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Impressive on paper, but "Capitol Law" will have to beat the curse of other Washington-based dramas limping in the ratings: "E-Ring," with Benjamin Bratt; "Bones," starring Emily Deschanel; and "Commander in Chief," with Geena Davis.

A decision about the pilot is likely in mid-May if the show gets a fall debut.

Will the 'Capitol Law' Pilot Fly Onto the Air?

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Forget all those nasty things you've been hearing about Washington lawyers. "Capitol Law," a pilot shot for CBS in the District this week, gives our legal eagles a sensitive, idealistic makeover a la "The West Wing."

The show is based on "In the Shadow of the Law," published last year by Kermit Roosevelt , an assistant law professor at Penn and the great-great-grandson of Teddy Roosevelt . The younger Roosevelt (Harvard, Yale, clerk for Supreme Court Justice David Souter ) wrote a novel about junior lawyers at the fictional D.C. firm of Morgan Siler. Carol Mendelsohn, executive producer of the monster hit "CSI," optioned it for Paramount and wrote the pilot script, which deals with a lawsuit against a chemical company and the pro bono fight of a death row inmate.

"I would say it's 'West Wing' in a law firm," says Roosevelt. "It's character- and issue- driven." The pilot stars "Dawson's Creek" alum Joshua Jackson as the rookie and veteran heavy Frank Langella as the firm's managing partner. Scenes were shot on the Mall, along Pennsylvania Avenue and at the Willard Hotel with restaurant staff as extras.

Impressive on paper, but "Capitol Law" will have to beat the curse of other Washington-based dramas limping in the ratings: "E-Ring," with Benjamin Bratt; "Bones," starring Emily Deschanel; and "Commander in Chief," with Geena Davis.

A decision about the pilot is likely in mid-May if the show gets a fall debut.