Happy Holidays! With finals finishing up, it’s time for students to relax and refresh. What better way to do this than watching holiday movies – but with a law school twist? Here are some Holiday movies as first-year law school courses. 

Hallmark Movies: Civil Procedure 

Yes, Hallmark movies – as in the WHOLE collection of those predictable movies we know and love. Hallmark Christmas movie plots seem to follow a certain formula, or PROCEDURE *wink wink* (I mean look at that photo!). Similarly to Civil Procedure, there are specific rules that govern Hallmark Christmas movies, making them very predictable. 

Each Hallmark Christmas movie puts its own spin on a classic Christmas plot. In Civil Procedure you learn the procedural rules governing our civil system, but you also learn how ingenuity allows lawyers to approach each civil case differently and apply their own tactical spin.

ELF: Torts 

Where do we start? Buddy the Elf finds himself in every manner of absurd scenario that could end up in a Torts casebook. You see Buddy do everything from committing battery against a Santa imposter to testing Christmas toys for manufacturing defects. 

Buddy provides a blueprint for what NOT to do if you wish to avoid various injury and negligence suits.

Home Alone: Property Law

Outside of the obvious Criminal Law and Torts concerns raised by this movie, what about Property Law? The entire film takes place on someone’s private property which is at risk of harm from trespassers. What will the insurance look like for the property damage? What are Kevin’s property rights now that his parents have left him with an entire home? Moreover, are the McCallisters members of an HOA, and how will they react to the disturbances going on in that house?

How the Grinch Stole Christmas: Criminal Law

The Grinch is the quintessential Christmas villain. Just like Criminal Law provides the foundation for the criminal system, the Grinch is a great example of criminality 101. Theft, burglary, vandalism, intent! The Grinch displays it all. 

The Nightmare Before Christmas: Law Practice 

Is it a Christmas movie? Or a Halloween movie? Critics on both sides of the aisle have pleaded their case regarding this movie since 1993. Just as you learn in Law Practice, there isn’t necessarily a right answer! How you craft your arguments and present your research in legal writing can lead to various conclusions. You may even find in legal writing you do not reach clear conclusions at the end of your extensive Westlaw and Lexis research. Despite this, Law Practice teaches the fundamentals of how to articulate your legal findings into a cohesive argument.

For the purposes of this article, The Nightmare Before Christmas makes the Christmas cut!

Klaus: Contracts

Klaus centers around promises owed and conditions made. In this Christmas lore origin story, the main characters make promises to fulfill gift orders for children in exchange for letters they write to Mr. Klaus. Letters conditioned on the children’s good behavior, where not upholding the condition results in the termination of the contract and a lump of coal.

The promises in Klaus exemplify agreements between characters which ultimately lead to the tradition we know today as Santa promising to bring children presents on the condition they are good all year long.

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Haley Cole is a first-year student at BC Law. Contact her at colehc@bc.edu.