Above The Law: The 10 Sleaziest Lawyers In Movies

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10. JOE PESCI AS VINCENT LAGUARDIA GAMBINI IN MY COUSIN VINNY (1992)

"Ayo, you talkin' to me?" Not quite the greeting you expect from your civil servant when your ass is in the frying pan for murder. Still, for Bill Gambini (Ralph Macchio), who's cousin is a brash, offensive, loud-mouthed small fry personal injury lawyer with a big attitude and zero trial experience, you need all the help you can get. Even if it wears a leather suit coat and doesn't know how to address the court.

9. JIM CARREY AS FLETCHER REEDE IN LIAR, LIAR (1997)

All sleazy lawyers hide truths or lie. In this particular career-obsessed asshole's case, dishonesty extends to his personal life: He misses his son's birthday party for "work," a.k.a. boning his partner. Before his son makes a birthday wish that prevents him from lying, Reede sees no problem with using a witness who commits perjury to win a divorce case. The sad thing is, if we were going to trial, this is exactly the guy we'd want on our side.

8. PAUL NEWMAN AS FRANK GALVIN IN THE VERDICT (1982)

An alcoholic ambulance chaser, Galvin eventually gets his shit together to seek damages from a hospital in a medical malpractice case where staff improperly administered anesthetic to a young mother, who then fell into a coma. Before that, though, he was just a drunk chasing ambulances, preying on victims for settlement money. As you can tell, we don't believe in redemption or forgiveness around here.

7. HARRISON FORD AS ROZAT "RUSTY" SABICH IN PRESUMED INNOCENT (1990)

What do you call it when a prosecutor discovers that his wife murdered the colleague he was having an affair with, then destroys the evidence in order to protect his wife and son? Oh yeah, sleazy hypocrisy.

6. JOHN TRAVOLTA AS JAN SCHLICHTMANN IN A CIVIL ACTION (1998)

A personal injury lawyer, Schlichtmann isn't driven by outrage that a big company has been poisoning people and the environment; the only green he cares about goes in a billfold. After initially turning the case down because he doesn't see any money in it, he signs on when he realizes that several of the defendants are filthy rich. So yeah, don't expect dude to come to your Earth Day party.

5. JON VOIGHT AS LEO F. DRUMMOND IN THE RAINMAKER (1997)

Insurance companies are evil. By extension, lawyers who represent them are evil. In this John Grisham adaptation, Drummond is a big-time scumbag attorney who uses wire taps and other illegal means in an effort to win a case for a company that denied a 29-year-old leukemia patient the bone marrow transplant that would have saved his life. They're digging new quarters in hell for this unholy team.

4. GEORGE CLOONEY AS MICHAEL CLAYTON IN MICHAEL CLAYTON (2007)

"The truth can be adjusted." So says the tagline for this legal thriller about a lawyer who works as a "fixer" for a firm, using his connections, influence, and knowledge of legal loopholes to get clients out of jams when they do nefarious shit like poison people or commit a hit and run. Good to have on your payroll if you're an evil fuck, not so good to have in the world if you're anybody else.

3. WILLIAM HURT AS NED RACINE IN BODY HEAT (1981)

Having an affair with a gold-digging woman who married for money isn't a crime. Plotting her husband's murder and committing it, then covering it up so you and she can get rich, as conniving lawyer Racine does here, is most definitely a no-no. We didn't even go to law school and we know that one.

2. SEAN PENN AS DAVID KLEINFELD IN CARLITO'S WAY (1993)

The epitome of sleaze, this urchin of a mob lawyer dreams of being a respected bad guy and steals one million bucks from an imprisoned boss instead of delivering the payoff to spring his client. When forced to help the mobster escape from the Rikers Island prison barge, Kleinfeld kills him and his son. All shady shit, to be sure, but the capper comes when he tries to wriggle his way out of legal problems by offering to testify against his "friend" and former hood Carlito Brigante for crimes that he hasn't actually committed. Apparently you can't trust a lawyer as far as you can throw them—unless you're throwing them in a river.

1. KEANU REEVES AS KEVIN LOMAX IN DEVIL'S ADVOCATE (1997)

When this Florida defense attorney discovers that his client, a teacher accused of child molestation, did indeed molest his students, he continues to defend him, concerned more with maintaining a perfect trial record than with justice. As if knowingly defending a pedophile weren't bad enough, when one of the man's teary-eyed young victims is forced to take the stand, Lomax rips into her, destroying her credibility and getting his client off. Then, fittingly, he goes to work for Satan's law firm.