Atticus Finch Impact

To Kill A Mockingbird
History has been full of men and women who have achieved great things for the cause of racial equality and justice in America. Figures such as Harry Truman, Rosa Parks, and Martin Luther King Jr. have had great impacts in this area in recent history. I would add Harper Lee to this list by her writing of the 1960 novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, with the impact that the fictional lawyer Atticus Finch has had on real lawyers and the justice system.
An important part of the book is the story of Atticus Finch, a lawyer and resident of a fictional county in Alabama called Maycomb, told from the perspective of his daughter, Scout, who is recalling her childhood. Atticus represents Tom Robinson, a black man falsely accused of raping

The specific character of Atticus is based off of Lee’s own father, Amasa Coleman Lee, who was also an Alabama lawyer who represented black defendants like Atticus Finch did. In the legal world, the character’s impact can be seen in many ways. Scholar Alice Petry remarked that “Atticus has become something of a folk hero in legal circles and is treated almost as if he were an actual person.” A law professor at the University of Notre Dame once stated that the most significant and influential textbook he taught from was To Kill a Mockingbird. When asked to describe Atticus Finch, many lawyers regard him as an ideal lawyer. Words and phrases like “integrity”, “professionalism”, “representing the poor and oppressed” and “making a difference” come about most often. He represented justice and equal standing under the law for everyone, which is what the American justice system aims to

(2) Examples of Atticus Finch's impact on the legal profession are plentiful. Richard Matsch, the federal judge who presided over the Timothy McVeigh trial, counts Atticus as a major judicial influence. (3) One law professor at the University of Notre Dame stated that the most influential textbook from which he taught was To Kill a Mockingbird, and an article in the Michigan Law Review asserts, "No real-life lawyer has done more for the self-image or public perception of the legal profession", before questioning whether "Atticus Finch is a paragon of honor or an especially slick hired