Olivier Taillieu, JD ’99, was recently cast on the new NBC reality show The Law Firm premiering July 28. Each week, one contestant will be eliminated and the top attorney will receive a prize of $250,000. Roy Black, a trial attorney and legal analyst, will manage the 12 lawyers who compete against each other in real court cases. The cases range from First Amendment issues to wrongful death suits.

Olivier Taillieu, JD ’99, appears on the new NBC reality show The Law Firm.
Photo courtesy of NBC.

Tailieu, a native of France, specializes in entertainment law. When asked about why he is better than the other contestants he said, “In my experience, I excel over others in my profession because I work harder than most and I love it more than all. Most lawyers end up in law school with a silver spoon in their mouths. I didn’t, I had to fight for it.”

Tailieu believes that not all reality television is created equal. “There are shows whose focus is on bringing out the best of us - and thus appeal to what’s good inside of us. That’s inspiring. Then there are shows that capitalize on our darker side - the side that can’t look away when driving by a car accident. Although those can be entertaining too, they’re less uplifting.”