BEVERLY HILLS —Catching up with world famous defense attorney Mickey Sherman is always an amazing experience. Not only can you see Mickey frequently on CBS’s “The Early Show,” but you can also watch him on CNN’s “Nancy Grace” and numerous other talk and opinion shows about the current legal issues of the day. Mickey’s one of the most fun and exciting people to spend a day with. We often speak on the record with Mickey’s beautiful wife, Lis Wiehl, a commentator on Fox News, but this week we asked for the defense attorney’s perspective on some of the cases being discussed on TV, next to office water coolers and even in your homes.

Q-Mickey, with the murder of the Florida woman who had gone to court to get a restraining order against the man who was stalking her, is there anything that Americans can do to help change and strengthen stalking laws?

A-“The problem with a stalker is that they are generally so obsessed with their victim that a protective or restraining order often means little or nothing. Yet, the conundrum is that you cannot keep them locked up all the time. The only answer to this problem is to make sure that judges and prosecutors LISTEN to victims and take their complaints seriously. Also, local law enforcement need to regularly ”˜drive by’ the homes of possible victims and not just wait for the call that there is a problem.”

Q-I know you were a world famous defense attorney, who has defended the rights of many people. Maybe you can explain to us, why is it that the laws seem to protect the rights of people who are accused of stalking and who are obviously mentally unbalanced, who cause fear to so many of us?

A-“Stalkers are people too. They are certainly disturbing and often frightening but not every stalker commits a violent crime. They are entitled to the presumption of innocence and the same due process of law that every other accused is likewise entitled.”

Q-Alright, I’ll admit that was a pointed question. Do you think that we’ll ever tackle the political and economic climate in the country in order to re-open mental hospitals so that even those stalkers who are mentally ill won’t be allowed to do criminal acts and be thrown in jail with the real criminals and therefore be victimized by the system further?

A-“The problem is whether we treat stalkers as mentally ill people or as criminals. Too often, it is impossible to place them neatly in one category or another. Most of the public does not care about whether they are mentally ill and just want them punished. They feel this way until 10 minutes after their son, daughter, brother or cousin gets arrested for stalking. It is not an easy question.”

Q-So when is Roman Polanski coming back to the U.S.? Will his extradition be upheld or do you think he’ll continue to be in Switzerland while legal proceedings play out here in California?

A-“I have always thought that Polanski will come back with a deal for time served. Too much time has gone by. He has not gotten into any further trouble and it appears as if he was not getting a fair shake back then when he split to Europe. Most importantly, the victim wants him to be allowed to come back and remain free. That should be decisive.”

Q-Your current book, “How Can You Defend Those People,” really was a brilliant eye-opening read for me and many others. Are you working on anything new currently that you can share with us?

A-“I am working on a second book and also a TV series based on the first one. As you all out there [Hollywood] know, it is a long voyage to get a pilot made and an even longer one to get it picked up. I am fortunate to have the interest of incredibly talented people such as Diane English, Barry Levinson and Tom Fontana working towards this project.”

Pilots, books, whatever Sherman puts his mind to, it’s most likely going to happen. He’s surely the one man anyone in trouble would want for their attorney. Canyon News will catch up with the legal giant again in the future to discuss the stories and headlines we can’t get enough of.

“How Can You Defend Those People” is available at bookstores across the nation and also on Amazon.com and other online booksellers.