a courthouse line
Samuel (the devil) and Nelson Tyrone (the law student) made
their dramatic closing arguments and battled for the jury’s vote
to save Nelson’s soul.
Comity Tonight captured a day in the life of the law firm of
Wein, Wimin and Tsong. You watched as the partners and
associates handled the high-profile murder trial of pop singer
“Puff Mommy” and the personal injury suit of Doe v. Dept. of
Transp. (set to music with the Sound of Music classic “Doe a
deer, a female deer; ran, it ran into the road . . . . and there’s
deer all o’er the ro-o-o-oad”). Partnership decisions were
made through a Survivor-like process of voting lawyers out
of the firm, and office romance put you on someone’s “To do”
list. Comity Tonight also featured an all-time Bard favorite: a
show-stopping song and dance performance of “Briefwritin’”
(to the tune of “Greased Lightning” from Grease).
In Phantom of the Courthouse, a disgraced, disbarred and
sometimes clumsy lawyer (“You dropped my corn muffin”)
haunted the local courthouse and attempted to mentor a
beautiful, young female lawyer. You watched as local attorneys
defended Enron in its bankruptcy and argued the case of
Palsgraff v. Frequent Fryer Chicken N’ Waffles (slogan: “We
love to fry and it shows”). Classic tunes like “Enron” (to “Skid
Row from Little Shop of Horrors) and “Bailiff” (to the Enrique
Iglesias hit, “Hero”) delighted the crowd. And no one could stop
singing that Mary Poppins favorite: “Super secret expart itious
expedited motion” – catchy, isn’t it?
The Official News Publication of the Atlanta Bar Association
Death by CLE was set at a CLE event at the Slaughterhouse
Hotel in Dead Lawyer Beach, SC. As a local sleuth worked
to solve an unfortunate lawyer killing spree that had ensued,
the audience learned that the hotel was staffed entirely by
disbarred lawyers (who also happened to sing and dance).
They’d sing out from Fame, “Shame, I’ve been disbarred
forever, and I had to learn how to fry fries”). The lawyers
attending the CLE ultimately were saved when a group of
lawyers, who had skipped the CLE classes to play golf,
accidentally killed the killer with an errant golf shot. Between
Kevin Wilson’s rendition of “Biller” (parodying the Michael
Jackson classic, “Thriller”) and the cast’s version of “Cell
Block Tango” from Chicago, the audience could not get
enough.
No Business Like Law Business told the story of a young
female partner (played by Teresa Bonder) who was enticed to
join Courthouse TV. She and her Will Ferrell-like co-anchor
and crazy director reported on Britney Spears’ medical
malpractice trial (“Oops she did it again”), the U.S. Supreme
Court nominations, and a lawsuit against Dr. Seuss. After
being transformed in looks and even changing her name, she
learned that, while show business was glamorous, practicing
law was much better. The cast wowed the audience with tap
dancing and an amazing rendition of Stomp; and, of course,
there was the Broadway favorite, “There’s No Business Like
[Law] Business.”
October 2013
THE ATLANTA LAWYER
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