I used to spend each and every weekend with my aunt and uncle! The people I was with and I sat around on the weekend & watched reruns of Law & Order. My uncle never left the room, unless he had to pee or grab a Coffee. I watched every episode of Law & Order, & I have absolutely seen each episode a bunch of times. I always thought the cable show depicted precisely what happens in the courtroom & in the police department. When my child was arrested for petty theft, I found out that the court is really nothing like the show at all. My child did not qualify for a court-appointed lawyer, because my income was too high. It was strenuous to find a criminal lawyer to take the case, because I did not have a lot of money at this time. I found someone cheap, but I had to remind them about the case each and every week. When I called to get details, I had to refresh their memory with my son’s name. It wasn’t at all like what you see on the TV & I was absolutely anxious that my child would end up in jail for this very petty crime. I contacted the legal aid helpline in our city & talked to them about the case & our lawyer. They asked me for some information like my date of birth, social security number, & gross income. I qualified for help from legal aide fortunately, & I right away made the choice to change lawyers. The county lawyer was much more thorough than the paid lawyer, which was really shocking to me. They had a plea bargain for my child in less than a week, & she won’t have a permanent record either which I’m thankful for.