Thank You, Alan Shore

Boston Legal has got to be my favorite law-related TV series since The Practice. I have a sneaking suspicion that I share many of David E. Kelley's political and social beliefs, which invariably makes me sympathetic to the causes defended by one of his lead fictional characters - the lawyer Alan Shore. Every episode presents an issue of particular relevance to America, but I find myself naturally interested in it just the same, due to David E. Kelley's rare ability to infuse humanity (which knows no culture or country) into each contentious topic. It also helps immensely that I have a crush on Alan Shore (though I sometimes squirm when I see him saying 'I love you' to his best friend Denny Crane, played by William Shatner, whose career was brilliantly-resurrected thanks to the show). Being myself a litigation lawyer, I thoroughly enjoy the courtroom drama, chiefly because the only drama I get to see in the courtroom is a postponement after being made to wait for two hours. Here in the Philippines, we have no opening or closing statement at the trial court level. Counsels only exchange pleadings, ad nauseam, which no doubt accounts for the ever worsening clog in the court dockets.

Anyway, I write about Alan Shore today because I just watched this episode where Alan got to argue before the US Supreme Court in defense of a client with a 70 IQ, who was scheduled to be executed through lethal injection for the non-homicidal rape of an 8 year old girl. Apparently, in Louisiana, the death penalty is permissible for child rape cases, and Alan was hired to challenge the constitutionality of the death penalty law. His speech before the US Supreme Court had me biting my nails and shaking my head in parts. But by the end of it, he had me convinced. Convinced that the man he was representing did not deserve to die. And more convinced that there is no other profession, no other job, I'd rather have, than that of a lawyer.

So thank you, Alan Shore.

I managed to download the episode through tudou.com in two parts. You can watch it here, and here.