Hollywood Goes to Court

When Sheldon “Shel” Seligsohn began his law career, he served as a Public Defender for the City of Philadelphia. He spent many of those first three years after graduating from law school in the courtroom.

“Most trials are very boring in real life—especially civil trials,” said Shel. “There’s a stark difference between what we see for entertainment in movies and television and what happens in the courtroom in the real world.”

Over the years, however, Shel has found that most people don’t realize how different the two can be. After moving to the private sector and serving as the Vice President General Counsel for a national franchise company, he spent 25 years working as internal counsel for a major telecom provider, but had a desire to give back to others. So he created a course—‘Hollywood Goes to Court’—inspired by his love of film and the law.

“I started teaching during the summer at an institution in Upstate New York and found that I really loved it,” Shel said. “I enjoy trying to provide information to non-lawyers about how the legal system works.”

It’s been over 40 years since Shel first set foot in a classroom as a teacher, and he’s had the chance to teach different courses at renowned Philadelphia-area universities.

When Shel moved to The Hill in March 2025, he brought his courses with him.

“I jumped right into the activities! I spoke to The Hill’s Education Committee, shared my resume and my course outlines with them, and soon after began teaching a night series at The Hill,” said Shel. “The first series, ‘Hollywood Goes to Court’, debuted in May and ran for seven weeks.”

‘Hollywood Goes to Court’ features clips from various films that are famous for their courtroom drama. The course was such a big hit that he will be teaching another course this fall entitled ‘Great Trials in History.’

“As the title suggests, we’ll be examining some of the trials that changed the course of history,” Shel said. “From moments in history that seem ancient up to decisions that helped shape our modern world, each offers important lessons that people need to know about the rule of law.”

Shel is clearly passionate about the law and it shows; he brings an enthusiasm to aspects of the legal system that others might overlook or find boring.

“I love helping people understand more about the Constitution and the First Amendment. I love doing the research and putting the courses together,” he said. “It’s my life’s work and a great hobby.”

“I love helping people understand more about the Constitution and the First Amendment. I love doing the research and putting the courses together.”

– Sheldon “Shel” Seligsohn