Question for Lawyers?
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warpus
Sommerswerd asked me to change this
I don't understand who would possibly want to get on a show like that to get a case resolved.
I'm kind of a sucker for legal shows. If there's a courtroom scene, I'll watch along and try to guess objections and evidentiary rulings. It's never perfect because the actual law is a lot more boring than is appropriate for TV. There are a lot of basic objections based on form that don't end up really creating drama that are missing from the shows -- things like this:
Plaintiff's attorney, on direct: Did you then go back to the restaurant to get your coat?
Defense attorney: Objection. Leading.
Judge: Sustained, re-phrase counsel.
Plaintiff's attorney: Where did you go?
* * *
But that's not really something "wrong," so much as "edited out" to make a more watchable show.
Regarding specific shows:
Boston Legal's fun. I've only seen a few episodes, but my father-in-law's really into it, so I know about it. It's obviously comedy, though, so I don't get into the legal stuff too much.
I've watched a lot of Law & Order, and they base a lot of their episodes on real cases. Back when I was in law school, my roommate and I were working on a problem in one of our classes based on the "Inevitable Discovery Doctrine," specifically Nix v. Williams. We took a break to watch L&O, and what do you know -- it was the Nix episode! That was cool. The law they use in L&O is pretty good. I learned New York criminal law, which is sort of peculiar, and the show got it right a lot more than it got it wrong.
Speaking of "real life" court shows, a professor of mine in law school is friends with Judge Alex, so he had him come in and lecture to us. Apparently he was a real judge. #1 -- every woman in the room swooned upon his entrance (ridiculously handsome dude). #2 -- he revealed that they have a staff dentist on hand to deal with all the parties who are missing teeth. That was about the gravity of the class discussion.
Cleo
Plaintiff's attorney, on direct: Did you then go back to the restaurant to get your coat?
Defense attorney: Objection. Leading.
Judge: Sustained, re-phrase counsel.
Plaintiff's attorney: Where did you go?
* * *
But that's not really something "wrong," so much as "edited out" to make a more watchable show.
Regarding specific shows:
Boston Legal's fun. I've only seen a few episodes, but my father-in-law's really into it, so I know about it. It's obviously comedy, though, so I don't get into the legal stuff too much.
I've watched a lot of Law & Order, and they base a lot of their episodes on real cases. Back when I was in law school, my roommate and I were working on a problem in one of our classes based on the "Inevitable Discovery Doctrine," specifically Nix v. Williams. We took a break to watch L&O, and what do you know -- it was the Nix episode! That was cool. The law they use in L&O is pretty good. I learned New York criminal law, which is sort of peculiar, and the show got it right a lot more than it got it wrong.
Speaking of "real life" court shows, a professor of mine in law school is friends with Judge Alex, so he had him come in and lecture to us. Apparently he was a real judge. #1 -- every woman in the room swooned upon his entrance (ridiculously handsome dude). #2 -- he revealed that they have a staff dentist on hand to deal with all the parties who are missing teeth. That was about the gravity of the class discussion.
Cleo
warpus
Sommerswerd asked me to change this
I was thinking the fiction shows, like Law & Order, Boston Legal, and the like.Judge Judy never occurred to me when the question did.
Hahahha. whoops
*exits the thread*
You know, I didn't watch it. Not because it was a "chick show" (I actually watch Drop Dead Diva on Lifetime -- Rosie O'Donnell as a judge!), but because I wasn't really that interested in law when it was on. I was in college, and I didn't watch much prime time TV.
Cleo
I can't watch those shows because I get hung up on details. I'll see stuff that happens and think "He can't do that!" or "Would that even be possible?" and then I get hung up thinking about that for the whole show and stop paying attention to what happens.
nonconformist
Miserable
Iget the same thing with CSI, had to stop watching it a while back.
Mise
isle of lucy
I'm not a lawyer but I love Ally McBeal and Ed. I'm not a girl either, btw.
Nylan
Characters Welcome
I liked CSI back when there were less than 20 different versions.
Harvin87
The Youth
sex court on playboy TV was the best for me 
MobBoss
Off-Topic Overlord
Our office makes fun of the JAG tv show all the time.
We have something different, because Canadians are partially informed regarding the law by watching American TV. People occasionally making amusing mistakes, but there often not enough differences that people aren't screwed over. For example, we don't have a Miranda reading, but we have a Charter & Caution, which is essentially the same thing
LA Law was all the rage just prior to me attending law school. I watched it but knew it wasn't realistic. I haven't regularly watched any since then. I do watch Cops every once in a while just to get riled up by the Constitutional violations.
ParadigmShifter
Random Nonsense Generator
I liked LA Law when it was on, I was at uni at the time as well.
Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer.
Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer.
