Does Lisa Lerman think Frank Armani was a hero in the Buried Bodies case?

Yes. Lisa Lerman, who teaches legal ethics at Catholic University's Columbus School of Law, calls Frank Armani a real-life hero and compares him to Atticus Finch, with the difference that Armani is a real person. She says the case shows the clash between what a good lawyer and a good person should do, and it is now taught in law schools across the country as a model of a lawyer's duty.

• Armani himself rejects the label and says he was only a lawyer doing his job.
• Producer Brenna Farrell sat in on a legal ethics class and a criminal defense class at Fordham to hear students debate the case.

▸In their words

“People so admire Atticus Finch and the difference between Atticus Finch and Frank Armani is that Armani is a real person.” Lisa Lerman · at 36:56 — open in the transcript →

Source: our own transcription of the episode. The full conversation is on Radiolab (2026-10-30). Read the whole episode summary →

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