From Deseret News archives:
Law club honoring 'Seinfeld' shyster
"It's delicious! Scrumptious! Outstanding!" the moustached attorney would say.
The fast-talking lawyer on the popular TV show "Seinfeld" has become the inspiration for a new club at the University of Utah's S.J. Quinney College of Law. Phil Morris, the actor who made Chiles a popular character, will be honored tonight at the society's year-end banquet.
"He embodies a lot of the negative stereotypes of attorneys," Tyler Buswell, the president of the Jackie Chiles Law Society at the U., said of the "Seinfeld" character.
The society is a club at the law school that takes a look at the law through pop culture's eyes. It has put "The Simpsons" character Krusty the Clown on trial, analyzed jury selection as a result of watching "CSI," and even used "Seinfeld" as the basis for a discussion on intellectual property law.
"People love to come to it because it's a good time," Buswell said. "We do talk about real legal issues."
Movies like "Intolerable Cruelty" and "Liar, Liar" have also provided a good jumping point to discuss ethics and lawyers and mass media portrayals of lawyers as slimy ambulance chasers.
"Part of the society is to figure out why popular culture views attorneys in this way," Buswell said, adding that movies 50 years ago showed attorneys as defenders of justice.
"Yet today, that has totally changed," he said.
The Jackie Chiles Law Society is named after the ultimate stereotype of ambulance chasers. Jackie Chiles was Kramer's lawyer in a number of episodes, including several product liability suits. When Kramer aged prematurely because he turned his apartment into a smoking lounge, Chiles saw a big, fat tobacco settlement.
"Jackie's cashing in on your wretched disfigurement," the lawyer said to Kramer in an episode recap published on Wikipedia.org.
Each episode typically ended with Chiles being foiled by Kramer accepting a foolish settlement offer instead of going for money.
For the society's banquet, Buswell decided to ask actor Phil Morris, who made the Chiles character famous, to come to Salt Lake City to speak.
"He loved the idea," Buswell said.
The banquet takes place tonight at the Little America Hotel. The master of ceremonies will be U.S. District Judge Dee Benson.
E-mail: bwinslow@desnews.com
Comments
- Utah Jazz game at a glance 10:55 p.m.
- Sharing is key to Jazz shooting 10:54 p.m.
- Mo steals show in Cavaliers' victory 10:53 p.m.
- Hall mouths off about hate of Utah 10:52 p.m.
- NBA Sunday 10:47 p.m.
- NFL Sunday 10:45 p.m.
- Carbon credits spell new future 10:44 p.m.
- Russia investigates train derailment 10:44 p.m.
- Price's injury still a pain in the foot 10:43 p.m.
- Short in height, tall in talent 10:42 p.m.
- Cave to be sealed with body inside
- Predicting the unpredictable: BYU wins
- Vegas, Poinsettia bowls or bust
- Glover gives Utes last-second upset
- BYU football: 5 keys to victory
- Cougars turn back Wildcats'
- Man trapped in Nutty Putty cave dies
- Running game key to BYU offense
- Woods, wife unavailable for interview
- Idaho woman dies after fall
- Cougars beat Utes, 26-23
352 - Thunder rolls by Jazz
136 - Letters: Rushing to judge Palin
134 - Man trapped in Nutty Putty cave dies
115 - Cave to be sealed with body inside
114 - Editorial: Poor welcome for Palin
113 - Letters: Trump card for believers
99 - Rivalry Week is highly profane
88 - Hall's legacy measured today
75 - Y. focused on 10-win season
73
I wanted to tell them not to go. I dropped subtle hints. "My money is on...
When I was a kid, I worshipped my grandpa. He was undoubtedly my hero....
It's time to get 'er done, that's why the 'rush'. We've been at it for...
Here we go again... Is he going to start singing in court again? This...
"New Mexico held TCU to 51 points today and the Utah stellar defense couldn't...
I haven't been so optimistic about Aggie football in a long time. Even though...
A team that only won 3 D.I games, one win was to a D.I-AA team, no D.I...
I'd like to thank the Utes for an entertaining game and for losing for the...
I think we all pretty much agree that Todd needs a life other than blogging....
Bro, don't be so narrow in your thinking. Is Oklahoma beating Oklahoma State...
I love watching Utah football and it was a nail-biter, but Utah made too many...
Thanks Max for making your team, your university, your faith, and your family...



You can be the first to comment on this story.