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Reviewed by Joel Zand October 15, 2000
This week, Ed deals with more of the nitty-gritty details of his solo practice in Stuckey Bowl. He begins to get a feel for interior decorating. As for office décor, Ed's nice guy image is just that -- an image -- when he negotiates with contractors. You see, most bowling alley lawyers don't want palm trees on their office windows. Ed's big case this week involves representing Stuckeyville Stan, the town's local magician. As a kid, Ed went to countless birthday parties where Stuckeyville Stan played host to kids, entranced with the wonders of magic. Although he's been doing the same magic act for 53 years, the grown-up kids that he entertained years ago still have a special fondness for the guy. So when a Johnny-come-lately masked magician, Howard Pissel, comes on to the local birthday party scene with a show called "Stuckeyville Stan Revealed" and discloses the magic behind the elder wizard's act, there's only one attorney to call - Ed. He gives the magician a pretty good explanation about why magic tricks are not copyrightable material, and why they are trade secrets. They quickly head to court to resolve one legal issue: Can Stuckeyville Stan own his act, without owning the tricks in the act? Like any legal TV show, this case goes to court in a jiffy. No discovery and no negotiations with the other side. Just a bench trial by the judge. It would have been much better to have a jury of Stuckeyville locals in this case, but viewers can get just as close to the verdict with a judge, who is familiar with the magician's repertoire. And when the judge forces Pissel to reveal his masked identity early on in the trial, you know there's only one way this case will end up. After a trial full of magic tricks, including a rather hokey dancing turkey trick, justice prevails when the judge issues a cease and desist order prohibiting Pissel from revealing his competitor's trade secrets. Ed also half-heartedly tries to deal with his broken big city marriage, telling Nick, the English teacher and boyfriend of Ed's crush, Carol, that he bought Stuckey Bowl because he, "needed the change…what was the big factor that made a lawyer buy a bowling alley? My wife slept with a mailman…I'm a complicated man." Ed's still not any closer to straightening out his love life with Carol. Even after Ed reveals his true love for her, she goes back to Nick (it took the guy seven years?). This has Ed thinking about bringing up a new case in future episode. He's going to sue for emotional whiplash. With Ed, what else would you expect?
In a curious role reversal with the show's protagonist, Joel Zand is a New York solo practitioner who left his Midwestern roots behind to work with Findlaw. He has represented New York City landlords, tenants, and folks with pets in pit-bullesque litigation (always representing the underdog, of course). Zand received his J.D. from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, and his B.A. from the University of Chicago. |
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