For the most part, we love cheering for an underdog. That's why we like superheroes — and lawyers — who are on the side of justice. In many cases, they are representing the weak or vulnerable and helping to right a wrong. Perhaps it gives us hope.

Here's a short list of some standout attorneys in books.

1. Atticus Finch from 'To Kill a Mockingbird'

You had to see that coming. And it would be almost criminal to start a list like this with anyone else. The man has his own Wikipedia page. Books Magazine named him the seventh-best fictional character of the 20th century and he's respected among the legal community. In 1992, Monroe Freedman called for the legal profession to set aside Atticus Finch as a role model. Finch fought against racism and public opinion — a heavy lift for anyone — but especially in the 1960s.

2. Mitch McDeere from 'The Firm'

Bestselling author John Grisham has 29 novels to his credit — all but one are legal thrillers. "The Firm" started his bestseller trend with 7 million copies sold. Since Grisham was a practicing defense lawyer for the better part of a decade, maybe some of his stories are closer to truth than fiction.

3. Innocence Project from 'The Innocent Man'

One Grisham book actually is a true story. "The Innocent Man" is a nonfiction, thought-provoking story about Ron Williamson who spent 11 years on death row — and was nearly executed — for a crime he didn't commit before being exonerated and released. Since 1992, Innocence Project has used DNA evidence to help free 337 wrongly convicted people and has been instrumental in helping to reform our justice system.

4. Sydney Carton from 'A Tale of Two Cities'

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, ..." Most people recognize those 12 words as the opening lines from "A Tale of Two Cities." They may not recognize that these lines are from the same book, "It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known." We're not going for spoilers here, but suppose someone had an attorney who was willing to take his or her place at the guillotine. Well, that would make for a good story.

5. Perry Mason from 'The Case of the Velvet Claws' (and 88 others)

Not only is Perry Mason a soft-spoken, thorough attorney in the TV series that ran mid-50s to mid-60s; he got his start in print. In a fairly predictable format, Mason generally establishes his client's innocence by implicating another character who happens to be in the courtroom and then confesses.

6. Jennifer Walters from Marvel's 'She-Hulk'

Marvel describes Jennifer Walters as "the meek and mousey lawyer cousin of Bruce Banner." She was shot and seriously wounded on a day when her cousin was in town. Banner gave her a blood transfusion and the radioactive blood mutated Walters as it had her cousin, transforming her into the She-Hulk. After a while, she is no longer able to "un-green" herself and keeps her radioactive form going while still practicing law.

In the case of Walters, she actually is a lawyer and a superhero. In real life, attorneys generally aren't radioactive mutants. However, like Salt Lake's Robert J. DeBry, they are concerned about getting justice for their clients.

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