The Seamless Web: A Blog on Law, Popular Culture and Related Issues

NBC Pulls Law & Order: Los Angeles

NBC has taken Law & Order: Los Angeles off the air, which allows the series Parenthood to stay in its regular time slot. LOLA's failure to attract an audience suggests that the venerable Dick Wolf L&O franchise, which began more than 20 years ago with Law & Order, may have begun to run out of steam.  NBC cancelled the original series last year after a 20 year run. Still on the air: Law & Order: SVU which airs on NBC and Law & Order: CI (Criminal Intent), which airs on the USA network.

USA Network To Air Another Show Featuring an Initiate of the FPCBA

The USA Network has picked up a new legal drama, Fairly Legal, which stars Sarah Shahi ("The L Word") as Kate Reed, "a "recovering attorney" who, frustrated with the rigidity of the legal system, quit practicing law to pursue justice from a different angle: as a mediator."  This is the show's description, according to the website. (Why is it "Fairly Legal", although I understand that the title is punnish? Just name her Kate Fair, and get more out of it).

Now, I like the idea of a mediator as a main character. We haven't seen many, if any, of those on tv. But I'm not crazy about the initial image we're getting of Kate Reed. The show's webpage tagline reads "Less lawyer. More appeal." Is this supposed to make the main character seem more attractive? (and yes, I understand the pun--she's a MEDIATOR, not an attorney). It certainly makes her seem less professional (especially since she has her finger in her mouth, trying to look sexy).

Let's continue reading the description of the show. "Though passionate, savvy, and gifted at her job, Kate's conflict resolution skills don't always translate to her personal life, and she finds herself frequently clashing with Lauren, her young stepmother -- and new boss at Reed & Reed, the family firm Kate's recently-deceased father founded -- as well as with her not-quite-ex-husband Justin, an Assistant District Attorney. " (emphasis in the original). Shall I say this description sounds a little trite? Have we not already seen depictions of female lawyers who have messy, mixed-up personal lives, and who can't seem to get along with anybody? And isn't it worse if they're, ahem, mediators? I understand the irony of it all. But what will the clients think? (And I won't point out the dangling participle--"Though passionate, savvy, and gifted at her job, Kate's conflict resolution skills..."--Oh, look, I just did).

The description ends thusly, "But a few stepped-on toes are a small price to pay for justice, and no matter what Lauren, Justin, or the letter of the law might say, Kate will do whatever it takes to fight for what's right." Oh, really? Should I point out that if she does "whatever it takes" she sounds just a little bit unethical, which isn't exactly what one wants in a mediator? (or a lawyer, if it comes to that). Well, my initial reaction is that I hope she doesn't come off looking like an incompetent fool. I plan to watch the pilot anyway, on the assumption that the description may just be overeager. The pilot airs Thursday, January 20, at 10 p.m., 9 Central time.

N.B. Some news articles report the series title as "Facing Kate." Stay tuned.

I'm Not a Lawyer on TV, But I Can Play One In Real Life

From the Daily Telegraph: A piece about a non-lawyer who watched legal shows religiously and learned enough to, well, play one in real life.

Tahir Malik, who has no legal training, often watched the shows and picked up what to say and how to file court motions, according to his father.

His clients, who claim they did not know he was not a trained lawyer, were charged between £300 and £3,000 for his time, working on traffic court cases, mortgage foreclosurers and some low-level criminal cases, while he also fooled courts in Cook County, Illinois, for several years.

He also allegedly used his knowledge of the criminal court system from his own history - court records show that he has previously been convicted for burglary and has been arrested on charges on charges ranging from theft and shoplifting to trespassing.

 

Another Member of the FPCBA (Female Pop Culture Bar Association)

NBC is offering up a new legal series, Harry’s Law, starring Oscar winner Kathy Bates. It debuts January 17 at 10 p.m. (9 Central time). The show’s premise is that Bates, as Harriet (Harry) Korn, departs her job as a corporate lawyer at an upscale firm and starts over as a sole practitioner, seeking justice for the downtrodden and those who have no voice in the legal system. It’s a David E. Kelley show, so we can expect edgy issues and quirky characters. But will this female legal eagle be any different from any of the other women attorneys we’ve seen on the small screen?

For more about women lawyers on TV, see among other articles Women Lawyers On TV Moving Closer To Reality.

Star Wars Lawyer

Remember Ghislain Raza, the poor kid whose frenemies found his "Star Wars" video and plastered it all over the Internet some years ago? He and his parents settled with the other teens and their parents, and Mr. Raza underwent some psychological counseling for all the nasty comments that came his way over that video and the parodies that followed (and they were MEAN). Well, I'm stunned (and somewhat pleased) to report that Mr. Raza is now enrolled (drumroll please) in law school. Such a nice ending.