There are two main choices in show direction I wanted to talk about. One good, one, well, somewhat on the confusing side.

I’ll start first with what appears to be the general format of the show, which I like.

One of the more noticeable problems that network dramas have is that they have to fill 24 episodes in a season. This isn’t much of a problem if you enjoy shows where you can jump in at any point. But, with the success of shows like The Sopranos and The Wire, television is changing. A show that goes 10-13 episodes in a season is going to focus on a tighter more cohesive story, while the traditional format will allow folks to still jump in and out whenever a particular episode intrigues them.

At first glance, The Firm appears that it will try to balance this idea. There is the overarching story involving the evil Firm, which is obviously needed, but, you also have Mitch McDeere as an attorney handling the case of the week type story. In one sense, I definitely like that choice, as, overloading the conspiracy stuff will burn the viewers out. As an example, a show like Lost seemed to hit a peak for viewership because it was a lot to ask viewers to turn in for that many episodes of story without break.

But, safe to assume networks make more cash off 24 episodes since they aren’t rushing to match AMC, HBO, and F/X with the tighter story telling.

So, striking that balance is the good, what’s the bad?

Seriously, what’s the reason for making this a sequel instead of just a remake? Instead with a remake the viewers are forced to accept a few things such as, how the hell  did this happen to a lawyer twice? I mean, hey, John McClain constantly getting into nonsense in the Die Hard series is acceptable because he’s  at least a cop. Mitch McDeere has  been with two law firms in his life and they are both evil?

We also are stuck with the ramifications of the original movie, since McDeere has just busted out of witness protection to start his own law firm. Danger lurks. Maybe.

And, really, through three hours, this show seems to be at its best when the lawyer, his brother, his wife, and his secretary interact in the small firm setting. But, really that might just come because I dig Mitch’s brother the most early on. McDeere’s brother, played by Callum Keith Rennie, is pretty class as a character, providing strong comic relief as the private investigator for the small firm. The dynamic is fun, so they keep it even when McDeere is swept back into large firm life.

There’s potential with this show. But, they’ve also created a decent bit of clutter by forcing themselves into the sequel form. Also, given the timeframes they lay out to create tension before flashing back to calmer times, it seems like we’ll get deep into the conspiracy stuff fairly quickly, and I’m not entirely sure that’s a good thing.

But, I’m a sucker for Grisham stuff, so I’ll likely stick around longer than most viewers.

I don’t have personal experience with the Veterans Court, yet, but, any time you have a court that can specialize in the needs of a certain aspect of the criminal justice system, it’s a good thing. Especially when you’re talking abut something as important as giving a fair chance to our Veterans that might find themselves tangled up in the Court System. Recognizing the different circumstances of those that come in contact with the court system is a step in a positive direction.

“Here’s a guy who (lost an eye) — on our behalf,” Jordon said. “His sacrifice for us merited us doing something for him. Not just cutting him a deal.”

But at the time, Jordon added: “I just didn’t know what to do for him. I didn’t have a plan, a system.”

That has changed.

Jordon, a judge in East Lansing’s 54B District Court, now heads one of the five court programs in the state that focus on treating veterans. Nationwide, there are about 80.

For the rest of the article, again, here’s the link.

TOPEKA, Kan. — A man convicted of holding a Topeka-area couple hostage is now suing his victims, claiming that they reneged on an agreement to hide him from police.

Oh, come on!

Who wouldn’t go back on that agreement?(Al Cowlings, maybe?)

According to the news article, the kidnapper burst into a home while being chased by police and held a couple hostage at knifepoint. Then, he apparently offered them an untold fortune of riches in exchange for hiding him from the police. Here’s where things get dicey:

The couple escaped and called police after Dimmick fell asleep. Now, Dimmick has filed suit in court claiming that he and the couple had an oral agreement that they would hide him from police.

I’ve never once had a thought along the lines of, “man, I wish I was a law school professor” (not that there is anything wrong with that). Except for RIGHT NOW. The hypothetical law school exam question I would write based on this story would be spectacular.

You need some consideration to make that oral agreement binding, pal. Holding a knife in someone’s face doesn’t exactly strike me as, “OK THIS GUY IS GOING TO LIVE UP TO HIS END OF THE BARGAIN.”

Basically, this is an Exercise in How NOT to make a Contract. Duress? Contracting for something illegal (trust me, someone would overlook that on a Contracts Law exam)? Confuse students by overly hinting that there was a meeting of the minds and then laugh when one of them does write meeting of the minds? No specified dollar amount in the contract?

You may wonder at this point, how did the couple manage to get their kidnapper to fall asleep? What kidnapper would be so confident in this oral agreement for an unspecified amount of riches that he would take a nap?

eating Cheetos and drinking Dr Pepper with him while watching the movie “Patch Adams.”

And, then, he fell asleep. Can’t blame the guy there, that movie was awful.

In short, every time I tune in, I catch myself completely annoyed at the cardboard characters that walk around Law & Order scenes. I’m a lawyer, but, I hate Law & Order.

Andre Braugher, on the other hand, is an actor I’ve almost always enjoyed.

When Braugher was on a real TV show, Homicide: Life on the Streets, he was killing it with consistently awesome performances. His role as Detective Frank Pembleton is one of the best TV cops I’ve seen. He dominated the screen so regularly that Braugher and the show decided something along the lines of, “you know what, this is too good that it might get stale, how about the character has a stroke…you know, just so we can see how your character deals with it.” And Braugher went out and continued to put up good scenes on a great show.

So, it somewhat annoyed me to see him pop up in a Law & Order commercial. C’mon man!

Actually, I can’t blame Braugher. The man fires out fantastic performances on a show like Men of a Certain Age and it gets cancelled after two seasons. Law & Order:SVU isn’t getting cancelled any time soon, I’d imagine. Still, it’s Law & Order. And Law & Order is a couple steps down from the dramatic air in which Braugher usually kicks it.

Braugher’s presence was enough to get me to fire up the DVR. It took several weeks for me to actually bring myself to view the episode, but, I finally got it done.

I can’t say this hour of TV did anything to dissuade my notions of Law & Order as a whole. But, it wasn’t the worst bit of television watching I’ve ever done, so, it has that going for it.

The plot is that a music student in the City gets raped at gunpoint and Braugher is the defense attorney for the accused. Braugher is made out to be the bad dude here because he comes in, speaks quickly, ignores a Detective played by Ice T, and then levels some motions. That is just like Law & Order to bring in Braugher to play a Defense Attorney and then have his bread buttered with motion practice and not cross examination of the victim.

They also have this all play out in like two weeks.

Anyway, I think one of the cops was upset at another cop for not having his back on whether the suspect had a gun or not. But, the characters were so bland I’ve forgotten already. Law & Order is a show designed so that you can watch it any time with or without having seen the preceding episodes. To their credit, they accomplish that. By no means do you turn on an episode of Law & Order and feel like you don’t have a clue what is going on.

But, other shows have done that a lot better.

Braugher manages to make it through the hour without a meaningful court scene. He’s a hot shot defense attorney, but, you don’t get that impression through his work, just tepid snide remarks from the police officers involved.

But, he does speak with the main female Detective after Court. Braugher has just won, and the Detective is taking it hard. Braugher comes through for the first time in the hour, speaking to the Detective about what he does as an Attorney and what she does as a Detective. It’s nowhere near groundbreaking stuff, both in delivery or substance, but, it’s Braugher having a moment that moves a scene forward. Rather than speaking for the moment and moving to the next scene in a disjointed manner, as most Law & Order scenes travel.

Braugher is good in moments where he isn’t attempting to do too much. Which is a good thing, as television shows are built on the small scenes that lead to big moments. Braugher of course dominates those big moments as well, but, for a show like Law & Order, someone being able to progress the story forward to make you want to watch the next episode for the characters is something that has always seemed rare. Maybe you want the next episode to see what headline case they try to rip next, but, it isn’t often for the characters on a show like this.

Overall, I was a bit disappointed that I didn’t DVR the other two Braugher Law & Order episodes that came the following weeks. In my defense, I had no idea he was getting a three show arc.

Some other thoughts,

Ice T has been on this TV show for over TEN years. And, to think, he could have spent that time finding someone to produce a sequel to Surviving The Game. He did nothing of note this episode. Other than get ignored by Braugher.

Who makes the decision to have Richard Belzer on the program and have him not crack a joke in 44 minutes of an episode? There was a nice touch when Braugher walked in and asked Belzer’s character if he knows him. Belzer, of course, played Detective Munch on the much better Homicide TV show with Braugher. U

The big talk about Boss, which airs Friday nights (and lots of other nights) on the STARZ channel is that Kelsey Grammer stretches well outside of his Frazier Crane comfort zone to play the Mayor of Chicago and yell a while lot. Grammer’s performance has been getting praise from what I can see, but, I felt the main scene where he was trying to come off as a tough guy felt a bit flat and forced.

And, really, that’s my impression of the show overall after one episode. It doesn’t seem content with being a slow burn type of show. They want to make the action happen in a very traditional TV sense, while maintaining the feel of something like The Wire. Which is somewhat difficult to obtain, especially in a political show.

As an example of this, two scenes stand out other than the Grammer yelling scene. One, when he shuts down the city council meeting and doesn’t let anyone leave until they agree with his course of action. And, later, the scenes with his doctor and Grammer getting the prescription drugs he needs.

This softens a bit in episode two, which is good. Seeds are planted for the Mayor’s daughter going an illegal route to save her clinic by purchasing the needed drugs illegally, but, it wasn’t beat over your head like things in the pilot were.

There is some good stuff here and I think the scope certainly sets up very wide, and I like that potential. There’s some silliness through two episodes that is designed to bring viewers in, but, a show of this nature can’t last on that alone. So, in that sense, I liked the second episode more for the long term potential of the show. And, a positive is that the show has been renewed for a second season, so it seems like it will at least be granted the space to grow.

So, this might not be the best source for a Michigan State Spartans Football Preview. But, if you thought you were getting a top-notch ESPN-level football Preview from a LAW BLOG, your decision making is probably suspect. I’m writing this merely because I do get feedback from clients that read this blog saying that they like when I talk about non-legal issues and especially ones that connect with them and the state.

Last year was a great campaign for the Spartans, that goes pretty much without saying. Despite the Capital One Bowl loss (is that too nice of a word when you get beat 49-7 to Alabama? If so, have a look at the Thesaurus.com page for “decimate” if you need accuracy), a 7-1 Regular Season in the Big Ten is nothing to scoff at, even if the schedule didn’t include a loss-turned-vacated-win to Ohio State.

The success last year, to me, seemed like it was generated by having a much more balanced attack. When Edwin Baker can run for 1200 yards and a good chunk of TDs and do so relatively quietly, you’ve probably produced a balanced attack. Baker will likely continue that this season, but, chalk up a bit more media attention in the process. At quarterback, Kirk Cousins threw for a solid number of yards, good TDs, and established himself in the role. The Lansing State Journal is running columns asking whether Cousins is a legit candidate for the post-season Award for best Quarterback. Sure, it doesn’t the have the same je ne se qua as “Stanton for Heisman” buzz had, but, what it lacks in flair, it may make up for in substance, right?

Cousins is getting mentioned along with Andrew Luck of Stanford and Landry Jones of Oklahoma. That is pretty lofty company.

But, I’m giving too much praise to the guys that already get enough praise. That offense was good in 2009 and they still finished 6-6 in the regular season. The defense being noticeably improved last season is what really pushed that team forward. Chris L. Rucker being in the NFL can’t help the secondary, but, they return a lot of talent on the defensive line and I believe Rucker is the only guy they lose from the secondary. If the defense is as solid as they were at times last season, the Spartans should be able to get close to their success of last season.

Schedule wise, things are favorable early. In the non-conference, their biggest test is Notre Dame, but, I’d imagine there are some Central Michigan fans out there that would say the Chips shouldn’t get overlooked. In conference, starting with Ohio State is a good thing. I believe some of their players are still on suspension, but, it’s hard to keep track of with all the no good the Buckeyes are up to. The Buckeyes, with a new head coach, will be better by the end of the year, so playing them early helps. And, it’s hard to guess how they will perform with less ink on their bodies. So, chalk that up as a Spartans W.

I guess the best way to start looking at strength of schedule is through the non-division opponents. The Leaders, if you will. With 3 non-division games, you want to play as many as possible out of Illinois, Indiana and Purdue, avoiding Penn State, Ohio State and Wisconsin.

Michigan State only avoids one of those teams. Yikes. So, that makes their schedule fairly rough.

Nebraska and Wisconsin are getting the most talk for the top teams in the Conference. The Spartans have to navigate them back to back…

…in the same month where they’ve already played Ohio State and decimate Michigan. Kind of tough. But, if you’re through that stretch and have a pair of losses, or even only 1, the home-stretch of games are light and should be rather enjoyable.

Should be an exciting year for the Spartans as they come in to the year as one of the four B1G Big Ten teams ranked in the Top 25.

Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero decried the outcome Thursday in an official statement and on Facebook.

Bernero called the court ruling a “train wreck of epic proportions” and criticized lawmakers for not clarifying the law in the three years since voters approved it.

Don’t know what I’m talking about? This Lansing State Journal Article should supply background. For those of you who want to cut out the media and just read the case decision, here is that, from the State Bar of Michigan Blog.

So, let’s take a look at this train wreck:

It somewhat amazes me that we have Government entities so full of themselves that they want to defy the ideals of the people they supposedly represent and spend resources on trying to shut down medical marijuana shops. Just from a stand point of “do the people of Michigan want medical marijuana?” The answer is yes. That actually seems fairly settled.

333.26422 Findings, declaration.

Sec. 2. The people of the State of Michigan find and declare that:

(a) Modern medical research, including as found by the National Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Medicine in a March 1999 report, has discovered beneficial uses for marihuana in treating or alleviating the pain, nausea, and other symptoms associated with a variety of debilitating medical conditions.

I’m never in favor of shutting down debate and if people want to open up debate, that’s fine. And, sure, there absolutely should be regulation of how marijuana is sold patient to patient. On a personal level, I think that every Medical Marijuana shop I drive past looks like the equivalent of a dive bar and that maybe some of these shops should class their operation up.

Granted, a Michelin 3-star Marijuana Dispensary might not happen, but, the reality is that it is disingenuous to approach regulation of medical marijuana shops from a base position of wanting to shut them down.

When the Court of Appeals issues a ruling that says the following:

The question becomes whether the “medical use” of marihuana permits the “sale” of marihuana. We hold that it does not because the “sale” of marihuana is not the equivalent to the “delivery” or “transfer” of marihuana.

…

Therefore, the “medical use” of marihuana does not include
the “sale” of marihuana, i.e., the conveyance of marihuana for a price.

It seems to take you back to that ill-conceived base position. The logic that follows in the Court of Appeals ruling about the passages of the Medical Marijuana Act that deal with selling marijuana is shaky at best. Really, the whole opinion comes off like they read the Medical Marijuana Act and simply want to pull the passages that make their point while ignoring the overall scope of the Act.

Could the Act have been written better so that the sale of Marijuana would be clearly permitted? Absolutely. Is that where the train wreck aspect comes in? Absolutely.

The problem with that would seem to be that Marijuana isn’t exactly the same as selling anything else. As in, before States started to pass Marijuana laws, the only people who sold marijuana also often checked over their shoulder for Johnny-Law quite a bit. To put it simply, how the hell do you sell Marijuana? Marijuana as a commercial entity was a complete unknown. Off the top of my head, the easiest way to regulate the sale of marijuana would be to let the Government handle it. Not exactly the most forgiving of entities regarding Marijuana.

But, what seems fairly obvious is that any time you grant someone the ability to use Marijuana to address “alleviating the pain, nausea, and other symptoms associated with a variety of debilitating medical conditions” it goes without saying that the people with the pain, nausea and debilitating medical conditions might not be the ones capable of growing the Marijuana.

So, the guy with glaucoma should be happy that he can use Marijuana to treat it, but, sorry, pal, you also need to hit the Books and learn how to grow it?

I don’t necessarily mind that Michigan’s Attorney General is praising the ruling, but, it’s troubling that he  has the audacity to claim that this will make things safer.

“This ruling is a huge victory for public safety and Michigan communities struggling with an invasion of pot shops near their schools, homes and churches,” Attorney General Bill Schuette said in a statement.

Right. So, that person who can legally have medical marijuana, but, can’t buy it in a shop on the street now has to venture away from the public shops to buy marijuana…and that’s going to have better public safety results? No matter where you stand on medical marijuana or the legalization or marijuana in general, it’s naive to think that there will be better public safety results by telling people they’ll need to find their marijuana from an illegal dealer.

That’s not me damning all Marijuana Dealers as bad human beings, especially if they only sell marijuana and don’t dabble in harder substances. The bottom-line, though, is that some of the cats that deal marijuana are not good people. You’re still dealing with contraband now and there’s no way that is safer than storefronts.

This ruling is also particularly damning giving just how high unemployment is in Michigan. Taking marijuana sales from small businesses to street dealers certainly hurts the economy.

Either way, this whole thing kind of makes me want to listen to Smuggler’s Blues by Glenn Frey from the Miami Vice soundtrack.

One of my friends from Law School works in New Jersey. Whenever we talk about what we have going on with the law, the thing that always impresses me the most is when he tells me he’s doing Night Court stuff. Crazy jealous, and all because of Harry Anderson.

Expect to see more Night Court clips sprinkled on here. There’s actually a lot of it on YouTube.

[Youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8B7rDjX7s54]

NOT SO FAST: George Clark VII of Portage is a Michigan fan — for now. He went home with a story to tell and a souvenir that might be a reason to start rooting for the Spartans. Clark, 10, wore a maize and blue T-shirt featuring the block M. Dantonio took notice of the shirt, waved the boy over and signed inside the block M: “Not so fast! Go Green! Mark Dantonio.”

Kid probably thought he was so cool showing up with the Maize at an MSU event, too. Slick move by Dantonio.