Legal News

Rocker-Lawyer Pesters R. Kelly, Gets Boot from Courtroom

By Dan Slater

Lawyer-authors. Lawyer-songwriters. Lawyer-filmmakers. The Law blog thinks it’s terrific when lawyers maintain interests, hobbies and even careers outside the law. It keeps them fresh, and it gives us stuff to write about. And all the better when the legal career collides with the extra-legal pursuit.

By day, Mike Roman (pictured) is a criminal defense attorney in Chicago. At night, he fronts for a rock band called “Mike Roman and the Telstars.” (Click on the link to hear samples, and to buy a copy of “Cha Cha Time,” the group’s latest album.) According to this report in the Chicago Trib, on Friday Roman was kicked out of court during the child pornography trial of R. Kelly for trying to push his demo CD on Kelly during a break in the proceedings.

“No, thank you,” Kelly reportedly said. “I’m not allowed to take anything.”

Roman persisted, but Kelly continued to decline the CD.

“I’m not allowed to talk to anyone,” said the singer, reminding Roman of the gag order imposed on him by trial Judge Vincent Gaughan.

Roman offered to just leave the disc, but Kelly asked him not to.

“Please,” Kelly said quietly. “You have to leave me alone.”

Other attorneys in the courtroom noticed the conversation and called deputies to assist Kelly. Roman was briefly detained.

“I’m a lawyer and I’m musician,” Roman said. “What’s wrong with that?”

Roman eventually complied with an order to leave the courtroom, but not before trying to sell a copy of “Cha Cha Time” to one of Kelly’s defense attorneys for $15.

Full post as published by Law Blog - WSJ.com on June 02, 2008 (boomark / email).