Lawyers view TV counterparts

Two well-known Las Vegas attorneys have taken the term "networking" to the extreme.

Jim Belushi as Nick Morelli ( based on Las Vegas lawyer Michael Cristalli). Jerry O'Connell as Pete Kaczmarek (based on Marc Saggese, Cristalli's law partner).

Meet "The Defenders," the latest television series based on Las Vegas, this one based on real-life attorneys Cristalli and Saggese.

According to CBS, "The Defenders" is "an irreverent new legal drama about two fiery and charismatic Las Vegas defense attorneys. Tenacious, defiant and completely engaging, they argue the law, and they follow the law, but they always keep a few tricks up their sleeves. No matter what the odds, these lawyers keep fighting for the little guy."

"The Defenders" is not "loosely" based on the real life legal exploits of Cristalli and Saggese.

"Loosely is the wrong term," Saggese said. "The show is closely based on what we do."

The law partners saw the program's pilot for the first time on May 22, with their TV doppelgängers Belushi and O'Connell at Belushi's California home.

"It was the four of us together," said Saggese, who notes that several characters are based on real people, but concedes "liberties were taken."

Cristalli's character, for example, is separated from his wife in the show, but the couple are "very much in love" in real life.

This week the pair will meet with the show's writing team to discuss episode two. Saggese said the plan is to produce nine episodes in 2010. The content will reflect real cases.

"I have a couple in mind," Saggese said. "One is very dramatic; we have injustices, and we have one where a horrible wrong is righted."

Although Cristalli and Saggese practice criminal defense, Saggese said that area represents only 50 percent of their overall practice.

"The other half is civil," he said, "It's just that most of the time we're in court for defense cases because criminal cases tend to settle a lot faster than civil cases do."

Saggese said he and his partner intend to capitalize on the exposure provided by the show. "This is an opportunity of the rarest order," he said. "We plan on advertising. It would be foolish if we just sat by."

The first episode airs at
10 p.m. Sept. 29 and is part of CBS' fall lineup for Wednesdays.

Contact Doug McMurdo at dmcmurdo@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5512 or read more courts coverage at lvlegalnews.com.