Is Daredevil a Lawyer or Attorney? Explained

Many comic characters have established identities and careers outside of their superhero persona. We most often see scientists being bookworms by day and the strongest characters imaginable by night, the most notable example being Bruce Banner, aka Hulk. Of course, Daredevil is not a scientist, but like Bruce Banner’s cousin She-Hulk, he also decided to practice law, making him one of the most notable comic lawyers in general. But is Daredevil really a lawyer or an attorney? What is even the difference between the two? This is what we set out to explore today!

Daredevil started out as a lawyer by practicing general law until he specialized and took on the role of criminal defense attorney, at one point becoming Assistant District Attorney. Despite being one of the most notable lawyers in comics, Matt does a lot of pro-bono cases, and he often tackles issues of ethical nature in court, meaning that he is one of the most morally sound lawyers in fiction. 

Everybody has to start from somewhere, and Daredevil is no exception. There’s a good reason why Matt Murdock rose up from the slums of Hell’s Kitchen to the District Attorney’s office, and it wasn’t an easy journey. If you’re interested in details about it, keep reading!

Daredevil’s greatest motivation to become a lawyer was his father 

Daredevil grew up in Hell’s Kitchen along with his father and brother. Matt’s father was a boxer with an unsuccessful career, and although Matt was always fascinated with martial arts and fighting in general, his father discouraged such behavior. He often encouraged young Matt to read and learn as much as possible, and he put great emphasis on his education. 

Even before Matt was in a terrible accident that changed his life forever and granted him superpowers, he became aware of what kind of community he was growing up in. The fascination with martial arts never left him, and he started secretly training boxing but eventually started studying to become a lawyer so that he could fight the evil and corruption that plagued Hell’s Kitchen in more ways than one. 

In what school did Matt study law? 

Following high school, Matt got into State University, where he met Foggy, his long-time best friend and partner.

When he was 19 years old, Daredevil went to study pre-law at Columbia University, where he earned his Juris Doctor, a graduate-entry professional degree in law. Columbia University is where he met Elektra, his long-time love interest and sometimes a villain. 

In ‘Daredevil: The Man Without Fear’ Matt is seen also attending Harvard law school. This is around the time when his father got murdered by the Fixer’s men for winning a match that he should lose and when Kingping resurfaced once again to complicate his life. Daredevil had ample education, so it’s no wonder that he is among the best comic book lawyers. 

Daredevil and Foggy opened a law practice fresh from school 

Following their graduation, Foggy was eager to start practicing law with Matt, and he was looking forward to starting a law office, initially taking on small cases until they built a reputation.

At this time, Daredevil was too burdened with the murder of his father, and he was actively seeking revenge, both through street justice and through law. Fixer, the man responsible for killing Daredevil’s father, was brought to court, but unfortunately, he had a big-shot lawyer on his side, and Matt also theorized that the judge who was handling the case had been bribed. 

When the judge ruled in Fixer’s favor, Matt decided to bring Fixer to the street justice. This is when he fashioned his first yellow-black and red costume out of his father’s old boxing gear and started fighting crime to a greater extent through physical means. For a short time, Matt also served as a parole officer, but his career was really taken off when Foggy ran for District Attorney. Daredevil wasted no time accepting the position of Assistant District Attorney. 

In a general sense, however, Daredevil is a criminal defense attorney, meaning that he specializes in criminal justice, which separates him from general lawyers in a technical sense. Daredevil figured out a long time ago that the power that he has through his profession has long-lasting positive consequences for his community that he so longs to improve. Some cases, however, are still handled with brute force, aka old-fashioned beating. 

Is Daredevil an ethical lawyer? 

 I’m going to refrain from making lawyer jokes here, but Daredevil can be considered an ethical lawyer, considering the number of pro-bono cases he handles. His clients are never discriminated against based on their social status and the fact that, in other circumstances, they most likely wouldn’t be able to afford any kind of legal counsel or criminal defense. 

Although Matt had ample opportunity to turn his business into an even more profitable venture, he usually sticks to morally sound cases and always goes to the defense of people who are, in the eyes of society, perceived as weaker. Daredevil often handles sexual assaults and workplace violence. He fights against corporatism by handling medical malpractice, corporate business fraud, consumer safety cases, automotive recalls, food lobbying, etc. 

He also deals with heavy crimes such as terrorism, war crimes, hate crimes, wrongful death suits, and plenty of similar cases that are beyond complicated to handle and rarely see justice. Some of the most notable superhero clients that Daredevil had over the years were Fantastic Four, The Thing, Namor the Submariner (who, by the way, wanted to sue humanity). He represented Black Widow, the Hulk, and Spider-Man regarding complicated cases. 

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