New Street Law

Nearly every night there is a legal procedural drama airing on one or more channels, and unfortunately, New Street Law is not superior to any of these dramas currently showing. New Street Law is a British TV series by the BBC, which focuses on a competition between a new and small law firm run by a young defense lawyer Jack Roper (John Hannah) and a powerful law firm owned by Roper’s former mentor, Laurence Scammell (Paul Freeman).

From the first episode it is not hard to guess that Roper works for weaker and less fortunate clients than his opposition. Likewise, it is obvious that Scammell is more concerned with winning while Roper is fighting for justice.

Personally, it took 2 to 3 episodes for me to take John Hannah seriously. Until I saw this series, to me he was just the goofy and greedy brother of Rachel Weisz’s character in the Mummy movies. However, I must say, he is a great actor playing this persistent lawyer in New Street Law.

What makes New Street Law different from other legal dramas? Regrettably, there are not many answers. You will get to know a little bit of the British legal system, and this series does not involve too much detective work. However, just like you can see in almost all legal dramas, there are corrupted systems, injustice and influenced witnesses.

Like I said, John Hannah is a great actor, and I enjoy that his character slowly shows the own dark past, but the story does not have any major twists or intrigue. Therefore, the show overall doesn’t stand out.

In conclusion, New Street Law is another average legal procedural drama. Since there are several similar series right now, I recommend this one only if you are a big fan of legal drama or interested in British legal drama.