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Now they're laughing

Seven's Marshall Law has evolved into a quirky comedy but, as Debi Enker writes, it wasn't how they planned it.

Case 1: A couple of mates get drunk. One strips his friend naked, sticks a rubber glove on his head and a feather duster up his bottom and takes photos, which he emails to everyone in his office. He finds himself facing charges of indecent assault.

Case 2: A young woman drives a car the wrong way down a four-lane freeway. Miraculously, she injures no-one, but can't explain why she did something so stupid. She's charged with conduct endangering life.

Case 3: In a custody dispute over a canine TV star, the dog's breeder takes action against its owners, claiming the hound's behaviour indicates it is being mistreated.

Clearly, these aren't the life-and-death matters that engage Bobby Donnell and his team of lawyers on The Practice. They're more the kind of incidents that would have the ditsy Ally McBeal fretting over her closing argument in the firm's unisex toilets.

By Debi Enker
August 05, 2002
Sydney Morning Herald