Ed Koch On His Workspace

[A look at the places where businesspeople work]

-- WHO: The Honorable Edward I. Koch, the 73-year-old presiding judge of the new version of "The People's Court," former mayor of New York City, law-firm partner, radio talk-show host, professor and newspaper columnist.

-- WHERE: The set of "The People's Court" in the Grand Ballroom of Manhattan's Hotel Pennsylvania.

-- WHAT YOU SEE: Judge Koch's chambers are a mystery to People's Court and television audience members, who wonder where he goes when he steps out of the courtroom to mull over his cases during recess. Mr. Koch sits behind a mahogany double-pedestal desk facing the wall, in his characteristic Brooks Brothers suit. Authenticity has always been the heart of Mr. Koch's personality, and his traditional furniture is similar to what is in an actual judge's chambers. Leather burgundy button tufted chairs are placed throughout the room and three mahogany bookcases hold his law books. The three phones in his office reflect his hectic schedule, which starts at 5 a.m. with exercises and ends at midnight. During the one hour break in taping the show, he naps on his moss-colored chenille couch, which he requested be long enough to accommodate his 6-foot-2-inch frame. A nearby television and video-cassette recorder allow him to hear what others say about him when litigants in the cases are interviewed at the end of the show.

-- WHAT HE SEES: "A working office that provides me with the tools to do my job. During my lunch hour I usually don't eat. When I am in my law office, I would have a can of Slim Fast -- there is a thin person in me that wants to come out. I watch the litigants on the television and when even the person who lost says, `I don't agree with Judge Koch, but I accept his decision because he was fair,' I am very proud."