Line #85 Main/TheCourtroomIndex


1	->'''Judge:''' Bailiff! Call the next case.\
2	'''Bailiff:''' ''in re '''An index of tropes relating to law, lawyers, and courtrooms.'''''\
3	'''Judge:''' Order in the Court. What are the specified charges, er, I mean tropes?
4	----
5	[[index]]
6	!!Tropes (media about law)
7	[floatboxright:
8	'''Genres'''
9	+ LawProcedural
10
11	'''Subcategory'''
12	+ ArtisticLicenseLaw
13
14	'''UsefulNotes'''
15	+ UsefulNotes/TheCommonLaw
16	+ UsefulNotes/CourtSystems
17	+ UsefulNotes/StayingOutOfLegalTrouble
18	+ UsefulNotes/ThreeDegreesOfMurder
19	+ UsefulNotes/TortReform
20	]
21	* AdoptionConflict: A courtroom battle over who's really the family of a child (usually the biological family versus the adopted family).
22	* AmbulanceChaser: A lawyer exaggerates their client's injuries to get more in compensation.
23	* AmoralAttorney: An attorney whose practices make it easy to call them evil.
24	** EvilLawyerJoke: The work or characters within it joke about lawyers being evil.
25	* ArmyOfLawyers: Group of lawyers (or "legal team", alternatively) used as an intimidation tactic.
26	* BackfireOnTheWitnessStand: A witness is called to the stand, but their testimony ends up harming rather than helping the side that called them in.
27	* BailEqualsFreedom: When a work treats paying bail as a one-time fine for freedom, even though that's not how it works in RealLife.
28	* BlackCapOfDeath: A judge puts on a black cap to let all those present know that the death penalty has already been decided and will soon be passed.
29	* BlindJustice: Someone who works for justice and law is also blind.
30	* ChewbaccaDefense: Using something besides logic and reason to win a case. Can cross over into InsaneTrollLogic.
31	* CircuitJudge: A judge who moves from place to place within a territory.
32	* CommonNonsenseJury: A wrong verdict is passed not because of ill intent, unfair rules, etc. The jury's just plain stupid.
33	* ComputerizedJudicialSystem: A justice system that relies almost entirely on computers.
34	* CourtMartialed: Soldiers (or anyone else living under military rule) break the law and/or get out of hand. Thus, they have to answer for it in military court.
35	* CourtroomAntics: A court proceeding ends up being wacky instead of serious.
36	* CourtroomEpisode: An episode that focuses on a court case.
37	* CrusadingLawyer: A lawyer who cares more about doing what's right, protecting the weak, and giving a fair trial than money.
38	* CustodyBattle: Conflict ensues when a couple gets divorced and can't agree who should get custody of the children.
39	* DecoyTrial: A trial falsely accusing someone in hopes that the true guilty party will come out.
40	* DisneyOwnsThisTrope: When a company has ownership of something so specific or unexpected that it can make one ask, "Really? They own that?"
41	* DivorceAssetsConflict: Two characters decide to get a divorce, but deciding who gets what part of the property is a big hassle.
42	* EmancipatedChild: A child legally disowns themselves from their own parents.
43	* FantasticLegalWeirdness: The presence of the supernatural interacts pretty weirdly with legal processes.
44	* AFoolForAClient: A character decides to represent himself/herself in court.
45	* FrivolousLawsuit: A lawsuit based on a pretty flimsy reason.
46	* GoodLawyersGoodClients: If a client is good, then the lawyer must be as well, and vice-versa.
47	* GuiltyUntilSomeoneElseIsGuilty: The primary suspect is assumed guilty until the true culprit is revealed.
48	* HangingJudge: A judge who is so ruthless that everyone in the court fears him. If this judge is giving your sentence, expect it to be horrifying no matter what crime you've committed.
49	* HelloAttorney: An attorney who provides a good bit of {{Fanservice}}.
50	* HilaritySues: The hero saves the day or the villain wins...and then they're brought into court.
51	* HollywoodLaw: Any case in which the RealLife workings and proceedings for law and justice are changed for dramatic purpose.
52	* HumanityOnTrial: The ''entire human race'' is put on trial, usually represented by one person or a small group of people.
53	* InconvenientlyVanishingExoneratingEvidence: Evidence that could have cleared someone of a charge disappears from the crime scene.
54	* InsanityDefense: Character(s) uses the defense that they're insane in hopes of evading a death penalty.
55	* JokerJury: A hero is brought into court. Problem being, the judge and jurers are their worst enemy (or enemies, even.)
56	* JudgeJuryAndExecutioner: A single group or even one person is given all the authority when it comes to justice.
57	* JudicialWig: The long, white, curly wig worn by a judge.
58	* JuryDuty: An episode/arc about a character serving jury duty or doing their best to get out of it.
59	** JuryAndWitnessTampering: The jury or witness is bribed or threatened into changing their testimony/decision.
60	** RogueJuror: One juror's opinion goes against the others', and it's up to them to change their minds.
61	* JuryOfTheDamned: The accused is granted a trial with a jury, but said jury is composed of untrustworthy or even malicious people.
62	* KangarooCourt: A trial with no due process, fairness, or even order, wherein the accused has absolutely no chance of ''trying'', let alone winning, because their verdict has already been decided; the trial is just a show, and its only purpose is to legally declare that there was a trial.
63	* TheLawFirmOfPunPunAndWordplay: A law firm with silly, funny names.
64	* LongerThanLifeSentence: The accused is given a sentence longer than they could possibly live. [[note]]This is TruthInTelevision to some degree, as those guilty of multiple crimes can have their sentences stacked up.[[/note]]
65	* MakeTheDogTestify: A witness that is unconventional or just plain bizarre.
66	* MiscarriageOfJustice: Any case where an innocent person is found guilty (or a guilty person is found innocent).
67	* NeverFilledOutOfficialPaperwork: A situation where not filling out proper paperwork may lead to situations like dismissal or disqualification from a judicial situation.
68	* NotablyQuickDeliberation: The jury comes to their decision ''very'' quickly, for any reason.
69	* NotaryNonsense: Notaries and notarization depicted unrealistically in fiction, in ways that would either have no bearing in court or be outright detrimental to any case.
70	* OccultLawFirm: A law firm that defends the occult or supernatural beings.
71	* OmnidisciplinaryLawyer: In fiction, if you have a law degree, you can represent in any trial for any crime.
72	* OnlyBadGuysCallTheirLawyers: When someone asking for a lawyer is treated as a sure sign of a guilty conscience.
73	* PenultimateOutburst: Someone in a courtroom causes so much disruption that the judge warns them one more time, or else.
74	* PersecutingProsecutor: A prosecutor who will do anything and everything to win their case.
75	* ScalesOfJustice: The literal or metaphorical image of scales in a court.
76	* SentencedWithoutTrial: Someone is condemned for a crime without receiving a trial, despite being specifically entitled to one by whatever legal system exists in the setting.
77	* SimpleCountryLawyer: A lawyer from the country who may not be rich or expensive to hire, but tries to win over the jury with their charm and appeal.
78	* SpousalPrivilege: Married characters have certain privileges in court, such as being free to ''not'' testify for or against their spouse.
79	* StatuteOfLimitations: After a certain time, a character cannot be convicted of a crime.
80	* StockLegalPhrases: You know, the phrases that seem to pop up in ''every'' fictional trial. "Stop badgering the witness!" "Has the jury reached a verdict?" etc.
81	* SternOldJudge: The archetypical no-nonsense, venerable judge.
82	* StreisandEffect: When attempting to use legal action to hide something minor backfires and makes it far more visible than it would have been otherwise.
83	* ThatWasObjectionable: A lawyer objects in a trial, except they have no reason to.
84	* ThereIsNoHigherCourt
85	* ThereShouldBeALaw: It's technically not illegal, but it grosses or angers a character so much that they verbally wish that there was a law against it.
86	* TrialByCombat: When two parties have to settle their legal dispute by violently fighting in a duel.
87	* TrialByOrdeal: When the defendant's guilt or innocence is determined by being forced into a dangerous life-or-death situation.
88	* TrialOfTheMysticalJury: The hero has been captured and forced into a trial, but his captors/jurors are not villains. Most likely, they have committed a crime they were not aware existed where they are.
89	* TheTroubleWithTickets: A character is dealt a traffic ticket and fights teeth and nail against it.
90	* UnconventionalCourtroomTactics: Where characters involved in the trial engage in unconventional behavior in order to make their case.
91
92	!!Tropes (law about media)
93	* ClumsyCopyrightCensorship: The censorship of something due to copyright is very noticeable.
94	* ContractualObligationProject: A creator makes or completes a work because they are legally obligated to.
95	* LawyerFriendlyCameo: It's pretty clear that a copyrighted character is making a cameo, but a lawsuit is avoided by technical means, like blurring their faces or making point-blank statements.
96	* OurLawyersAdvisedThisTrope: A work is prefaced or followed by a legal statement.
97	* ScrewedByTheLawyers: When a work is discontinued because of lawyers.
98	* WritingAroundTrademarks: A name is already trademarked, so it's changed just slightly to avoid copyright lawsuits.
99	** YouWannaGetSued: In-universe, a character almost says something trademarked, only for another character to cut them off with a warning [[LeaningOnTheFourthWall that they could be sued for speaking it.]]
100	[[/index]]
101
102	!!Sounds like this index, but isn't
103	* BunnyEarsLawyer (a lot of these guys are lawyers, but most of them aren't.)
104	* RulesLawyer (more about applying lawyerly behavior where it might not be called for, although there are obviously exceptions.)
105	----
106	->'''Judge:''' And if you took the time to read all the entries all the way down here [[JustForFun/TVTropesWillRuinYourLife you are found guilty of spending too much time on TV Tropes]]. Sentence is four words. Bailiff! Call the next case.

Context Main / TheCourtroomIndex