SHOCKING TURN: The Lincoln Lawyer Season 4 Could DESTROY Its Winning Streak 

Netflix’s powerhouse legal thriller is back — but one CRITICAL mistake threatens to unravel everything fans love. As Mickey Haller returns to the courtroom, the pressure’s higher than ever… can Season 4 save its legacy or will it all come crashing down? 

The Lincoln Lawyer Can’t Continue Making This Mistake In Season 4

Netflix’s The Lincoln Lawyer has repeatedly gotten one part of the law wrong, but it can’t continue the problem in season 4. The legal drama is one of the most popular Netflix original shows, and the characters will return in The Lincoln Lawyer season 4, which will put Mickey Haller in the hot seat.

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Michael Connelly’s The Lincoln Lawyer books are considered some of the most accurate fictional legal books out there thanks to Connelly’s experience as a crime journalist. Additionally, Ted Humphrey, who is one of the two showrunners of the Netflix show, worked as a lawyer before transitioning to screenwriting. As such, The Lincoln Lawyer was set up for success when it comes to legal accuracy.

While they make some changes for drama, The Lincoln Lawyer gets many parts of the law correct. It also does a reasonably good job of explaining legal concepts for the ordinary viewer. However, every season of The Lincoln Lawyer has repeated one specific legal mistake that breaks my suspension of disbelief: evidence rules.

The Lincoln Lawyer Doesn’t Follow Real Evidence Rules

One of the accurate aspects of Netflix’s The Lincoln Lawyer is the fact that the judge has the right to determine what evidence is admitted into court, and they may request testimony without the jury present to decide. Additionally, hearsay isn’t allowed in court. However, other aspects of the Federal Rules of Evidence are completely ignored.

There are strict rules about submitting evidence ahead of time and sharing it with everyone involved in the case. The prosecution and defense need to have access to all evidence long before a trial ever proceeds, so that both parties can prepare their arguments. They can’t just add surprise witnesses or surprise evidence.

Paramount+ is creating a TV show based on Michael Connelly’s experience as a crime reporter before writing the Bosch and The Lincoln Lawyer books.

Consequently, surprises in court don’t really happen, except when witnesses change their testimony. It’s hard to walk the line between legal accuracy and entertaining TV. However, The Lincoln Lawyer will need to align with real-life rules of evidence because it plays a role in The Law of Innocence, which is the basis for The Lincoln Lawyer season 4.

Evidence Rules Play A Significant Role In The Law Of Innocence

I’m willing to forgive a lot of inaccuracies when it comes to TV shows because legal dramas aren’t expected to be 100% accurate. Plus, I’m not a lawyer, despite having an interest in criminal law. However, the Federal Rules of Evidence play a significant role in The Law of Innocence.

Dana “Death Row Dana” Berg, the prosecutor on Mickey’s case, is a spitfire who’s determined to win at any cost. Unfortunately for Dana, her refusal to follow the rules heavily impacts Mickey Haller’s case.

It would be odd for them to emphasize the rules of evidence at one point in the season and then throw them out the window later. As such, they will need to strike a balance and lean into legal realism when it comes to evidence in The Lincoln Lawyer season 4.