BEN
Ben Lee has written for the television shows ELEVENTH HOUR and FAIRLY LEGAL and is currently writing for THE FIRM, a series based on the John Grisham novel (premiering tonight at 9pm, then moving to Thursdays at 10pm, on NBC). After graduating from Harvard University and Columbia Law School, he worked for several years as a corporate attorney in New York before breaking his parents’ hearts to become a writer. You can follow him on Twitter.
When I was working at the old law firm, I rarely went to court. I didn’t pound my desk or strenuously object to anything. But here’s what I did: I wrote something around fifty pages long under ridiculously tight deadlines. I sent it out to a dozen people, who gave me a whole lot of notes that were inconsistent with one another. I listened to them fight about the document while I kept my phone on mute. Every once in a while, I said something that made me seem competent. After the call, I silently cursed everyone, revised my draft, and repeated the cycle until they all liked it or got tired of fighting about it, whichever came first. Little did I know how well this would prepare me for a career as a television writer.
As a lawyer, I helped private equity firms buy, revamp, and sell undervalued companies. I represented a subprime mortgage lender in Chapter 11 bankruptcy. I negotiated license agreements for American television shows to be broadcast in Poland and Malaysia. I drafted endorsement agreements between professional surfers and the energy drinks emblazoned on their boards. But all along, what I really wanted to do was write cool lines for pretty actors.
DHH
