Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, April 24, 1990 TAG: 9004240490
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: Neal Thompson
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
And it stays off for an hour, rejecting any pesky calls from those who might interrupt the Blacksburg lawyer's favorite-television-program-of-all- times, "L.A. Law."
"I never miss an episode," Tillar said recently.
She's not alone.
Many New River Valley lawyers say they get a kick out of watching themselves and their daily routines portrayed on the tube. And most agree that as TV shows about lawyers go, "L.A. Law" is about as realistic as they come.
"I find it very interesting. It's about as authentic a program as any could be as far as everyday happenings in law are concerned," said Radford lawyer John Buck, formerly the city's commonwealth's attorney.
Buck admits that some things are exaggerated and that many corners are cut, but overall, it's the best of the bunch.
"It's one of my favorite programs," he said.
So hit the road "Perry Mason." Step aside "Matlock."
Make way for those slick Angelenos.
"Its been a long time since they've had a lawyers' show that was even close," Montgomery County's Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Skip Schwab said. " `Perry Mason' was always a skewered view of the law. And on `Matlock,' well. . . you don't always get the ones that are innocent."
Schwab said he doesn't go so far as unhooking the phone, but he and his wife catch "L.A. Law" as often as they can.
Dutton Olinger, also a Blacksburg lawyer, said clients occasionally ask questions based on what they've seen on "L.A. Law."
"And you have to try to explain to them . . . there's things that they do that just couldn't happen here," Olinger said. "But we probably get more questions about Judge Wapner than `L.A. Law.' "
So, do lawyers file injunctions and make motions and objections and so forth right here in the New River Valley the way they do on network television?
Well, sort of.
Though the show sticks fairly close to legal accuracy, many cases heard in "L.A. Law's" courtrooms couldn't happen in a Virginia courtroom.
"It's based a good deal on California law, which is considerably more liberal than Virginia law," Olinger said.
But the parts that are exaggerated need to be taken with a grain of salt.
"The thing to remember is it's still a television show. They do things for dramatic effect and whether it's right or not is sometimes not a question," Schwab said.
Olinger also likes the fact that "L.A. Law" shows some of the stresses lawyers deal with each day.
"It's the type of program where they don't win every case, which is true in the actual practice of law," Buck said. "You win some, you lose some."
Schwab agrees, saying the show is "pretty non-judgmental.
"They have their regulars present one side, but they let the other side get in their licks, too. Both sides of the issue get played out on the screen," he said.
The show also stays pretty topical, pulling peculiar stories from courtrooms all over the country.
"A lot of their stories come right out of the little blurbs in the newspaper," Schwab said.
He said he remembers one episode where two police officers were tried for breaking into and searching the wrong house. "And that happened in Washington, D.C.," Schwab said.
So "L.A. Law" isn't all up fantasy, these local lawyers say. Aside from being entertaining, it is, for the most part, real cases being re-enacted with near legal accuracy.
But if you want to know more about how Virginia law compares with "L.A. Law," don't call Darrel Tillar between 9 and 10 Thursday nights. You'll get a busy signal.
by CNB