The Law Clerk - Move over, Apprentice, America will soon be falling all over itself to guess who will be The Partner on Fox. Contestants must be young (presumably attractive and charismatic) lawyers who don't already have a job with a law firm. Details on the show's format -- which is being crafted by production company Rocket Science, who brought you Temptation Island -- are leaking out:

• 100-plus young attorneys showed up at trendy spot The Flat in New York's East Village for a recent casting call, and "thousands" are predicted to vie for roles on the show between now and August, when auditions close in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., and other cities.
  
• The name and precise format of the series are still secret (the working title is The Legal Show), but according to a recent issue of Variety, Fox has "given an 8-10 episode production commitment to the tentatively titled The Partner," which will model itself after NBC's hit series The Apprentice.
  
• The series will divide contestants into two teams -- "one made up of Ivy League grads, the other consisting of [lawyers] who attended less prestigious schools," Variety said.
  
• The producers are in talks with "several well-known lawyers about coming on board to serve in the Trump-like role as judge," Variety continued, and talks are also under way with "several law firms about serving as the sponsoring firm for the show. Lawyers from the chosen firm will act as advisers to the two teams."

I'd complain that all this is making a mockery of the legal profession, but who am I kidding? As for the subject matter of The Partner's simulated trials, perhaps Fox should write into their other reality TV contracts that legal disputes between all contestants and producers must be aired on the show. Now that would be entertaining.