7 Famous Movie Courtroom Scenes (And How They Are Wrong In Real Life)
6. Adam's Rib (1949) - Spouses As Opposing Counsel
Don't let the release date of the movie scare you away. Just because it's almost 70 years old doesn't mean it's not worth a watch.
“Lawyers should never marry other lawyers. This is called inbreeding. From this comes idiot children… and other lawyers.”
That is a great quote from the 1949 film, Adam's Rib. But confession time: I am married to another lawyer myself. Even still, it is a good rule to follow.
One rule the film doesn't follow, though, is the idea that spouses would generally not be allowed to be opposing counsel in a case. This would be especially true in a criminal case. There are rules of Professional Ethics that speak against these types of situations in order to prevent what could be presumed to be a conflict of interests.
This makes logical sense, of course, but the entire film is built around the husband and wife (played by Spencer Tracy and Audrey Hepburn) sparring in court. When my wife and I fight at home over where to eat dinner, I can only imagine the drama if we had to duke it out in court...