"He's a very warm and affectionate parent and husband," says Silverglate. "He's a terrific friend. And he's a pretty good basketball player."

"I find him always a bundle of energy, extremely active, always doing something," says Heymann.

Barnicle is critical of Dershowitz's legal skills, writing in the recent column: "If you threw him, live, into a motions session at Superior Court or First Session at Roxbury Court it would be like watching a man drown."

But Silverglate, himself a prominent lawyer, calls Dershowitz "certainly the best appellate lawyer I've ever seen. He certainly ranks up with the best of the country in criminal cases."

"I'm a big admirer of Professor Dershowitz," Heymann says. "I think he's a great addition to the Law School."

In his legal exploits, Dershowitz continues to be a magnet for both praise and criticism. By all accounts, Dersh is a colorful character, whose flamboyance and flair have led some to call him a caricature of himself.

But, according to his colleagues, Dershowitz always maintains a sense of humor that allows him to rise above the Mike Barnicles of the world. "He's capable of laughing at himself," Heymann says.