Law Song: Insurance Fraud #2

"There's a lot of ways to make money in this world. But I can't recommend insurance fraud."  Words to live by.

Law Music Video: Jury Duty

Most songs about jury duty are about miscreants trying to get out of it.  This one is different. It may be the most thoughtful one on the topic that I have heard.

Jury Duty

I took a bus all the way downtown,
where 100 of us sat around,
I waited till they called my name,
& they asked if I could fix the blame?
but I know I’ll be judged the way that I judge,
and that’s not usually pretty,
‘cause the measure that I choose is the 1 that they’ll use
when they face me for jury duty, jury duty..

so raise your hand if you recognize
the defendants in their Sunday ties,
as they try to shake the sins of youth,
while the lawyers tug-o’-war the truth,
but we know we’ll be judged the way that we judge,
and that’s not gonna be pretty,
‘cause the measure that we choose is the 1 that they’ll use
when they face us for jury duty..
once I found mercy sweet,
I threw myself at her feet,
& when I asked “am I cursed?”
she laughed: “you’re not the first, you’re not the first.. “

take the worst thing you’ve ever done,
make that moment your defining one,
who of us would get off Scot free?
I’ll tell you now, it sure as hell ain’t me,
‘cause I know I’ll be judged the way that I judge,
that can’t hardly be pretty,
‘cause the measure that I choose is the 1 that they’ll use
when they face me for jury duty,
we all know we’ll be judged the way that we judge,
(I need you to remind me),
that the measure that we choose is the 1 that they’ll use
when they face us for jury duty..

I took a bus all the way downtown
to the courthouse, where we sat around,
I waited till they called my name,
& they asked if I could fix the blame…

Law Song: So Sue Us

Not only is this an upbeat song to get students' brains going before class, it is actually a law lesson. Students don't often realize that having a cause of action doesn't mean much if the defendant is judgment proof.

Law Music Video: Swear to Tell The Truth

A rockin' and rollickin' blues number to get the feet tapping and heads wagging (signs of increased brain activity) before class starts.

Loving v. Virginia, The Movie

Click here (or see below) to see the trailer for the upcoming movie release (November) of "Loving," the story of Richard Loving and Mildred Jeter and their case that made Constitutional history.

For more resources on Loving v. Virginia, see this earlier post and the music videos below.

Trailer:



Music videos:

Justice Scalia's Dissents Put to Music

Somehow, I think that Justice Scalia would have been amused.

Law Music Video: My Judge and My Jury

Classic Doo Wop with a classic legal theme. Play it before class as your students are getting settled.  Music stimulates brain neurons preparing your students to think.

Law Music Video: Against the Law

Below are a few versions of Woody Guthrie's, Against the Law. I hope that you choose your favorite and use it in class.

Brotherhood of Man

I know that I have posted this before, but I have found a few new videos and thought they might be useful.  I see a lot of smiling faces when I play one of these videos in class or before class starts.

I tell students that they have to get to the point where acting ethically is not a decision but instinct.  You have to inherently derive joy from doing the right thing.  Adam Smith in the Theory of Moral Sentiments, which preceded The Wealth of Nations, said that people will be inherently moral because it brings them joy to do so. Therefore, the basis of the free market economic theory is that everyone, inherently, as if "guided by an invisible hand," acts morally.

Ultimately, it is all about being part of the Brotherhood of Man:

Law Music Video: Lawyers, Guns and Money

Are you in deep trouble?  You need lawyers, guns and money!

Tax Day: Honor The Accountants

Here are some Accounting songs to honor the Accountants on tax day:

Appointed Forever

"I'm a federal judge and I'm smarter than you  - for all my life. . . "

Law Music Video: Citizens United

From Roy Zimmerman, a true satirist and social commentator:

Law Song: Call The Police!

Nat King Cole:




Chevalier Brothers:

Mack The Knife

Probably the best known, and most upbeat, "crime song:"



Studio Version:



An alternative live version:


From a movie version of the Threepenny Opera, starring, coincidentally a former law student - the late Raul Julia:

Statute of Frauds Song

For the next several Fridays LSCB will be re-posting a series of Law Lessongs to be used as a classroom resource on some otherwise difficult or mundane topics.  The Statute of Frauds Song recently passed the milestone of over 20,000 hits on Youtube.  I hope that you can make use of it in your curriculum.

Ethics: It's About the Brotherhood of Man.

Law is an expression of public policy decisions.  Sometimes the public policy intentionally permits less than laudable conduct.  The employment-at-will doctrine comes to mind as an example. To encourage employment, the law gives free reign to employers to dismiss employees - even if the grounds for the dismissal seem unfair. See posts: Fired For Racial Tolerance; Fired For Choice of Necktie; Fired For Wearing Orange Shirts.

Ethics, on the other hand, carry no such hidden agenda.  Ethical principles encourage doing the right thing, independent of considerations of expediency, efficiency, profit or other purportedly justifiable circumstance. In short, ethics is about the "Broterhood of Man."  As in:

There is a Brotherhood of Man,
A Benevolent Brotherhood of Man,
A noble tie that binds
All human hearts and minds
Into one Brotherhood of Man. 

Your lifelong membership is free.
Keep agivin' each brother all you can.
Oh aren't you proud to be
In that fraternity,
The great big Brotherhood of Man? 

Oh, that noble feeling,
Feels like bells are pealing,
Down with double-dealing,
Oh Brother! 

You, you got me;
Me, I got you, you! 

From "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying":

Daniel Radcliffe:


Robert Morse:


Matthew Broderick - click on image below:


Drew Carey:

Legally Blonde, The Musical

Harvard Professor Callahan educates his students: exploit your superior resources to take advantage of the weak, scruples are a flaw, and emotions make you weak.  The successful lawyer smells the blood in the water.

"Is it unfair, Oh, wait! I don't care"

"You're nothing until the thrill of the kill becomes your only law."

Is such a public perception of lawyers justified?

Song of Civil Disobedience

Law affects the conduct of the people.  But if the people use their conduct to peacefully disobey the law, then maybe the people affect the shape of the law.

Rosa Parks.  She sat on a bus.

Law School Ditties

More songs in the classroom courtesy of Prof. Erichson at Fordham U School of Law.

Eerie v Tompkins


Pennoyer v. Neff