KIRK ACEVEDO ('BAND OF BROTHERS') AND AMY CARLSON ('THIRD WATCH') NAMED TO JOIN CAST OF NBC'S 'LAW & ORDER: TRIAL BY JURY,' NEW 2005 DRAMA FROM EXECUTIVE PRODUCER DICK WOLF

BURBANK, Calif. -- October 5, 2004 -- Kirk Acevedo ("Band of Brothers") and Amy Carlson (NBC's "Third Watch") have joined the cast of "Law & Order: Trial by Jury," the new drama series from executive producer Dick Wolf for broadcast on NBC later this season in 2005.

Acevedo will play Dan Salazar, a young detective who was wounded in the line of duty and is now reassigned to the District Attorney's Investigative Squad. His character will be partnered with the acerbic Detective Lennie Briscoe (fellow cast member Jerry Orbach, who will reprise his memorable role from the original "Law & Order").

Carlson (who recently guest-starred in a September episode of "Law & Order") will portray Assistant District Attorney Kelly Gaffney, who works hand-in-glove as a deputy to tough Assistant District Attorney Tracy Kibre (Emmy and Tony winner Bebe Neuwirth). Carlson's Gaffney hails from generations of famous, politically connected New Yorkers -- and serves Kibre well by softening the edges of her boss' full-court press tactics.

Acevedo and Carlson join a cast that also includes Fred Thompson (Manhattan District Attorney Arthur Branch on "Law & Order") who expands his role on the new series.

In addition to his performance as Staff Sgt. Joseph Toye on the miniseries "Band of Brothers," Acevedo starred in such feature films as "Dinner Rush," "The Thin Red Line" (for which he was feted with an ALMA award), "Bait," "Boiler Room," "Kirk and Kerry" and "5up 2down." He also just completed "The New World," an upcoming film starring Colin Farrell.

Acevedo's television credits include his CableAce-nominated role as Miguel Alvarez in the series "Oz" as well as such movies as "Witness to the Mob" and "The Sunshine Boys." He also guest-starred in various series, including NBC's "Third Watch" and "Law & Order," "Fastlane" and "New York Undercover." Acevedo was nominated for a Drama Desk Award for his performance in Sam Shepard's "Tooth of Crime."

Carlson most recently starred in the series "Peacemakers" but is perhaps best known to primetime fans for her work in "Third Watch," where her character of firefighter Alex Taylor met an untimely end. Earlier, she also starred in the drama series "Falcone" and "St. Michael's Crossing," and recurred on "Get Real."

However, daytime fans still recognize Carlson for her performance in "The Guiding Light" and "Another World" (in the latter, she received an Emmy nomination as Outstanding Supporting Actress in 1998). Her other TV credits include the movies "If These Walls Could Talk 2," "Thanks of a Grateful Nation" and "Legacy of Lies." Among Carlson's other guest-starring TV credits are "ER," NBC's "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," "NYPD Blue" and "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation."

"Law & Order: Trial by Jury" is from Wolf Films and NBC Universal Television Studio. Dick Wolf, Walon Green and Peter Jankowski are the executive producers.