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Allison Leotta, novelist, former sex-crimes prosecutor, tv critic

Author of A Good Killing, Speak of the Devil, and others.

SVU Episode #14-17: Undercover Blue

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Tonight’s episode finally answered the question Law & Order: SVU fans have been buzzing about for weeks: who is Olivia’s mystery man? It immediately transitioned to: how quickly can he be thrown the wolves for our amusement?

Recap:

New York’s biggest political sex scandal is about to go to trial, when a shady ex-prostitute-turned-pole-dancing-aerobics instructor named Heather accuses the prosecution’s star witness, lovable rogue cop Brian Cassidy, of raping her four years earlier. Nick and Munch go to Cassidy’s apartment to break the bad news . . . and find Olivia there, wearing only Cassidy’s nightshirt and a satisfied post-coital grin. At last! We know whose mystery hand Oliva was holding as she flew off to the Bahamas a few episodes ago.

Will Olivia finally get some well-deserved happiness? Of course not – where’s the drama in that?

Although this may be the weakest rape charge in the history of rape charges – for crying out loud, Heather’s boyfriend visited the sex-scandal defendant in jail two days earlier, obviously colluding to frame Cassidy – the DA promptly charges Cassidy with rape, and sets his trial for approximately seven minutes later.

Heather testifies that four years ago, she was a dog-collar-wearing “sex slave,” and [Read more…]

SVU Episode #14-16: Funny Valentine

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Tonight’s SVU episode was a barely-fictionalized rendition of the tumultuous Rihanna/Chris Brown saga, except, in the end, the dewy-eyed songstress doesn’t top the music charts but is killed by her lover. The ending was dramatic – but realistic. Bravo to SVU for nailing the real challenges of prosecuting domestic-violence cases.

Recap:

A beautiful young singer named Micha records a duet with her baby-faced beau, Caleb. The beat is barely faded when Caleb starts flirting with another woman – and then punching Micha when she confronts him.

The next day, Micha’s face is covered in bruises, but she’s reluctant to testify against Caleb. She loves him. But Olivia flashes her patented empathetic smile, and Micha eventually admits that Caleb hit and strangled her.

A press frenzy ensues (with Perez Hilton playing himself). The two stars tweet up a storm, and their reps issue competing press releases.

Caleb goes on a talk show, the picture of contrition. “I love you, baby” he murmurs to the camera and thus to Micha, “That I hurt you, it tears me, up. I’m so so sorry. You’re all that matters. This ring is for you.” He displays a rock the size of a tennis ball.

Micha puts the ring on her finger and refuses to testify against him. [Read more…]

Lawyers? Fun?

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Every year, the American Bar Association Journal ranks the top legal blogs in America, including a category called “For Fun.”  Although “fun lawyers” might sound like an oxymoron, this year’s list includes a bunch of truly giggle-worthy blogs.  I’m honored that this blog was again included in the group; you should check out the others if you haven’t seen them before.  After the nominations were announced, the 2012 “For Fun” bloggers decided to interview each other.  Here, for your amusement, is the resulting group interview.

1.  What is your blog about? 

Law and The Multiverse (by James Daily and Ryan Davidson):  Examining comic book characters and stories from a legal perspective. Or alternatively, an excuse to be huge comic book nerds while hopefully teaching people something about the law.

Lowering the Bar (by Kevin Underhill):  The human condition (which currently remains at Threat Level Orange).  Actually, I guess it’s about whatever strikes me as funny, provided I can come up with some connection to the legal system, however remote.  Also, the first letter of each post spells out an important message to future generations, crafted in a complex code of my own devising. This is its true purpose.

The Namby Pamby:  Typically it is the day to day happenings in my law practice. Sometimes I branch out and talk about my favorite sports teams or some topic of the day, but mainly it is me relaying my missteps. And attempting to make them laugh while doing so.

Josh Warren zombie self portrait

Josh Warren zombie self portrait

 

Supreme Court Haiku Reporter (by Keith Jaasma): I take the most important legal issues of the day and completely trivialize them through bad poetry.

Allison Leotta:  I recap and reality-check Law & Order: SVU for what the show gets right and wrong, from my perspective as a former sex-crimes prosecutor.

ZombieLaw (by Joshua Warren): blogs about “zombies” in law and politics (from a cognitive   linguistic perspective).

 

2.  What drew you to writing your blog?  (The big money, right?)

Lowering the Bar: I don’t think I was drawn so much as compelled.

Allison Leotta: Blogging about TV shows’ errors is way more constructive than throwing slippers at the TV.  Also, when my first novel, Law of Attraction, was published, Simon & Schuster told me I “needed a platform.”

S.Ct. Haiku: I had written several law review articles of 40 pages or more and was excited that 300 people downloaded them in a year.  So I thought “what’s the fewest number of words I could write and still call it writing.” Haiku!

Law and the Multiverse:  James started it on a lark after the idea was suggested by a friend over dinner.  Ryan came on board after James posted it to MetaFilter.com.

Namby Pamby:  I started writing during my first year of law school eight years ago as a time waster and as an attempt to make people laugh. I still try to uphold these founding principles in my posts.

ZombieLaw:  I was in an academic group studying “creativity” as regards occupy wall street and #anonymous. Zombies sort of grew out of that.

3.  The ABA says you are “Fun.” And yet you are a lawyer.  Explain.

The-Law-of-Superheroes-CoverLaw and The Multiverse: We make the law fun by heavily diluting it with comic books and pop culture.  It’s like how gin (kind of gross) and tonic water (definitely gross) combine to make delicious gin & tonic.

ZombieLaw:  Irony.

Allison Leotta:  Airbrushing.

Lowering the Bar: I think I wrote last year that I was proud of the honor despite the contention that being called the “most fun legal blog” was sort of like saying Moe was the smartest Stooge. I guess I would stand by that with the understanding that, just like the other Stooges were smarter than they looked on film (probably), lawyers are actually more “fun” than pop culture would suggest. Or at least there are a lot more lawyers who are in fact fun than non-lawyers might expect.

Namby Pamby:  The law is a lot of fun because of the crazy people that make up the practice. Judges, court personnel, clients, opposing counsel and coworkers all provide great fodder. I try not to take whatever I am doing too seriously, it’s not like I am doctor or something important.

S.Ct. Haiku: Even the ABA makes mistakes. [Read more…]

Hooray and thanks!

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The American Bar Association has named this blog one of the best legal blogs in America — for the third year in a row. Hooray!  Thanks to everyone who reads, comments, and shares this blog with their friends.  Your enthusiasm is what makes it a success. If you have a moment to stop by the ABA site and cast a quick vote for me in the “For Fun” category, I would give a most grateful “Dun Dun!”

Thanks a lot. See you back here next week for “Dreams Deferred.”

SVU Episode 14-8: Lessons Learned

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Tonight’s Law & Order: SVU explored how child sex abuse can fester within powerful institutions.  “Lessons Learned” was an intense episode combining some of the most disturbing elements from the real-life cases of Jerry Sandusky, the Boy Scouts, and a posh prep school in Minnesota.

Recap: Most nights, you get the impression that SVU’s detectives work just one case per week. The rest of New York’s crimes are apparently handled in tonight’s chaotic opening scene. The station is crowded with sobbing victims, screaming prostitutes, and couples fighting Jerry-Springer style. An old man walks in clutching a letter he wants to discuss – and he’s so overwhelmed, he leaves before Nick gets to him.

The next morning, the man’s corpse is found in his apartment, hanging from a rope. He was a teacher at an exclusive prep school called Manor Hill. Nick feels bad until he finds the letter on a desk – from a boy who was the teacher’s student, accusing him of sexual abuse years ago.

[Read more…]

Fun News

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The Huffington Post is now running my weekly recaps of SVU!  You can expect the same snarky reality-checks I’ve been dishing for the last two years, just at a much bigger website.

Of course, I’ll still be posting and commenting here.  But if you have a chance, please stop by HuffPo and check out the fancy new digs.  Even better,  “Like” the post, become my “Fan” (by clicking on the red heart at the top), or leave a comment, so I know you found me there.  Thanks!

See you back here next week for SVU’s 300th episode.  (Do you think there will be cake?)