Pejman Yousefzadeh

James Daily—a lawyer by trade—examines the contract drawn up between Bilbo Baggins and the dwarves in The Hobbit. Conclusion:

One the whole, the contract is pretty well written.  There are some anachronisms, unnecessary clauses, typos, and a small number of clear drafting errors, but given the contract’s length and its role in the film (which is to say not a huge one, especially in the particulars) it’s an impressive piece of work. I congratulate prop-maker and artist Daniel Reeve on a strong piece of work.

This is actually rather important to me. I find it difficult to watch courtroom dramas since I end up spending my time issuing objections; movie and TV lawyers don’t appear to know much about the rules of evidence. It is nice to see a movie that worked hard to get basic and recognizable principles of law right.