The Law Firm

[AIWANNABE]

Series Premiere, Thursday, July 28

Real lawyers. Real cases. Real consequences. Executive producer David E. Kelley (The Practice, Ally McBeal) brings a real legal drama to television. Trial attorney and legal analyst Roy Black will manage 12 actual lawyers competing against each other while trying real court cases with judges and juries, resulting in outcomes that will be final, legal and binding. Each week, one legal eagle is eliminated and the top attorney will receive a prize of $250,000. With plenty of drama inside and outside of the courtroom, the result is riveting entertainment.

[Google]

 

[AIWANNABE]

They have more of a description of the show on the official website with a new preview video. The 'You're Fired' line of this show is 'The Verdict is in, you are out." Pretty good. I was surprised to learn that these are real cases, so people's actual future are in the hands of these lawyers.

Here is the extended preview

Real lawyers. Real cases. Real consequences. Executive producer David E. Kelley (The Practice, Ally McBeal) brings a real legal drama to television. Trial attorney and legal analyst Roy Black will manage 12 actual lawyers competing against each other while trying real court cases with judges and juries, resulting in outcomes that will be final, legal and binding. Each week, one legal eagle is eliminated and the top attorney will receive a prize of $250,000. With plenty of drama inside and outside of the courtroom, the result is riveting entertainment.

The compelling cases range from First Amendment issues to neighbor disputes to wrongful death. Distinguished judges will decide some of the cases, while a jury determines the others. In the end, the top attorney will win a prize of $250,000.

"The Law Firm" is executive produced by multiple Emmy Award winner David E. Kelley ("The Practice," "Ally McBeal," "L.A. Law"), David Garfinkle ("Surreal Life," "Blind Date"), Jay Renfroe ("Surreal Life," "Blind Date"), Jonathan Pontell ("Ally McBeal," "Boston Public") and Robert Breech ("The Practice," L.A. Law"). "The Law Firm" is produced by Renegade 83, Inc. in association with David E. Kelley Productions and 20th Century Fox Television.

http://www.nbc.com/nbc/The_Law_Firm/

[Pomeraniac]

I'm looking forward to this show! Thanks for posting the info, AI!!

[Bambi]

Originally Posted by AIWANNABE

I was surprised to learn that these are real cases, so people's actual future are in the hands of these lawyers.

That is kind of scary to me. The people on trial, did they get to sign some kind of waiver or something letting them know that one of the lawyers involved is actually on a reality show?

[Jahim]

If anything I'd want that.. the lawyer wants to do that much better then right?

[adorkable05]

I saw an interview on the Today about the law firm it looked pretty good I cant wait to see it

[LiteWeightLiz]

Originally Posted by AIWANNABE

Each week, one legal eagle is eliminated and the top attorney will receive a prize of $250,000.

Somehow, this just doesn't seem like much of an incentive for an attorney!

Also, I was wondering how they filmed the cases--I would imagine that the standard reality TV camera man in the court rooms would be too distracting!

[Wallyhorse]

Originally Posted by LiteWeightLiz

Somehow, this just doesn't seem like much of an incentive for an attorney!

Also, I was wondering how they filmed the cases--I would imagine that the standard reality TV camera man in the court rooms would be too distracting!

It looks like there actually will be two eliminated each week, as I'm guessing they are setting this up to have a finale on September 1, the week before the Thursday night season opening NFL game on ABC.

[onewally]

Originally Posted by LiteWeightLiz

Somehow, this just doesn't seem like much of an incentive for an attorney!

Also, I was wondering how they filmed the cases--I would imagine that the standard reality TV camera man in the court rooms would be too distracting!

I was wondering about that too, Liz. I've got a few theories about that:

The payoff is 250,000. That's a LOT of money for a few months' (at most) 'work.' I doubt young lawyers like these dont make anything like that much money in a year.

Even if they fail to win, the ones that do well and show themselves to an advantage gain priceless publicity and exposure to potential clients. The winner, of course, will coast on the publicity for a long time.

Some may be in transition, looking to change careers or boost a sagging one.
Especially the ones in entertainment law; they may be interested in getting into production, and a David Kelley production is as good as it gets in television.

I'm guessing at least a couple are hoping to snag a job with Roy Black's firm or some other highly desirable firm, tho a job offer isnt part of the winner's package.

Having made the decision to participate in the show and been chosen, I doubt if they really need a lot more incentive than their own desire to succeed and do well. Lawyers are a pretty competitive bunch.

And of course, there's the famewhore aspect.

As to the cases, generally tv courts pay a fee to everyone involved for their participation. Everyone we see on the show will have agreed to appear and signed releases. There's no surprises about that; they'll be fully informed about the nature of the show and the needs of the production in filming their cases. If this show follows the usual tv court procedures, the judges/arbitrators are real, and the participants agree to be bound by the judge's decision in their cases. There's plenty of production people there out of camera range and all the paraphernalia of tv production-cameras, lights, cables, etc...the main purpose is to film a tv show rather than settle a case, and to that end, the cases probably were chosen as much for their entertainment value as to put the lawyers on show. Why else would they include the lame dog case if not for the comb over wacko with the mastiffs? That turned out to be pretty entertaining.