[photo credit: Pasadena Senior Center]
When a movie lawyer objects in court, is the outrage real or rehearsed? When an expert witness takes the stand, whose truth are they telling? On April 7, a Pasadena resident who has spent more than five decades answering those questions will bring his analysis to the Pasadena Senior Center.
Paul Bergman, Professor of Law Emeritus at UCLA Law School, will present the first of two Masters Series lectures titled “Return to Reel Justice: Courtrooms in the Movies.” The April 7 session uses courtroom film clips to explore the ethical dilemmas that arise between lawyers and their clients and the rules and roles governing expert witnesses — subjects that shape real trials but that most people encounter only through Hollywood, according to the Pasadena Senior Center event description.
Bergman, who often commutes by bicycle from Pasadena to UCLA, has been on the law school faculty since 1970. He has presented courtroom-movie lectures at multiple Pasadena venues, including the Pasadena Museum of History in September 2024 and previous sessions at the Senior Center itself. His approach treats courtroom films not as entertainment alone but as cultural artifacts — in much the same way anthropologists use pottery and cave drawings to understand how past societies functioned, according to the event listing posted by the Pasadena Senior Center.
His method draws on decades of scholarship. Bergman is the co-author, with Michael Asimow, of “Real to Reel: Truth and Trickery in Courtroom Movies,” a 2021 book that analyzes more than 200 courtroom films from the 1930s to the present. He is also the co-author of “Reel Justice: The Courtroom Goes to the Movies,” which has been published in a Chinese-language edition. He has authored or co-authored more than 15 books in total, according to his UCLA Extension biography.
Before retiring, Bergman taught Trial Advocacy and Film and the Law at UCLA Law. Since becoming an emeritus professor, he primarily teaches Evidence. He has received the University’s Distinguished Teaching Award, the American Trial Lawyers Association’s award for Excellence in Teaching Trial Advocacy, and the Dickson Emeritus Professorship Award for outstanding research, scholarly work, teaching, and service since retirement, according to UCLA Law’s faculty page. His media appearances include interviews during the O.J. Simpson criminal trial, the NBC “Today” show, and CNN’s “Burden of Proof,” according to his UCLA Extension biography.
Bergman has delivered courtroom-movie presentations to professional audiences including the American Bar Association, the American College of Trial Lawyers, the National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges, and the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies at the University of London, according to UCLA Extension.
A second session on April 14, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m., covers judges in courtroom movies and hearsay and other evidence rules.
Both sessions take place at the Pasadena Senior Center, 85 E. Holly St. Cost is $15 for members and $18 for non-members per session. A pre-sale two-session series ticket is available for $25 for members and $35 for non-members. The program is in-person and will not be recorded. Reservations are suggested, and tickets will be available at the door. For more information, contact Annie Laskey at (626) 685-6702 or visit pasadenaseniorcenter.org. Online registration is available at the Pasadena Senior Center website.
Bergman’s April 7 session begins at 2:00 p.m. and runs until 4:00 p.m. As described by the Pasadena Senior Center, Bergman will share movie clips that tell stories about society’s cultural beliefs and attitudes toward law, lawyers, and justice — delivered by a professor who, as a law student, decided it was his duty to keep levity in the classroom, a practice he has continued ever since, according to UCLA Law.
MASTERS SERIES: LAWYERS VS. CLIENTS (ETHICAL DILEMMAS AND STRATEGIC STRUGGLES IN ATTORNEY-CLIENT RELATIONSHIPS) AND EXPER-TEASE (EXPERT WITNESSES — RULES AND ROLES) Date & Time: Tuesday, April 7, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. Venue: Pasadena Senior Center, 85 E. Holly St., Pasadena, CA 91103. Phone Number: 626-795-4331. Website: https://www.pasadenaseniorcenter.org/lectures-classes/masters-series-lifelong-learning. Cost: $15.00/Members, $18.00/Non-members