The Associated Press | Posted: Friday, April 13, 2007 11:00 pm
SALT LAKE CITY -- Jackie Chiles is still an icon in the world of law despite not being an actual attorney, or even a real person.
Phil Morris, the actor who played Kramer's fast-talking lawyer in the sitcom "Seinfeld," agreed to a speak to a group of University of Utah law students who named a club after the TV character.
The "Jackie Chiles Law Society" is a serious club that tries to remember the lighter side of life for students who are aspiring to be lawyers.
The basis of the club is to look at how popular culture affects the law.
"We deal with serious issues but it's fun when you're able to talk in a forum where everybody is comfortable," society president Tyler Buswell said.
Buswell, a second-year law student, said he chose the name because anyone who watched the sitcom regularly would know exactly who Chiles was and see the humor in it.
The club has also discussed the legal merits of a case against Krusty the Clown in an episode of "The Simpsons".
Buswell formed the club last fall and decided a few months later to try to track down the namesake -- or at least the actor who played him -- for an end-of-the-year banquet. When he finally got through, Morris gladly accepted the invitation.
Morris spoke at the university in the afternoon and was the keynote speaker at a dinner banquet later Friday. The master of ceremonies was a federal judge -- and not Judge Arthur Vandelay.
This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page D2.