The law matters, so we’ll put it in plain language

Why are people fascinated by the law? I’m thrilled when I turn on the TV and find “Law & Order” on anytime day or night. I grab the next James Patterson mystery when it hits the shelves.

Is it the free legal education? The characters who take me on an emotional roller coaster? Or just my escape from reality? I’m not really sure, but what I do know is that I am fascinated by the law.

Now when I say “the law,” I don’t mean legal briefs written by attorneys, or official opinions that come from judges. Unless you have a legal degree and can understand all of that jargon, that kind of information can be boring and difficult to understand.

What I’m talking about is the human side of the law.

What goes through someone’s mind when he or she chooses to commit a crime? How can a victim or the victim’s family find the strength to survive such horrible things as murder, rape or addiction? What is it like to be that person who has to enforce the law and treat someone fairly no matter how horrible the crime the person committed?

I also love to see the power of the law used for positive change — when a child is adopted or saved from a horrible home, when money is awarded for a wrongdoing, when people get the help and often the knowledge needed to kick an addiction, buy a house or make a better life for themselves and their family.

These are the things I find fascinating about the law.

The city of Baltimore is, in my opinion, one of the best cities in the U.S. You might ask how I can say that with our drug, crime, gang and murder problems. We can easily get caught up in the TV shows that show us the reality of Baltimore — “Homicide,” “The Corner,” and most recently, “The Wire.”

David Simon has done a wonderful job of opening our eyes to reality. But we also must open our eyes to the change that is happening.

Four months into 2008 the murder rate is falling. According to The City Paper’s Murder Ink, as of April 2 there had been 49 murders in Baltimore, compared with 71 at the same point last year. Some of the toughest gang leaders have been put behind bars. The police commissioner and his officers are taking control and making changes.

As Baltimoreans we need to take responsibility for our city. Instead of just talking about the problems, we need to find out what we can do to make a difference. We need to know how the law affects our lives and the lives of others.

That’s why I’m thrilled to bring you the first issue of Exhibit A. Exhibit A cuts through the red tape and the yellow tape to bring you valuable information, entertainment and opinion from the world of law — free of charge and full of drama.

This publication is not written for lawyers. It’s written for you and me. It’s written for people who want to know more, understand more and put themselves in someone else’s shoes for a short time to take away an experience that will help each of us understand Baltimore issues and our legal rights a little better.

From Uncommon Law to amazing-but-true stories to Q&As with legal experts, Exhibit A will provide Baltimore with quirky and useful information every month. We plan to wow you with news that will fascinate and sometimes even shock you like the many crime dramas we read, watch or listen to on a regular basis. We also plan to educate you on how your life intersects with the law and how you can use that information to protect yourself and others.

In short, we are going to bring you the law in plain English. The evidence speaks for itself.