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I have been accused of a crime that I may or may not have committed--something about smuggling vibranium into New York, allegedly. As a New Yorker, I've heard tell of Matt Murdock, who seems to rarely lose a case. However, I've also heard that, unlike your standard attorney, Matt Murdock is secretly

Daredevil.

Therefore, he is able to go above and beyond the call of duty for clients in ways other lawyers cannot. His enhanced senses allow him to hear the heartbeats of both clients and witnesses, helping him to determine how truthful they are being. He has also personally apprehended the true culprits of the crimes his client has been accused of committing and can find evidence proving his client's innocence through extralegal means.

Stripped of his powers and access to other resources as a superhero, how good a lawyer is Matt Murdock? Have there been any instances where, through knowledge of legal precedence and sheer charisma, Murdock has been able to successfully argue a case? If I didn't know about his extracurricular activities, would you recommend that I hire him, or should I go with someone like Jennifer Walters?

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  • In She-Hulk he's an excellent lawyer, basically making Jen look like a chump. Commented Mar 28 at 21:26
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    @Valorum In all fairness, I would blame Jen's firm for handing her such an obviously liable client. Commented Mar 28 at 22:54
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    Is being able to (privately) determine someone's guilt that much of an advantage in US law? Without being able to convince a jury beyond reasonable doubt, or maybe influence them through charisma, determining guilt with non law-approved means alone doesn't seem like a huge advantage to me... Commented Mar 31 at 12:26
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    @Blaze You've shared great points in your comments that would work well as an answer. Adding specific comic book issue references would make it even better. Commented Apr 24 at 2:06
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    @Blaze I did upvote your answer anyway :) Commented Apr 25 at 1:51

2 Answers 2

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If it please the court, I'd like to address the case of "Is Matthew Murdock a good lawyer without leaning on Daredevil powers?"

Murdock is a sharp, charismatic lawyer. However, my memory supplies his greatest normal human victories only came with the aid of his partner and friend, Foggy Nelson. Foggy citing case law precedents and other legal factoids often gave Murdock the vital ammunition he needed to sway the verdict. So, if possible, one might seriously consider hiring "Nelson & Murdock" rather than just Murdock.

Exhibit A: (Daredevil #12, 2012) A flashback story featuring Matt and Foggy when they were but eager law students. In this case, they are locking horns with an unpleasant professor. Matt's flamboyant boldness got the mock trial going, but it was Foggy who brought the victory home.

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Exhibit B: (Daredevil #175, 1981) Foggy has to pinch hit for an absent Murdock off doing Daredevil stuff. He scores a home run.

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Exhibit C: (Daredevil #3, 2011)There was also a period in the comics when Murdock was strongly discouraged from appearing in court. He and Nelson went into the tutoring business, supplying the knowledge and coaching for civilians to defend themselves in court. Their combined legal acumen was such that these normal folk had victory after victory, despite the arm's length involvement enter image description here

Summation: Matthew Murdock is a cunning and confident attorney who really shines like a star with the aid of his partner, Foggy Nelson.

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    Hmm... so the professor was intentionally framing Foggy? That's pretty rotten. Commented Apr 24 at 16:39
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Not sure how this question can be answered but taking into account Marvel Wiki entries associated to both characters, I would choose Matt Murdock

Excerpt from Matthew Murdock (Earth-616)

Master Attorney: Murdock is a highly skilled and accomplished lawyer, specializing in criminal justice. His legal practice is considered the single greatest source of strength of both emotional stability and his successful war on crime. Murdock's law firm also does a lot of pro bono work as well as the full range of social justice issues such as rape cases, hate crimes, police brutality, wrongful death suits, medical malpractice, whistleblower/witness protection cases, workplace violence, corporate business fraud, LGBT harassment/workplace inequality, child/sexual abuse cases, victims of war crimes/terrorism, food/consumer safety cases, automotive recalls, anti-GMO food lobbying, and even environmental issues. In law school, Murdock also had a very particular focus in U.S. Constitutional Law.[49]

Excerpt from Jennifer Walters (Earth-616)

Expert Attorney: She-Hulk is a trained and accomplished attorney.[79]

Law Degree: Jennifer attended UCLA School of Law and Harvard Law School.[69][79][7] She has shown great versatility in her legal practice, representing criminal defendants,[249] corporations,[123] and even domestic violence victims.[78]

Highly skilled beats trained, right? And look at the different typology of the cases listed, it seems that Matthew got more experience tackling different types of them.

I would recommend hiring him for sure.

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  • But do we know whether he's considered "highly skilled" due to his strictly human legal skills, or is this perception caused by his win rate, which may be related to his superhero skills? Commented Mar 31 at 12:28

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