] when the Blue-Haired Lawyer arrives to Bart and Lisa's [[LemonadeStandPlot lemonade stand]], demanding that they get a work permit to keep it open (the fact that they are too young to own a driver's license, let alone a work permit, does not factors bothers him).

** In the episode "Homer and Lisa Exchange Cross Words", [[HalfwayPlotChange the plot fully kicks in]] when the Blue-Haired Lawyer arrives to Bart and Lisa's [[LemonadeStandPlot lemonade stand]], demanding that they get a work permit to keep it open (the fact that they are too young to own a driver's license, let alone a work permit, does not factors bothers him).

** One Halloween episodes has him writing all the legal paper to allow Mr. Burns to hunt his guests, as killing is part of Burns' religion and they are on a hunting zone. Burns shoots him the moment he is finished with the paper. It's not like he didn't see it coming; the lawyer was invited purposefully to be hunted, and his instinct kicked in.

* Played with in ''ComicBook/{{Asterix}}'' book ''[[/Recap/AsterixAndTheLaurelWreath Asterix and the Laurel Wreath]]''. Their lawyer isn't evil but doesn't care about getting them off and is taking the case for publicity. He gets into an argument with the Prosecutor when they start their speech with "Delenda Carthago Est" like he planned to. Then again, Asterix doesn't care either and actively torpedoes his own case and Obelix doesn't really grasp the situation.

* [[http://www.bettercallsaul.com/ James Morgan "Saul Goodman" McGill]] from ''Series/BreakingBad'' and ''Series/BetterCallSaul'' is a [[HonestJohnsDealership hucksterish defense attorney]] with cheesy TV ads who will take ''any'' paying client and resort to the most extreme arguments on their behalf, though he does have some loose limits. Three things keep him from being nothing but a straight-up AmbulanceChaser: 1) he's very, ''very'' good at his job, 2) he's just as interested in going outside the law for his own personal gain as he is in winning cases (if not a lot more interested) and 3) he's deliberately using his carefully built up image to sucker others into underestimating the extent of what he's capable of both inside and outside the courtroom. Interestingly, while more than willing to go to downright immoral (not to mention criminal) lengths ''for'' a client, he ''never'' double-crosses one even when presented with golden opportunities to do so [[WhatYouAreInTheDark with little chance of reprisals]], and more than once puts himself in considerable personal danger to help one.

* Evil prosecutors just want to score convictions and aren't deterred by any ethical concerns that suggest they work in the interest of justice, not merely getting wins. They might work side-by-side with any [[DirtyCop corrupt cops]] on the force to doctor whatever evidence is needed to close the case, or to suppress any evidence that casts doubt on the defendant's culpability. Sometimes they're just in it for the money, but other times, they want influence: flashy court victories will further their career, and perhaps they'll even get elected the next HangingJudge or AntagonisticGovernor. (The other option is a LawfulStupid zealot who [[KnightTemplar genuinely believes]] that cheating in service of gaining convictions is a [[TheNeedsOfTheMany greater good]] action because it's stopping perceived criminals, although that's less amoral and rather a malfunctioning moral compass.)

** Dio Brando from ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure'' was studying law before becoming a murderous vampire, and he was already a sociopath before that.

* Not in the original, but in the dub version of ''Anime/YuGiOhGX'', the Pro Duelist called X was also an Amoral Attorney. He didn't use any actual illegal methods, but it is hinted that he would use any legal loophole he could find.

* There is an attorney in ''ComicBook/SinCity'' that only appears in one panel where he tells Marv that if he doesn't sign a confession, TheMafia will kill his mother. [[LaserGuidedKarma He gets his arm broken in three places.]]

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* ''Webcomic/EvilDiva'''s [[http://www.evildivacomics.com/?p=784 mom]]. Well, she is a devil.

* Wolfram and Hart, the [[OccultLawFirm Evil Demonic Law Firm]] from ''Series/{{Angel}}'', exemplify this trope in spades: Immoral Attorney, actually. Defending human and nonhuman evil-doers is their purpose in life. And they have [[HighlyVisibleNinja ninjas]] and special ops teams.
** The attorneys we actually meet tend to range from common Morally grey (Lindsey [=McDonald=], who seeks power above all else, though maintaining some semblance of conscience) to villains (Holland Manners and Lilah Morgan (although she arguably becomes more morally gray in Season 4[[note]]Being stabbed in the gut after your entire law firm is slaughtered can do that to people[[/note]]), who not only strive for power but are capable of sacrificing nearly anything for it.

* ''Series/{{Caprica}}'': Lampkin's mentor, Lee's grandfather Joseph. Joe Adama had been a lawyer for the [[GenericEthnicCrimeGang Ha'la'tha]]--the Tauron Mob--and did this job dutifully. Backstory holds that he eventually broke with the Ha'la'tha and became a civil-liberties lawyer; he's the one who taught Lampkin that even the lowest, guiltiest scumbag deserves a good defense.

* Lawrence Block's Martin Ehrengraf would frequently get his clients off by framing and murdering another person. His motto is "every one of my clients is innocent", which he believes so fervently he's willing to sink to any low to prove it.

* Creator/CharlesDickens
** Mr. Tulkinghorn and Mr. Vholes from ''Literature/BleakHouse''. The sphinx-y, menacing Tulkinghorn relentlessly pursues the secrets of his client, Lady Dedlock, mostly because he derives pleasure from the power knowing such secrets offers him. Vholes is the definition of a slimy lawyer, masquerading under the pretense of efficiency and good faith, while milking his client (one of the protagonists) of all his inheritance.
** Also, Dodson and Fogg, the [[AffablyEvil smiling, polite, and utterly ruthless]] lawyers in ''Literature/ThePickwickPapers''.

* Literature/SisterhoodSeries by Creator/FernMichaels: Played with. On one side is Nikki Quinn, a defense attorney. On the other side is Jack Emery, a prosecuting attorney. Nikki defends a woman who shot the man who raped and murdered her daughter, and she shot the guy after the guy was found not guilty! Jack prosecutes the woman, which is ironic, because he prosecuted that murdering rapist and failed to convict the guy. Nikki is portrayed as the sympathetic one, and Jack is portrayed as the total {{Jerkass}} in that situation. You would find it hard to believe that Nikki and Jack are girlfriend and boyfriend! To Jack's credit, he did reveal in his thoughts that he is not heartless, and that he doesn't know what he would have done if he had a daughter who was raped and murdered. Funny enough, Nikki becomes a vigilante, Jack becomes an ally of the Vigilantes, and so does a defense attorney named Lizzie Fox. In the book ''The Jury'', a defense attorney named Allison Banks, against all advice, defends the Barringtons, a group of slimeballs who let a herd of horses starve to death and only used them for profit. Nikki's firm suffered a major blow in its reputation, and Nikki fired and punched out Banks in short order. Then it turns out that Banks was essentially in bed with the Barringtons, the judge presiding over their case, receiving kickbacks from them, ''and'' was not really Allison Banks. It turned out that Allison died years ago, and that an imposter had assumed her identity. Unbelievable!

* In Brazilian soap-opera ''Chocolate com Pimenta'' (Chocolate with Pepper), a woman wanted to con her deceased brother's widow out of the fortune he bequeathed to her. In order to do so, she forged a document where said brother allegedly signed over everything to her to protect him from being tricked by gold-diggers. Her accomplice suggested hiring a ''honest'' lawyer to take the case to the courts because: a) honest lawyers would be less likely to figure out the document was a fake; b) even dishonest lawyers would refuse the case once they figured out; and c) the more regarded their lawyer would be for honesty, the more likely would be their chances a judge would rule in their favor.

* ''Criminal Justice'', a five-part 2008 Creator/{{BBC}} drama, features a barrister who makes up a self-defense defense for the main character (a guy who doesn't remember what happened). The drama got a complaint from the head of the Bar Council, the UK's lawyer group. Peter Moffat responded that said head had recently punched his opponent, which is a rather weak response.

* This trope is parodied in ''Series/ThatMitchellAndWebbLook'' which features a sketch about two lazy script writers who do not research the films and TV shows they write. One of their productions is a parody of "Shark" about a defense attorney becoming a prosecutor. When the character is asked why he used to defend known rapists, he responds, "I don't know, I guess I just liked rapists." Then he laughs and says that that's not the real reason.
** Also, from the Inebriati sketch: "Yes! I got that guy off that vicious sex murder even though he obviously did it!"

* Barrister Michael Kidd from the Australian TV cop series ''Phoenix'' and its LawProcedural spin-off, ''Janus''. Based on a famous real-life Melbourne lawyer, he's despised for defending copkiller Malcolm Hennessy, but is respected for his abilities as well -- the main detective protagonist doesn't hesitate to recommend Kidd to a fellow officer who'd been accused of police brutality. On another occasion, Kidd is assigned to defend a child molester, and though Kidd listens to his briefing with a cold silence quite unlike his usual 'average bloke' demeanour, he still defends him well.

* In Radio/BleakExpectations a lawyer appears who is so distinguished his name takes 20 minutes to say. He charges by the hour and has bankrupted some clients with a formal conversation.

* Jamie in ''Webcomic/LeftoverSoup'' got screwed over by his ''own'' lawyer when he tried to sue his insurance company for what he was owed. After sending Jamie to a sleazy doctor who fitted him with a fake neckbrace and sling to look more sympathetic in court, the lawyer agreed to settle out of court, took the entire settlement as his fee, and then charged Jamie an additional $300 in "processing fees" despite advertising that his clients wouldn't have to pay anything out of pocket.

* Kensington R. Killjoy, Esq. from the LetsPlay/SomethingAwfulDungeonsAndDragons online series. He counts because he's a demonic lawyer.

* Njal himself in ''Fanfic/NjalGetsBurned,'' who is Iceland's greatest lawyer, but mainly uses the law to get outcomes he wants in various scrapes he or his family get into. At one point he completely breaks Iceland's legal system as part of a gambit to make his foster-son a chieftain.

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[[folder:Anime and Manga]]

* Played with in ''ComicBook/{{Asterix}}'' book ''Asterix and the Laurel Wreath''. Their lawyer isn't evil but doesn't care about getting them off and is taking the case for publicity. He gets into an argument with the Prosecutor when they start their speech with "Delenda Carthago Est" like he planned to. Then again, Asterix doesn't care either and actively torpedoes his own case and Obelix doesn't really grasp the situation.

%%* In one underground comic, the marriage of "Dino-Boy" (yes, he's a human with a dinosaur body, or a dinosaur with a human head) falls apart. They both hire lawyers -- who happen to be partners, and they decide to milk both spouses for all they're worth.

* In ''Film/TheVerdict'', both Galvin and Cancannon are willing to resort to tactics of questionable morality, though they both also show a dedication to justice.
* Chris in ''Film/TheWoman'', though most of his evilness is shown outside the courtroom. His wife even calls him out on it, noting that, as a lawyer, he should know that what he's doing is illegal and could get him thrown in jail.
* In ''Film/ScannersIITheNewOrder'', Commander Forrester makes himself a public favorite by dispatching a corrupt lawyer who works for drug kingpins.
* ''Film/{{Se7en}}'', a movie about a SerialKiller who takes his inspiration from the SevenDeadlySins, uses a lawyer as the victim for greed. As the killer tells the detectives, "You both must have secretly been thanking me for that one."
** The killer's own attorney appears at one point and appears less than thrilled to be working for ''this'' client, but does his job negotiating on behalf of his client (even using the leverage of bad PR for the police if they refuse the deal when there are more unknown victims out there).
* In both ''Film/{{Fletch}}'' movies, Fletch is bothered by his ex-wife's incredibly annoying alimony attorney Melvyn Gillette, who he despises almost as much as his ex-wife. (Supposedly, Melvin was able to get a rather unfair settlement in his wife's favor. [[spoiler:Fletch gets even with him at the end of the second film, however, when he shows up offering to forego all future alimony payments (and never show his face there again) in exchange for the Belle Isle property, which he believes to be valuable. Fletch, barely able to contain his joy, happily signs over the land, which unbeknownst to Melvin, is worthless and covered with toxic waste due to the events of the movie.]]

* Discussed and deconstructed in ''Film/FromTheHip.'' Robin, the main character, is a hotshot defense attorney who realizes he may well be about to put a psychopath back on the streets. He goes to his boss for advice. She tells him, gently but firmly, that it's his ''job'' to be the Amoral Attorney. He will have to defend guilty clients, he will most likely put awful people back on the streets, and she warns him that, "the wounds will pile up." That's the price of being a well-paid lawyer. She refuses, however, to be cynical about it. As flawed as the legal system is, she still believes in it, and she hopes with each case that "the truth will come out." Robin ends up [[spoiler: getting his client [[EngineeredPublicConfession to show his guilt — rather explicitly — in front of a jury.]] He gets a guilty man convicted, but he barely escapes disbarment for his actions.]] His boss is quietly proud of Robin for finding a way to do the moral thing.
* In ''Film/{{Peppermint}}'', the attorney defending the gunmen that killed Riley North's family has no qualms working with drug dealers, to the point of using Cartel money to try to buy North's silence before the gunmen go to trial.
* In ''Film/TheGhoul'', Professor Morlant's lawyer Broughton is one of the people trying to break into his tomb to steal the jewel.
* Nick Rice, the ''[[DesignatedHero protagonist]]'' of ''Film/LawAbidingCitizen'', is a high profile prosecutor too proud of his perfect conviction record to focus on actually serving justice any more. The plot of the movie is kicked off when, feeling he doesn't have enough evidence to guarantee the conviction of two men involved in a home invasion where the husband was assaulted, his wife was raped, and both her and the couple's daughter were murdered ([[HollywoodLaw he's totally wrong]]), he makes a plea bargain with the psychopath who actually committed the rape and murder to frame his accomplice ([[EvenEvilHasStandards who only wanted to rob the place and tried to stop his partner's more horrific crimes]]) for the crimes and get him sent to the chair, while the murderer gets off with a slap on the wrist. This bites him in the ass when [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge the husband isn't happy about it]].
* ''Film/AnatomyOfAMurder'', has Paul Biegler, the protagonist. It's intentionally left ambiguous if he's simply very cynical or a genuine Amoral Attorney, but he has no problems acting as though he is the latter in order to help his case.
* The titular character in ''Film/RomanJIsraelEsq'' becomes one of these after he becomes disillusioned with being a CrusadingLawyer, deciding to be exclusively concerned with money.
* Abe Greenberg in ''Film/TheHotRock''. What he does with information given to him in confidence would be unethical (and borderline illegal) regardless of who his client was. But to do it to his own son...?
* ''Film/TheMightyDucks'': Gordon Bombay is a deconstruction. He is very good at winning cases, but his methods and attitude (including but not limited to seducing a court reporter for information) leave his boss increasingly disgusted at having to defend him, and antagonizes judges and prosecutors he should be building relationships with. When he gets arrested for a DUI charge, the judge (whom he has argued in front of before) is all too keen to throw the book at him, and the only thing that keeps him out of prison is some deft social engineering from his boss.
* ''Film/OfficialSecrets'': Crown Prosecutor [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ken_Macdonald Ken Macdonald]] is, like the rest of the British government in this film, JustFollowingOrders. At the end of the film, [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Emmerson Ben Emmerson]] calls him out on leaving his client [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katharine_Gun Katharine Gun]] in suspense for most of a year (Which was done to make an example of her), only to [[spoiler:abruptly drop all charges in the first five minutes of the trial after Ben subpoenas a government legal opinion that the Iraq War was unlawful]].
* An interesting one pops up in ''Film/ErnestGoesToCamp'' where Blatz, the amoral attorney, also happens to be the TokenGoodTeammate out of BigBad Krader and TheDragon Bronk. Not that he's particularly a nice guy as he willingly works for people he knows are doing some pretty immoral stuff, but he's a shining angelic beacon compared to the two bastards he works under as he at least encourages them to always take proper legal venues to get what they want (though he begrudgingly goes along with their illegal and less tactful activities). [[spoiler:He eventually turns his back on Krader when the man decides to outright shoot Ernest instead of [[StatingTheSimpleSolution simply calling the police to evict the attacking campers]], and eventually admits to the police that Krader got the deed to the land under false pretenses.]]
* A much more slimy version, played by the same actor no less, appears in ''Film/ErnestGoesToJail'' as the mob lawyer for the likes of criminals like Rubin Bartlett and Felix Nash, the later of whom is a murderous womanizing bankrobbing (but ''incredibly'' suave) CriminalDoppelganger of Ernest. Unlike Blatz who ''does'' at least follow the law, this guy outright conspires with the two criminals to swap Ernest for Nash, so Ernest will get the chair while Nash will pressure the rest of the jury to find Bartlett innocent. He apparently does this for no reason whatsoever other than it's the only way he can win the case.
* ''Film/{{Juncture}}'': Shaver, the defense attorney who's Anna's last target in the film, defended a school shooter with the claim that [[NewMediaAreEvil video games made him do it]], getting murder charges reduced to voluntary manslaughter, and he is portrayed as a loud-mouthed, arrogant guy who doesn't care if a client is guilty at all. She can't kill him in the end though, when he shows her [[IHaveAFamily photos of his kids]].

* ''Film/PromisingYoungWoman'': Jordan was once a defense attorney who specialized in defending accused rapists, using any means necessary, and he bullied Cassie's friend Nina to drop her complaint. He openly admits to getting off hundreds, and was rewarded for doing so. Later he had a revelation about how terrible this was, and is wracked with guilt.
* ''Film/AMurderOfCrows'': The focus of the killings and the movie's central Aesop. All the victims are criminal defense attorneys who'd been targeted for not caring about whom their clients hurt, only winning, as the film condemns.
* ''Film/TheTatteredDress'': Jim Blane is one by his own account. Using his silver tongue to get clients off when he knows they’re guilty is his whole thing, so the Restons aren’t a first.
* In ''Film/AStudyInScarlet'', lawyer Thaddeus Merrydew is described by Holmes as being the 'blackmail king of London'. He is also head of the Scarlet Ring [[spoiler:and conspires with Captain Pyke to murder the other members so they can split the total proceeds of the crime between themselves]].

* Subverted with Consanza from ''Literature/AConspiracyOfTruths''. Consanza describes herself as this, and Chant also describes her as this late in the book. She starts out trying to convince Chant to bribe his way out of trouble, but ultimately drops it after he objects.Despite being called lazy by Chant she tries to help in other ways, losing sleep and time with her family in the process. [[spoiler:Even when he's sentenced to death, she goes out of her way to fulfill his requests and comfort him, even though she has no obligation to help him anymore]].

* Willie Stark of ''All the King's Men'' is this, as well as a thinly-veiled allusion to the controversial Louisiana governor UsefulNotes/HueyLong. In a unique twist on the trope, he's actually a WellIntentionedExtremist who believes that he has to play dirty in order to do right by his clients and his constituents, but the moral strain of what he does drives him to alcoholism.

* One of the main antagonists of ''Series/PerryMason2020'' is District Attorney Maynard Barnes, who is perfectly willing to frame an innocent and grieving couple for the murder of their own son just so he can solve a high profile case and advance his career, and does so with zero hesitation or empathy. After the father is proven innocent, he immediately frames the mother and has her arrested in the middle of her own son’s funeral and, upon realizing how flimsy his case is, [[spoiler:blackmails her attorney EB Jonathan into suicide]].

* Creator/MichaelCrichton's novel ''Literature/{{Next}}'' features a lawyer, Barry Sindler, who is delighted with the prospect of a genetics-related case because it will take months, increasing his fee. Also, from the same novel, Albert Rodriguez, the Biogen lawyer, who is ready to violate the Burnets' rights by finding loopholes. Sure, an attorney who takes a case because he'll be able to generate a lot of fees is not necessarily amoral. An attorney who purposefully drags out a case to increase the fees he generates is, however.

* One mission in ''VideoGame/HitmanContracts'' (a series where your assassination targets are usually terrorists, mafia bosses, arms dealers and other scoundrels) has you assassinating not only a rich SerialKiller, but also his family lawyer who helped him get away unpunished with kidnapping and killing a small child.
** In the [[VideoGame/Hitman2016 newer game]] there's Ken Morgan, who will sink to any means necessary to win his cases including bribing officials and blackmailing witnesses. He even self-describes himself as a fixer first, attorney second. Like the above target, he is being targeted along with his client's son for tampering in the investigation over a murder the son committed. There's also Yuki Yamazaki, a former Yakuza lawyer who has become an agent for [[NebulousEvilOrganization Providence]]. Also in the [[VideoGame/Hitman3 third game]], there's Don Yates, who leaked confidential information that destroyed his wife's career in order to keep his perfect record, all while keeping it a secret from her for years.
--> '''Ken Morgan''': The things I have done for [Thomas Cross] would get my ''grandchildren'' disbarred.

For every do-gooding CrusadingLawyer out there, there is their inverted opposite: the Amoral Attorney, an asshole who is some combination of opportunistic, arrogant, cynical, and slimy. They decide to put Creator/NiccoloMachiavelli's ideas to work in the field of law, and really do not care how evil the CorruptCorporateExecutive / SleazyPolitician / [[TheDon Mob Boss]] / [[DiabolicalMastermind Criminal Mastermind]] they serve is, as long as the money comes flowing in. Alternatively, prosecutor-style amoral attorneys pursue glory and a political career from closing cases and convicting defendants, while little details like [[MiscarriageOfJustice whether the person being tried is actually guilty]] are considered irrelevant. Whether they're a slick, two-faced charmer lying through their teeth, or an intimidating bully with a law degree, the amoral attorney is a big threat to our heroes. It doesn't matter that you captured the criminal, exposed the MegaCorp's dangerous scheme, or gotten the decisive evidence to acquit the defendant, if that criminal just walks out of court a free man the next day, or the corporation's misdeeds are crafted to somehow be actually legal, or the evidence ''just so happens'' to "disappear".

In general, amoral attorneys won't flagrantly violate the law themselves. Their legitimacy in polite company is one of their strengths, after all. They'll absolutely break the spirit of the rules, though, and cheerfully look the other way as they encourage perjury, "forget" to hand over evidence if not destroy it outright, or subtly encourage their clients or underlings to [[JuryAndWitnessTampering intimidate]] ([[MurderIsTheBestSolution or worse]]) witnesses hostile to their case. If they do decide to directly engage in criminal activity to further their goals, expect this revelation to come up in the finale.

* The least egregious ones are simply very effective lawyers working for very bad people - which means that to some audiences, they too must be bad, by an inversion of the GoodLawyersGoodClients standard. Besides, the audience already knows that the client is guilty, so why defend them at all? This is where the usual real-life disclaimer comes in that in an adversarial system ([[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adversarial_system as The Other Wiki]] explains), lawyers are ''supposed'' to do this. Still, when their client is a sociopathic mass murderer and the lawyer's best defense is to suggest that the HeartwarmingOrphan might be the real culprit, the audience may still be unsympathetic. They might be a RulesLawyer at times, but probably don't do anything wildly unethical, and are merely a PunchClockVillain who could have been a PunchClockHero if hired by someone else.

* Evil prosecutors just want to score convictions and aren't deterred by any ethical concerns that suggest they work in the interest of justice, not merely getting wins. They might work side-by-side with any [[DirtyCop corrupt cops]] on the force to doctor whatever evidence is needed to close the case, or to suppress any evidence that casts doubt on the defendant's culpability. Sometimes they're just in it for the money, but other times, they want influence: flashy court victories will further their career, and perhaps they'll even get elected the next HangingJudge or AntagonisticGovernor. (The other option is a LawfulStupid zealot who genuinely believes that cheating in service of gaining convictions is a [[TheNeedsoftheMany greater good]] action because it's stopping perceived criminals, although that's less amoral and rather a malfunctioning moral compass.)

The Amoral Attorney is generally more competent than the AmbulanceChaser, crazier lawyers who file [[FrivolousLawsuit Frivolous Lawsuits]]. See also EvilLawyerJoke, which originated from how widespread this kind of attorney is in fiction. To meet his opponent, see CrusadingLawyer. For another courtroom villain, see HangingJudge.

* The ''Anime/AceAttorney'' anime adaptation not only has the canon examples from the ''VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorney'' trilogy, but also anime-exclusive character Tristan Turnbull. As the prosecutor in Avery Richman's retrial, he doesn't seem too suspicious at first, save for insisting that retrying the case will change nothing, but then it turns out that he [[spoiler:was in charge of he trial in which Richman was convicted. Because he was ordered to convict Richman to dispose of a potential economic threat to the U.S., he ensured that a key witness, who was the true killer, never took the stand. When the witness later blackmails Turnbull, Turnbull murders him.]] When the truth is revealed, Phoenix, Edgeworth and the U.S. chief prosecutor all call Turnbull a disgrace to his profession.

** [[spoiler:Kazuma Asogi]], the final prosecutor of the second ''Great Ace Attorney'' is a straighter example. First introduced as van Zieks' disciple, he approaches the final trial with a single-minded focus on convicting the defendant, [[spoiler:the aforementioned van Zieks]], out of a personal grudge, for a murder [[spoiler:he himself colluded in]]. It takes several WhatTheHellHero remarks to get him to come to his senses, and at the end of the case, [[spoiler:Kazuma]] is ashamed enough of his actions to [[spoiler:entrust his sword Karuma to Ryunosuke until he's dealt with his inner demons.]]

** Franziska von Karma from ''[[VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneyJusticeForAll Justice for All]]'' is the daughter of Manfred von Karma and inherited his toxic ideals, with the addition of a personal grudge against Phoenix and attacking anyone who annoys her with a [[ATasteOfTheLash whip]]. However, ''unlike'' her papa, she's more of a WellIntentionedExtremist who breaks the law only when she genuinely thinks it's an impediment to the truth of a case- for example, using an illegally taken photograph to prove the existence of spirit channeling to make her case that a channeled spirit committed murder. She happens to be wrong, but it's because the case's villain was ''making it look'' like a spirit channeling had gone wrong, not that spirit channeling wasn't a thing. And when she isn't prosecuting herself, she is perfectly willing to help investigate, no matter where it might lead.

* ''Film/EyeForAnEye'' (1996) had an interesting case. A man breaks into a house to rape and kill a teenager. The only evidence is a small amount of blood - enough for the prosecution to identify him with their own tests, but not enough for the defense to run tests of their own. He gets OffOnATechnicality, leading to the main plot - [[spoiler:the girl's mother suckering the killer into targeting her so she can kill him in self-defense.]] The part that gets you wondering why we don't kill every lawyer on Earth? The defense was invited to have their own experts participate in testing the blood - they declined. ''Then'', they sprung the technicality. They ''purposefully'' refused to participate in the investigation so their killer rapist (who already had a record of stalking) could go free. [[ArtisticLicenseLaw Which is exactly why it doesn't work that way in reality.]]

* Donald Genarro in ''Film/JurassicPark'', though much more [[AdaptationalVillainy lacking in morals]] than in the original novel. Highlighted when he [[DirtyCoward abandons the kids when the T. rex shows up]], only to then be [[LaserGuidedKarma eaten by said rex]].

For every do-gooding CrusadingLawyer out there, there is their inverted opposite: the Amoral Attorney, an asshole who is some combination of opportunistic, arrogant, cynical, and slimy. They decide to put Creator/NiccoloMachiavelli's ideas to work in the field of law, and really do not care how evil the CorruptCorporateExecutive / SleazyPolitician / [[TheDon Mob Boss]] / [[DiabolicalMastermind Criminal Mastermind]] they serve is, as long as the money comes flowing in. Alternatively, prosecutor-style amoral attorneys pursue glory and a political career from closing cases and convicting defendants, while little details like [[MiscarriageOfJustice whether the person being tried is actually guilty]] are considered irrelevant. Whether they're a slick, two-faced charmer lying through their teeth, or an intimidating bully with a law degree, the amoral attorney is a big threat to our heroes. It doesn't matter that you captured the criminal or exposed the MegaCorp's dangerous scheme if that criminal just walks out of court a free man the next day, or the corporation's misdeeds are crafted to somehow be actually legal.

* The worst tend to be "criminal advisor" types playing lawyerly versions of TheConsigliere. They're knee-deep in some sort of evil activity and try to ensure that the {{Corrupt Politician}}s and mob bosses get away scot-free. Their specialty is often in how to put a legitimate sheen on today's evil plan - sure, that factory dumped all its toxic sludge into the local river, but we sold that factory and all its debts off to a separate shell corporation that has no assets last month. Too bad, you can't come after us about that. Sure, they'll go to court to defend their clients when the day comes, too, but they've been working with Team Evil the whole time. Moreover, these attorneys tend to overlap with the aforementioned trope, as some politicians are lawyers by trade.

* In ''[[{{Creator/Aristophanes}} The Birds]]'', one of the uninvited visitors is a summoner who wants to be able to fly between the islands and Athens so fast that he can hold the trial without the defendant, so that the decision automatically goes in the prosecution's favor. Then, fly back to the still-en-route defendant's home to confiscate whatever is forfeit (and possibly a little more for himself). Peisthetaerus will have none of this, and WhipItGood ensues.

** Franziska von Karma from ''[[VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneyJusticeForAll Justice for All]]'' is the daughter of Manfred von Karma and inherited his toxic ideals, with the addition of a personal grudge against Phoenix and attacking anyone who annoys her with a [[WhipItGood whip]]. However, ''unlike'' her papa, she's more of a WellIntentionedExtremist who breaks the law only when she genuinely thinks it's an impediment to the truth of a case- for example, using an illegally taken photograph to prove the existence of spirit channeling to make her case that a channeled spirit committed murder. She happens to be wrong, but it's because the case's villain was ''making it look'' like a spirit channeling had gone wrong, not that spirit channeling wasn't a thing. And when she isn't prosecuting herself, she is perfectly willing to help investigate, no matter where it might lead.