{{Short description|American legal commentator}} {{Use American English|date=February 2026}} {{Use mdy dates|date=February 2026}} [[File:David Feige at 2017 MIFF.jpg|thumb|Feige at the Miami Film Festival presentation of Untouchable at Regal Theater on March 11, 2017]]
'''David Feige''' is an [[Americans|American]] lawyer, legal commentator, and author. He is the author of the memoir ''Indefensible: One Lawyer's Journey into the Inferno of American Justice''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/david-feige/indefensible/|title = INDEFENSIBLE |work=Kirkus Reviews}}</ref> and co-creator of the [[TNT (U.S. TV network)|TNT]] [[legal drama]] ''[[Raising the Bar (2008 TV series)|Raising the Bar]]'',<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1001558/|title = Raising the Bar| publisher=[[IMDb]] |date = September 2008}}</ref> both of which center on the life of the [[public defender]]. He is also the co-founder (along with his wife [[Robin Steinberg]]) and board chair of [[The Bronx Freedom Fund]], a [[bail fund|charitable bail organization]] in New York State.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.bronxdefenders.org/bronx-freedom-fund-awarded-the-2015-national-criminal-justice-association-outstanding-criminal-justice-program-award/ |title = Bronx Freedom Fund awarded the 2015 National Criminal Justice Association Outstanding Criminal Justice Program Award| date=4 August 2015 }}</ref> In 2016 he won the Albert Maysles New Documentary Director Award<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://tribecafilm.com/stories/tribeca-film-festival-2016-juried-award-winners-narrative-documentary-shorts-storyscapes |title=15th Tribeca Film Festival Announces 2016 Juried Award Winners | Tribeca |access-date=2016-04-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160601200541/https://tribecafilm.com/stories/tribeca-film-festival-2016-juried-award-winners-narrative-documentary-shorts-storyscapes |archive-date=2016-06-01 |url-status=dead }}</ref> for ''Untouchable'', a documentary feature he wrote, produced and directed.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/jonathanleaf/2016/04/25/new-doc-untouchable-is-tribeca-film-fest-standout/|title = New Doc 'Untouchable' is Tribeca Film Fest Standout| website=[[Forbes]] }}</ref> The film premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://tribecafilm.com/filmguide/untouchable-2016|title = Untouchable | 2016 Tribeca Festival}}</ref>
==Background== Feige was raised in [[Madison, Wisconsin]]. His mother was a social worker and his father was an economics professor. Feige pursued his undergraduate studies at [[University of Chicago]].<ref name=BLEFGHSWB>{{cite web|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aPC.97SSYCZY|title=Bronx Legal Eagle Feige Goes Hollywood, Studies With Bochco|accessdate=2015-07-21|date=2008-09-22|publisher=[[Bloomberg News|Bloomberg]]|author=Boroff, Philip}}</ref> After law school, Feige accepted an offer to work as a [[public defender]] in New York City.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://nymag.com/arts/books/profiles/17119/|title=In the People's Court: David Feige|accessdate=2015-07-21|date=25 May 2006|author=Kachka, Boris}}</ref>
==Career== Feige began his legal career as a staff attorney at the Criminal Defense Division of the [[Legal Aid Society]], and held positions at the Civilian Complaint Review Board of New York City and the Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem, before becoming, in 1997, one of the founding members of [[The Bronx Defenders]]. In 1999 Feige was promoted to Trial Chief. In March 2001, he filed the first motion for a double-blind sequential line up<ref>Dewan, Shaila K. [https://www.nytimes.com/2001/06/28/nyregion/lawyer-urges-change-in-conduct-of-lineups.html "Lawyer Dares Bronx Judges to Change the Way the Police Conduct Lineups"], ''The New York Times'', 28 June 2001.</ref> in ''People v. Leo Franco'', spawning a series of legal challenges to [[eyewitness identification]] procedures around the country.{{cn|date=July 2020}}
Feige is the author of the 2006 book ''Indefensible: One Lawyer's Journey into the Inferno of American Justice'', which recounts his experiences as a [[public defender]] in [[The Bronx]], [[New York City]].
Feige is co-creator with [[Steven Bochco]] (who had read ''Indefensible'')<ref name=BLEFGHSWB/> of the TV series, ''[[Raising the Bar (2008 TV series)|Raising the Bar]]'', which debuted on [[TNT (U.S. TV network)|TNT]] September 1, 2008 to the highest ratings for a pilot episode in the history of ad-supported cable television.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/television/news/e3i9e7f602573f2a544c8b48bb3b0a0b820 |url-status=dead |work=The Hollywood Reporter |first=Kimberly |last=Nordyke |title='Raising the Bar' breaks record in debut |date=2008-09-02 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080919034621/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/television/news/e3i9e7f602573f2a544c8b48bb3b0a0b820 |archivedate=September 19, 2008 }}</ref> It was Feige's first attempt at screenwriting.<ref name=BLEFGHSWB/> The action takes place in the courthouses of [[New York City]] and the show deals with issues similar to those of ''Indefensible'', though with fictional characters. The show was renewed by the TNT Cable network.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://movieweb.com/tnt-renews-raising-the-bar-and-saving-grace/|title=TNT renews Raising the Bar and Saving Grace|date=2008-09-29|work=Huffington Post}}</ref> He has written or produced over 100 hours of episodic television having also worked as a Consulting Producer and writer on the television shows ''[[The Firm (2012 TV series)|The Firm]]''<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/nbcs-firm-be-shot-toronto-188617|title=Entertainment One is to shoot the NBC/Global Television series based on the John Grisham novel starting this summer.|accessdate=2011-05-29|date=2011-05-16|work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|last=Vlessing|first=Elan}}</ref> and ''In Contempt''. He also served as a Co-Executive Producer on a number of shows, including ''[[Drop Dead Diva]]'', the CBS legal drama ''[[Doubt (American TV series)|Doubt]]'', and ''[[Daredevil: Born Again]]'',<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://thecosmiccircus.com/first-report-more-daredevil-born-again-writers-revealed|title=Daredevil: Born Again Writer's Revealed|date=24 January 2023 }}</ref> as well as an Executive Producer on the ABC series ''[[For Life (TV series)|For Life]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2614384/|title=David Feige|website=[[IMDb]] }}</ref>
Feige has appeared on [[Court TV]], [[MSNBC]] and [[National Public Radio]] to comment on legal issues{{cn|date=July 2020}}. He has also written about the law for ''[[The New York Times]]'', ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'', ''[[The Washington Post]]'' and ''[[Boston Globe]]'', and magazines like ''[[Fortune (magazine)|Fortune]]'', ''[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]]'',<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.slate.com/authors.david_feige.html|title=David Feige}}</ref> ''[[The New Yorker (magazine)|The New Yorker]]'',<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.newyorker.com/culture/postscript/when-steven-bochco-calls-la-law-nypd-blue-doogie-howser|title = When Steven Bochco Calls| magazine=[[The New Yorker]] |date = 6 April 2018}}</ref> and ''[[The Nation]]''. He was on the faculty of the National Criminal Defense College at [[Walter F. George School of Law]] in [[Macon, Georgia|Macon]], [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]], and is currently{{when|date=July 2020}} on leave as Professor of Law and Director of Advocacy Programs at [[Seton Hall University]] School of Law in [[Newark, New Jersey|Newark]], [[New Jersey]].{{cn|date=July 2020}}
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *{{IMDb name|id=2614384|name=David Feige}} *[http://law.shu.edu/faculty/fulltime_faculty/feigedav/feige.html Seton Hall Faculty page] *http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/06/opinion/06feige.html?scp=1&sq=David+Feige&st=nyt *[https://web.archive.org/web/20060717152738/http://www.boston.com/news/globe/ideas/articles/2006/07/16/innocence_by_the_numbers/ boston.com]
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Feige, David}} [[Category:American lawyers]] [[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Mercer University faculty]] [[Category:Seton Hall University School of Law faculty]] [[Category:University of Chicago alumni]] [[Category:University of Wisconsin Law School alumni]] [[Category:The Bronx Defenders]]