On the face of it, Conrad Black is facing a long spell behind bars after losing his 11th hour bid to stay out of jail failed when the judge refused to overturn his fraud conviction.

Still, Black will appeal the sentence and conviction. Last month, I did a blog entry noting that he had hired high profile defense counsel Andrew Frey, who helped Credit Suisse investment banker Frank Quattrone overturn his obstruction of justice and witness tampering convictions. Now we learn he has also hired Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz whose clients have included OJ Simpson and mike tyson.

Exactly what the grounds for appeal are remain to be seen. But the behavior of the jury is likely to come under scrutiny, says Paul Waldie at Globe and Mail.