Poll result: Denny Crane number one, Turnbull more popular in practice

Celebrity paralegal Erin Brockovich had everyone starstruck at Shine Lawyers this week, with the announcement of her consultancy at the firm making national news. She even popped up on Network 10's 7pm Project on Thursday night, with David Hughes twittering her praises: "...as well being a brilliant fighter for the rights of da peeps, [she] is looking good as at 49".

Voters in our celebrity/fictional lawyer poll (Which celebrity lawyer/fictional character would fit the bill at your firm?) seemed to prefer, if not brains, then boys over beauty.

Boston Legal's idiosyncratic Denny Crane, portrayed by William Shatner, was the number-one recruitment choice for voters in a 42 per cent landslide. His qualifications are impeccable - he's a staunch conservative republican, adept at media manipulation and enjoys a quality cigar at the end of the day.

Real-life lawyer turned politician Malcolm Turnbull pulled in a respectable 19 per cent of the vote, beating his Newspoll popularity rating by a whole 2 per cent - suggesting he would be more popular in private practice than in public life.

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Rumpole of the Bailey, a fictional barrister created by Sir John Mortimer, was a close third with 18 per cent of the vote. Unfortunately, actor Leo McKern who played Rumpole throughout his time on screen died in 2002.

The two women lawyers in our poll had little in common, other than their gender. Elle Woods, the ditzy blonde played by Reese Witherspoon in the movie Legally Blonde, received 11 per cent of the vote. Meanwhile, Hillary Rodham Clinton, the 67th United States Secretary of State received a paltry 10 per cent of the vote.