Cousin Vinny Ethics

In the practice of law ethics are a fundamental and necessary part of the practice. According to Merriam-Webster, Ethics are defined as “rules of behavior based on ideas about what is morally good and bad.” Theatrics are ethical in the courtroom because they contribute to the overall narrative of either the defense or the prosecution. Theatrics have to do with every aspect of the courtroom from the actors to the costumes and from the stage to the audience. The theatre has a specific purpose of conveying a narrative. A lawyer’s goal in any trial is to tell a specific narrative to the jury. There are two competing narratives in the courtroom, so it is a lawyers ethical duty to the client to try and expand the storyline as to convince the jury of the most probable account. The actors found in a theatre can be paralleled to the members of a court. Lawyers, witnesses, the judge, and the bailiff all make up the cast seen in an average trial. In My …show more content…
Vincent LaGuardia Gambini, otherwise known as Vinny, is the defending counsel for his cousin, Bill Gambini and his friend Stan Rothenstein. Vinny’s main role is as a storyteller of a specific narrative. Vinny’s acting, attire, props, demeanor on stage (the well), and his relationship to the audience (the jury) are all aspects of the way the narrative is told. His attire in the beginning of the film was not very professional, and did not portray himself as a well-known lawyer. The judge overseeing the case, Judge Chamberlain Haller, would not allow Vinny to continue in his unprofessional clothing as it impeded upon his ability to convey the account and was seen as disrespect for the court. Vinny’s responsibility includes direct and cross-examining witnesses, such as George Wilbur, Sheriff Dean Farley, Mona Lisa Vito, Sam Tipton and Constance