from chicago who was not a match for paulette but agreed to be one for someone else to allow her sister to be saved with another donated kidney in the chain. >> i got my kidney september 23rd. she gave hers september 27th.

next we have paulette frankl. and paulette is a courtroom sketch artist. now, how cool is that? that's a pretty cool job, and she spends a lot of time in the courtroom and that's how she came across tony serra. and she spent 17 years, 17 years compiling the incredible book that she's put together that just came out and is called "lush for justice," and it's a book of incredible illustrations, artwork as well as a narrative. and right next to her we have tony serra, and tony serra is the most prolific trial lawyer of our times. he's tried more cases than any other living lawyer. if you ever had a chance to see him in court, it's just a sight to behold. it really is. we're so grateful that he could be here today. he's trying a triple homicide case right now in oakland. he has a jury out waiting. you may get called away but we're hope you're able to stay for the panel. finally, we have sheldon siegel. and sheldon siegel is a corporate lawyer who has written a series -- i think seven books now, a fictional criminal defense attorney named mike daley who actually lives here in san fra

i'm going to go to paulette and go to john on this question. but, paulette, you've seen so many trials as a court -- first of all, how did you become a courtroom sketch artist? i mean, that's not a usual profession for people, even artists, to seek. how did you get involved in it? >> just about everything in my life has been dumb luck. and i ended up in a courtroom while waiting for somebody and i've been an artist all my life and i always carry a sketchbook with me. so while i was in this trial which happened to be a good trial. most trials are incredibly boring. i was sketching and thought, i could do this. i found it exciting and i was looking for the -- the emotional moments in the trial of which this particular one, it was rich. and the lawyer said, tony sarah is drama and the law at its best. wears clunky clothes from the thrift, goes to the podium without notes. he's incredibly hard-hitting and perceptive. he drives old clunker cars. he has long hair. he's just the opposite of everybody's image of a lawyer. and this is the person you wan

i'm going to ask the first one for paulette. in taking tony's essence, who he is as a trial lawyer, how does you tell that story in the book? paulette's book is for sale in the lobby and also at green arcade books here in san francisco. how did you do that? you used your art, obviously, and you used writings. but how did you tell that story? what was your hook? >> well, i am not a particularly cerebral person. the king that connected me with tony to begin with is that i connected with his energy at the advice relevant level -- visceral level. i felt his energy. and that's how i could translate it, if you will, into my own sense of emotions, the compassion, the rage, the passion, all the various faces that he has. and then in court he acts out all the roles. so you get the full gamut of the human condition going on. i connected with tony at that visceral level. and then i went to a translation process and a sort of distilled, if you will, process of putting it into context. and i was there in many of the trials, the trials that i

paulette of west chicago, >> i am actually healthier than i have ever been. >> the front page of the new york times tells the tale of these 30 people receiving kidneys from living donors they didn't even know. brought together by a computer match program developed by the national kidney registry. this is truly one of the most important thing is happening in transplantation right now. they performed both surgery's here surgeries he says would not have been possible without the registry. now through the power of change at the national level we can get people transplanted as quickly as possible with the best matched kidneys. it began with one man who just wanted to donate a kidney to someone who needed it, that was the piece of the puzzle which linked recipients with living donors from across the country including paulettes' whose sister donated one of her kidneys to another person. she was elated to hear that she could help not only me but someone else. the last leg of this chain says without the registry his hopes were pleased waiting for a matching cadaver kidney which could have tak

paulette frankl, "lust for justice," tony serra, and sheldon siegal. so before we take a break, i do have a surprise. a few years ago, i guess six or seven years ago, i met an amazing artist. i was visiting his home. and he had created this wonderful sculpture. i immediately recognized it as being clarence. it turned out that he had created a number of just amazing sculptures of trial lawyers. and he went on to do one of clara fults, the first woman attorney in california and became the leader of the public defender movement. and just by happenstance, he called me and had this idea of encapsulating one of the greatest trial attorneys of our times. so, bill? is he here? this is not a magistrate. [laughing] -- not a magic trick. >> i've never met tony serra, so i have to make use of the internet to get a sense of who he was and the imagery. what clearly came over was his passion for justice. and in some cases almost a rage for justice. and initially when i started the imagery with the clay, i tried to show this passion for justice, this rage. but then i

from chicago who was not a match for paulette but agreed to be one for someone else to allow her sister saved with another donated kidney in the chain. >> i got my kidney september 23rd. she gave hers september 27th. we recovered here at my house. she is from mississippi so stayed with me two weeks after the transplant and my husband took care of us both. >> reporter: but not every hospital is willing to be involved in the kidney chains. something these lay ole' patients and their doctor are hoping to change. to them it is the only logical solution, the soaring demand and limited supply. >> at the national level there's as many as 20,000 people today who may not know about this program that could be transplanted immediately through the power of chain transplantation. >> that was dick johnson reporting. that is it for news 4 at 5:00. >> stay right there. news 4 at 6:00 starts right now. >>> controversy on the campaign trail. rick santorum goes on the attack and it could shake things up ahead of next week's primary in michigan. >> three people killed in a deadly avalanche but one skier ma

paulette, you've spent so much time in court watching cases. what observations have you made after the hours and hours that you've spent? you're creating not only art, but you're creating a representation of the emotional heart of a case. what have you gleaned from your experience of watching so many trials? >> well, this is sort of like the fly on the wall, the court artist. i haven't an aperture that is completely open because i'm trying to take in as much as i can possibly absorb. and at the same time i'm very focused on what i'm doing. and i have to remember everything that i'm doing. so as far as the nitpicking particulars of a trial, that goes past me. but what i do see is -- i believe there's a science called cybertronics or something, where you get frozen to death. and that's kind of what it's like. everybody's, for the most part, the lawyers in a trial seem very frozen. i mean a poker match has more emotion in it. they're holding their card close to their chest. they don't want to really see what's going on. from the artist view, they'

>> reporter: many of them wanting to send a message like paulette from chicago, recipient number 12. >> the words "thank you" really airport enough. they're the only ones i know to say. so thank you. >> reporter: sending their gratitude in the hope that tomorrow morning before dawn all across america it can all begin again. >>> and be sure to check out the national kidney registry on our website, abcnews.com/world news. we thank you for watching. "nightline" will be here later. and we'll see you back here tomorrow. have a wonderful president's day night. . ♪ [ male announcer ] for our families... our neighbors... and our communities... america's beverage companies have created a wide range of new choices. developing smaller portion sizes and more low- & no-calorie beverages... adding clear calorie labels so you know exactly what you're choosing... and in schools, replacing full-calorie soft drinks with lower-calorie options. with more choices and fewer calories, america's berage companies are delivering. [ slurps ] [ laughs ] oh! [ chomps ] [ slurps ] aah! [ chomps ] ahh! [ male anno

>> reporter: many of them wanting to send a message like paulette from chicago, recipient number 12. >> the words "thank you" really airport enough. they're the only ones i know to say. so thank you. >> reporter: sending their gratitude in the hope that tomorrow morning before dawn all across america it can all begin again. >>> and be sure to check out the national kidney registry on our website, abcnews.com/world news. we thank you for watching. "nightline" will be here later. and we'll see you back here tomorrow. have a wonderful president's day night. >>> tonight vandals wreak havoc in an east bay neighborhood, one homeowner's house got pelted with rock autos exclusive individual yof a police chase up the peninsula. a piece of stolen equipment and a suspect who tried to get way. >> hundreds with an occupy demonstration with a message on behalf of those who occupy prison cell autos i team is here to kick off a week of you fix it reports with one big mess. >> we're looking at a live picture from sky 7 hd tonight with a search for a robber. >> this is happening on southwest expresswa