Carol Mendelsohn Adapting Legal Memoir ‘Law Man’ at NBC

NBC is going to court with Shon Hopwood.

The network has handed out a script order to Law Man, a drama inspired by the convicted bank robber-turned-attorney and based on his 2012 memoir, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.

The drama hails from CSI‘s Carol Mendelsohn and her CBS Television Studios-based production company. It chronicles the journey of a small-town basketball star from his days as a young bank robber to federal prison inmate, where he became the greatest jailhouse lawyer in American history. In joining the D.C. District Attorneys Investigative Unit, his life experience gives him a unique insight into identifying the guilty from the innocent as he struggles to fit back in to the world that left him behind.

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Mark Gibson and Philip Halprin (They Call Me Cuervo and FX’s Fun City) are on board to pen the script and executive produce alongside Mendelsohn and Carol Mendelsohn Productions president Julie Weitz. Hopwood will serve as a consultant on the drama.

Gibson and Halprin are repped by UTA and Principato Young; CMP is with WME; Hopwood is handled by Hotchkiss & Associates.

Law Man marks the second sale this development season for Mendelsohn. The CSI: Crime Scene Investigation showrunner also has an untitled 1960s surf drama in the works at The CW with 90210‘s Rebecca Sinclair.

Law Man marks CMP’s first sale to NBC since it was launched in 2010. The banner most recently had Jason Lee drama pilot Second Sight set up at CBS last season.

The drama also serves as CBS Television Studios’ latest off-network sale as it looks to expand beyond its sibling networks CBS and The CW this development season. The studio also has efforts set up at ABC and Fox this season.

E-mail: Lesley.Goldberg@THR.com
Twitter: @Snoodit