[Dish]  Law on Call

Courtesy Law Call

Attorney Tim Porter, host Lee Owens and attorney Rocky Wilkins offer legal advice Saturdays on WLBT’s “Law Call.”

by Adam Lynch
February 25, 2009

Last summer, Jackson attorneys Tim Porter and Rocky Wilkins came up with the idea for “Law Call,” a live call-in show that premiered on WLBT Feb. 7. The weekly 30-minute show sports guest lawyers from around the state who specialize in legal fields such as job safety and divorce law to offer legal advice to curious callers.

Former WLBT sports anchor Lee Owens moderates and, according to Porter and Wilkins, does a good job of making the two “stop talking like lawyers” for the callers.

The show airs Saturdays at 6:30 p.m. on WLBT.

What do you hope to accomplish with the show?
Wilkins: I think it’s important that people know their rights, and “Law Call” gives them a chance to talk to an attorney. Some people think it costs money just to speak to an attorney when a lot of times it doesn’t, but they still need to know their rights. For example: You have generally three years to file a personal injury lawsuit in Mississippi, and if you miss that time, you’re barred by a statute of limitation and you lose your right to recover any damages you’re entitled to.

Porter: It’s amazing to me the number of people who didn’t know they had a time limit. One of the other misconceptions about the statute of limitations is that you only get one year to file a case against a municipality or the state, not three.

What’s the topic this week (Feb. 28)?
Wilkins: This week the topic is bankruptcy, and we’ll have a bankruptcy attorney to answer questions. It was pretty crazy one week when we had the show “Love and the Law,” and our guest, Melissa Malouf, dealt with divorce, child custody and family issues.

Do you think you’ll be putting any attorneys out of business by answering these questions?
Porter: No, our hope is that we can put the legal community in a good light and help folks not to be so scared to contact a lawyer.

What’s the general perception—that lawyers cost $1,000 a minute or something ridiculous like that?
Porter: High enough that some people just don’t seek advice.

Wilkins: You’ve probably had a very minor illness once and you didn’t feel like you needed to go to the doctor, but you bumped into a friend who is a doctor and he says, “Don’t worry about your illness. It’s nothing serious,” and you feel so much better about it because you didn’t have to pay a couple of hundred bucks to go to a clinic to have them tell you the same thing. It’s reassuring to just be able to ask somebody a simple question.

What’s the state’s greater perception of lawyers?
Wilkins: You’ve always heard the lawyer jokes, but there’s been a black eye on the legal community because of some things over the last year or two, and we’re hoping through this program we can put the industry in a more positive light.
Porter: I think that if you talk to most people, they’re satisfied with their own lawyer, but when you talk to people in general, that’s where the negative perceptions come in. I think this show can help portray lawyers in a better light, but I’m not so naïve as to think that we’ll change the opinions of people who don’t like us.

What’s the political environment after tort reform?
Porter: The tort reform that was passed has not (been vetted) by the courts to determine the constitutionality of some things, like caps on damages. There was a Georgia state court case a few months ago that held Georgia’s caps as unconstitutional. I don’t think the public knows how bad caps can be, because what it’s done is taken the lives of individuals who don’t have high wagering capacity—like children, the elderly, sometimes the uneducated—and it’s placed a limited value on their life. State law, for example, says that you can only collect $500,000 total in tort claims, both economic and non-economic. It’s really too little.

What do you think about the show’s format?
Wilkins: This is live without a net, and we’re going to answer any question at any time.

No matter how politically disparaging the question may be?
Wilkins: Well, I’m not going to let them make fun of Tim, but sitting there taking the calls is like what we do all day in our offices.

Don’t you fear that some questions’ answers, just put out there, could affect your career?
Wilkins: I’ve made my living by answering questions honestly and taking risks, and I don’t think this show will be any different. If somebody’s feelings get hurt then so be it.

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