Matt Murdock spends his days fighting for one type of justice in the courts as a lawyer, and each evening, he dons a costume to dole out a very different of justice with his fists as Daredevil. Needless to say, courts of law and vigilantes beating the crap out of people in a back alley are very different in how they define the concept of "justice." This philosophical inconsistency may help explain the inconsistency of Matt's legal career.
There are times when he is a world-class lawyer, worthy of representing some of Marvel's greatest heroes. But just as often, he can really bungle a case, snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. At least if his legal practice ever fails, he can always go back to work for the Avengers.
10 Great: He Was Charged With Contempt While Defending His Wife
Being a lawyer is hard, but sometimes being a good spouse can be every bit as difficult. Matt Murdock married Milla Donovan, a young woman who was just as fearless as him, and who also happened to be blind.
Unfortunately, when people began to suspect that Matt was Daredevil, they targeted Milla. The villain Mr. Fear used a drug he had created to drive Milla insane. A judge ruled that Matt could not properly care for his wife's needs after this new mental stress compounded with the strains of her physical disability. The judge ordered that Milla be locked in a hospital, denying both her and Matt's civil autonomy. Not only did Matt fail to win this case to protect his wife, but he was also charged with contempt for arguing with the judge.
9 Terrible: His Unlawyerly Antics Got Pyromania More Humane Treatment
One of Matt's greatest legal victories had absolutely nothing to do with his skills as a lawyer. In fact, it was the result of some truly unlawyerly behavior. The Z-list villain Pyromania was hired to attack the offices of Nelson & Murdock to kill him since everyone believed he was Daredevil (even if this fact was not officially confirmed). Pyromania was quickly subdued and arrested. Shockingly, when he filed a claim that he was being abused by the prison staff, he hired Matt to be his lawyer.
To keep Pyromania from using his fire powers, the guards subjected him to sporadic loud noises, preventing him from concentrating. Or from sleeping. While they were alone together in a room, Pyromania attacked Matt, who promptly beat the snot out of him. He then bullied the inmate--his own client--into shouting at the guards "Matt Murdock isn't Daredevil." This display of force, rather than Matt's skill as a lawyer, was what persuaded the guards to respect Pyromania's human rights and cease torturing him with loud noises and sleep deprivation.
8 Great: He Defended Austin Cao As A Lawyer And As Daredevil
One of the most interesting adventures from Mark Waid's run of Daredevil involved the character defending a client who was also blind. The client, whose name was Austin Cao, was a translator who worked for the investment firm Midas Investments. He was an excellent worker and world-class linguist but was fired for made-up reasons after he overheard people speaking in Latverian, as these were Hydra agents he had IDed. He wanted to sue his work for unlawful termination.
As Daredevil, Matt saved Austin from numerous attackers in some of the most intense and innovative action scenes ever depicted in a comic (beautifully drawn by artist Marcos Martin). As a lawyer, Matt Murdock was able to get both justice and protection for his client. In addition to the great legal work and awesome superheroics, this story highlighted the way both characters relied on their other senses.
7 Terrible: His Career As Daredevil Made Him Unable To Defend Clients
After the public began to suspect Matt Murdock of being Daredevil, it became very difficult for him to enter a courtroom without either biasing the jury or causing a disruption as people began shouting accusations at him. There were other lawyers at Nelson & Murdock (the most obvious example being Foggy Nelson) so it did not entirely tank their firm.
However, one cannot exactly be a good lawyer if the moment they set foot in a courtroom, they automatically undermine their client's case. By failing to keep his identity as Daredevil from being public knowledge, Matt was a risk to every client who might hire him.
6 Great: He Trained Clients To Defend Themselves
In this rare case, one of Matt's worst failures led to one of his most brilliant accomplishments. After he was no longer able to appear in court due to the backlash against his vigilantism, he began training clients to represent themselves.
Oftentimes, these people were among New York's poor or were the owners of small businesses who could not afford expensive lawyers. Matt and Foggy both coached these people through their court cases, empowering them with the knowledge to win their cases on their own.
5 Terrible: He Was Late And Unprepared To Defend Punisher
This example actually comes from the Netflix Daredevil series, which took inspiration from some of the hero's greatest stories. Unfortunately, during the trial of Frank Castle, Matt was also guilty of one of the biggest boondoggles of his career.
Matt was supposed to deliver the opening statements for the case. Not only did he fail to prepare an opening statement, but he showed up to court late. This trial made national news and so Matt showed this lack of professionalism to the whole country.
4 Great: He Fought For The Hulk's Civil Rights
When Hulk was put on trial, Matt Murdock defended him. At one point, Hulk broke free and escaped, and Matt (acting as Daredevil) had to bring him back in, working with the Fantastic Four to stop the green gamma-monster. Then, Matt continued to represent the Hulk--a dangerous career move.
He argued that Hulk deserved the right to speak in his own defense during the trial and that if Hulk was deemed unable to do so (as he might Hulk out), then it was the court admitting Hulk was not mentally capable of being held accountable for his actions, which would mean the trial was punishing Hulk for things he could not control. Standing on principle, Matt Murdock took a huge risk and showed what a hero he was, risking everything with this unpopular career move. This classic story would later be recreated in the Ultimate Universe and the 1978 live-action Hulk TV series.
3 Terrible: The Court Scene In The 2003 Movie Was Just As Awful As The Rest Of The Movie
The 2003 Daredevil movie should probably be locked away for crimes against art. The jury is settled on this, and fans have ruled that every single scene is beyond redemption. This includes the court scene from early in the film.
Matt fails to prosecute a man who is both obviously lying and obviously guilty of violent acts. He then attacks and murders that man, killing the guy because he could not win one of the easiest cases in the world, and thereby committing violent crime far more extreme than what the perp was guilty of.
2 Great: He Won A Case By Revealing His Secret Identity
One of the major white supremacist hate groups in the Marvel Universe is the Sons of the Serpent. When people suspected Matt Murdock of being Daredevil but could not prove it, they obtained proof and used it to blackmail Matt. They wanted to coerce him into helping them in court.
Under oath, Matt admitted to being Daredevil. In a single move, he took away the power of their blackmail attempt, turning the trial on its head. He was so successful, the Serpents hired a squad of assassins to kill him in the middle of the trial to stop his testimony. He beat the assassins and the case.
1 Terrible: He Sued A Newspaper For Reporting The Truth
After a newspaper reported that Matt and Daredevil were the same person, things got very hard for the vigilante lawyer. The FBI threw him in jail for his vigilantism, and even after he was released from prison, his enemies attacked his friends and family to get at him.
Matt sued the paper for libel, and he sued them for millions of dollars, even though they had reported the truth. Admittedly, the documents they acquired "proving" this were forgeries created by the Kingpin, but this is still a really sleazy move.