The Firm 2 review: Is this the real Aamer Anwar? I think it is

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At the start of this new docu-series about the life and work of the lawyer Aamer Anwar, the man himself says to someone off camera: 'It's almost like a Line of Duty episode.'
I have no idea why he says that because nothing here is like a Line of Duty episode, unless you count Anwar's affection for Martin Compston-style waistcoats.
The second series is a world away from the first. Where that was a tonally bizarre mix of the serious and the silly, the new run plays it straight down the line. Cheerio to Sex and the City and Suits, hello The Handmaid's Tale and Panorama.
But is it better for it? It is certainly shorter. As a stark illustration of its slimmed-down self, The Firm has gone from eight episodes to three.
Series two brings together some of the high-profile cases Aamer Anwar & Co have dealt with in recent years, including the death in police custody of Sheku Bayoh. Other cases include Margaret Caldwell's fight for an inquiry into the handling of her daughter Emma's murder investigation, and the deaths of Katie Allan and William Lindsay in Polmont Young Offenders Institute.
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It is impossible to imagine what these families have been through, but The Firm fills in some of the details with care and compassion. Sometimes it's the little things that speak loudest, like Katie's mum bringing the dog with her into meetings. It's a comfort to her to have the dog there, but would other firms be so understanding?
The same point about small details applies to Anwar himself. Last time, he was a flash lawyer about town, stopping off at his tailors to order new suits, or slo-mo walking to the office like some pop star in a video. Here he rocks up to Margaret Caldwell's door with an inside out Sainsbury's carrier bag in place of a briefcase. She welcomes him in (as does the dog, Teddy) like he's one of the family. You can't fake that level of closeness.
Likewise the moments when emotions are running high and only a hug will do. There is no such thing as 'good news' in this corner of the law. None of the families featured want to be in this position. But there is a sense of pride in standing up for those no longer here, and that comes across loud and clear.
Besides the families and Anwar we hear from a much wider spectrum of contributors, from a former detective who worked on the Emma Caldwell investigation, to academics. There is a long look, too, at the work of the asylum and immigration department. The new faces bring a much-needed sense of freshness to otherwise familiar material, much of it taken from news bulletins.
Another big change from the first series: we don't hear from the junior members of staff. They appear in meetings and at court, but not a peep is heard. That's a real pity. I'd hate to think they were paying the price for some of the dafter editorial decisions in series one.
By and large, this new series gets the balance right between personal and legal, and is more sombre for it. Will there be a third series? I'd say the odds were against, not least because the law works so slowly it will be a long time before there is something new to say, but who knows? By that time, the juniors here might be running a firm of their own.

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