OREANDA-NEWS. April 07, 2016. More than 50 years after it was published, Harper Lee's Pulitzer Prize-winning book is still earning praise. Forty-six percent of lawyers recently interviewed by legal staffing and consulting solutions firm Robert Half Legal said "To Kill a Mockingbird" is the greatest novel ever written about the legal field. "Bleak House" by Charles Dickens followed, with eight percent of the survey response. "The Firm" by John Grisham and "Presumed Innocent" by Scott Turow tied for third, each with seven percent of the response.

Lawyers were asked, "What, in your opinion, is the greatest novel ever written about the legal profession?" Their responses:

"To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee

46%

"Bleak House" by Charles Dickens

8%

"The Firm" by John Grisham

7%

"Presumed Innocent" by Scott Turow

7%

"Crime and Punishment" by Fyodor Dostoevsky

5%

Other*

12%

Don't have a favorite novel about legal profession

9%

Don't know/can't choose just one

6%

100%

*Some of the responses included in the "Other" category are:

  • "The Brothers Karamazov" by Fyodor Dostoevsky
  • "The Brethren," "The Confession" and "The Pelican Brief" by John Grisham
  • "The Trial" by Franz Kafka
  • "The Paper Chase" by John Jay Osborn, Jr.

"Compelling legal matters have long been depicted in literary works, serving to both engage and educate readers," said Charles Volkert, executive director of Robert Half Legal. "Not only did 'To Kill a Mockingbird' address important issues of morality, inequality and injustice, but the dedication and determination exhibited by lawyer Atticus Finch to defend his client inspired many generations of students to pursue legal careers."

About the Survey
The survey was developed by Robert Half Legal and conducted by an independent research firm. It is based on 350 telephone interviews with lawyers in the United States and Canada: 175 of the respondents are employed at law firms with 20 or more employees and 175 are employed at companies with 1,000 or more employees.

About Robert Half Legal
Robert Half Legal is the premier provider of legal staffing and consulting solutions for law firms and corporate legal departments. With North American and global locations, Robert Half Legal provides a customized approach, including managed review, legal project management and eDiscovery services, to help organizations handle constantly changing workloads. The company offers in-demand expertise across practice areas as well as highly skilled legal professionals on a temporary, project and full-time basis. More information about our full suite of legal staffing and consulting solutions can be found at roberthalflegal.com. For career and management advice, follow our Legal Blog at blog.roberthalflegal.com.