Taking Justice To The Street

Street Legal Wins 6 AFTA Awards in 2003

1. Best Episode of a Drama Series or Serial: "No Silver Bullet"
2. Best Drama Series or Serial
3. Best Actress: Katherine Kennard
4. Best Supporting Actor: Charles Mesure
5. Best Camera, Drama: Fred Renata
6. Best Original Music: Don McGlashan

Jay Laga’aia is David Silesi, the maverick lawyer who is always on the side of the underdog, in STREET LEGAL, the fast-paced, high-action drama series filmed entirely in New Zealand.

STREET LEGAL co-stars Katherine Kennard as David Silesi’s law partner (and former love Joni Collins) and Charles Mesure as his nemesis Detective Senior Sergeant Kees Van Dam. series also stars Louise Wallace, Dwayne Cameron, Ingrid Park, Manu Bennett, Ben Baker, and Cal Wilson.

David Silesi and his colleagues use unorthodox methods of getting at the truth to see justice done for their clients but often their personal lives turn out to be more dramatic as the stresses and strains of living life on the legal edge take their toll.

In this series, David and Joni’s law firm, Wyeth & Associates, is in trouble. The repo man starts taking the furniture. The overdraft has run over its limit. Joni turns to Adie for a loan to keep afloat, but there are conditions. Lack of cashflow is a continual worry for Joni, a concern not helped by David’s tendency to spend lots of time on non-paying cases.

They are under real pressure to accept all paying work – no matter how dirty. This leads them into dark territory, representing serious criminals in a huge drug wholesaling operation. Professional ethics and personal pride severely compromised, they eventually turn on each other.