Family attorney and mom Lynn Holt has had to scramble to keep her family and her law firm together since her husband left her and took most of their joint law practice with him. Although the attorneys are carting plenty of life's baggage, they're all determined to make the most of this unexpected second chance—and make each month's mortgage payment.
Joe and Emily represent an a would-be bride who refuses to sign a prenuptial agreement because she believes her fiance was having an affair; Viveca helps a couple adopt a child from a surrogate mother who is reneging on the deal; Rex and Lynn go to Las Vegas to get an annulment; Randi tries to find a dying man's beloved ""Muffin"".
Randi defends her cousin Marcie after she's arrested for abusing her Alzheimers-afflicted mother; when Joe goes to drastic measures to help a teenager get custody of his daughter, Emily comes up with the better solution; Cassie is suspended after she publishes an article in the school paper criticizing day care programs.
Randi and Viveca represent a highly qualified high school senior who was passed over for college admittance in favor of a less qualified classmate under the college's legacy program. In court, Randi exposes how racially discriminatory the legacy policy is, leading to a victory for their client. Lynn is disturbed by Rex's strategy in defending his friend accused of rape, which causes her to question the wisdom of their relationship. After Joe goads her into meeting a man that she's been chatting with online for several months, Emily overcomes her initial reluctance to date someone who's not her type.
William Price hires Lynn to keep his ex-wife Kathy, a former drug addict, from getting custody of their two boys. Lynn doesn't see any problem until William reveals that he lives with five women and has children with all of them. Kathy's lawyer tells the Department of Children and Family Services about William's ""family,"" and the department decides to put all eight children into foster care. Realizing their court strategy back-fired and the situation is only hurting the children, Kathy joins William to regain custody of the children. They agree to joint custody, William accepting Kathy's rights as a mother and Kathy accepting William's lifestyle. Randi and Emily help a family take on their HMO, which refuses to cover an expensive treatment that has helped their son's life-threatening illness. When the judge rules against them, the father gets fired so his family can qualify for state health insurance, which would cover the son's treatment. The state claims fraud and denies them insuran
Lynn and Rex opt for an unconventional solution in blocking a mass cult wedding during which their clients' daughter is to be married to a stranger; Joe fights a restraining order that prevents him from visiting a young boy whom he mentored while the boy's father was incarcerated.
Viveca objects so strongly to Joe's representing a teacher who is contesting the validity of a statewide teacher's proficiency exam that she resigns from the firm and agrees to argue the case for the opposing side; Lynn and Rex petition the court to appoint a guardian ad litem for their 12 year old genius client, whose parents refuse to allow him to leave home to attend M.I.T.
Lynn and Emily fight to keep their client out of jail on the parole violation of fathering another child while being in arrears for child support of his other children. Joe and Viveca represent an old friend of Joe's who was arrested for drunk driving -- in his wheelchair. Lynn struggles with Michael over his not being there enough for their children. Rex offers to spend some quality time with Rupie so that Lynn can take Cassie to the ballet for her birthday. Rex and Rupie really hit it off, which draws Lynn and Rex even closer. Viveca decides to keep the baby. Although Joe agrees to support her in every way, he begins to have difficulty with the prospect of impending fatherhood.
Under the glare of documentarians doing a film on stem cell research, the firm works together against the clock in representing a woman fighting for the right to have her unborn child delivered prematurely so that the infant's stem cells can be used to save the life of her older son who's dying from aplastic anemia; Viveca decides to keep her baby.
The firm sues the local police department when Naoise is fatally injured after being caught in gangster gunfire while visiting a client; Viveca helps a 85-year old woman gain custody of her 10-year old grandson.
Rex represents a bipolar 8-year-old boy who was given up by his adoptive parents because of his violent outbursts; Lynn and Naoise assist a priest in his efforts to gain custody of a daughter he never knew existed until the girl's mother died.
: A man sues his ex-wife for fraud when he learns the two boys he raised are not his biological sons; divorcing parents argue over who will get their son on Christmas day; a tall, skinny man sues a department store after the owner refuses to hire him as an elf.
Emily aids a woman who wants a divorce on the grounds that her husband committed adultery by carrying on a relationship with a woman over the Internet; Lynn defends a 40-year-old friend who is arrested for having sex with a 15-year-old boy; Randi starts dating a judge and then discovers he has a secret past that could end his career
Randi helps a mentally unstable woman charged with murder after her children die after waiting in a locked car; Joe represents a woman whose kids were taken away because she left them alone at home while she worked; Rex and Lynn's relationship takes a suprising turn.
The firm takes on the case of an Arab-American, who works for the Department of Transportation, charged with espionage after he takes home a disk containing classified information.
Lynn reluctantly helps her neighbor with his child support settlement with his mistress while keeping it a secret from his wife; Joe and Viveca help a mother whose son was taken away after she spanked him in a department store.
Lynn fights to help a couple retain custody of their 14 children when DCF decides they can not adequately care for them; Randi represents a man seeking to maintain the amount of child support he receives from his ex-wife.
When Joe is badly burned in a fire started by a teen who was trying to make drugs, Rex goes after the publisher of the book the boy was using; Emily hires a private investigator to test the fidelity of her client's husband---something Randi finds reprehensible. However, to her suprise, Randi finds herself attracted to the man.
Joe helps a 16-year old boy get custody of his two younger brothers; Naoise defends a teenager who is charged with misdemeanor vandalism when he uses a slingshot to get rid of a drug dealer in his neighborhood; Randi asks Lynn to be Annie's guardian should anything happen to her.
Lynn and Viveca try to help a 14 year old girl who was arrested for spray painting hate messages on buildings; Emily represents parents who want to keep their cerebral palsy afflicted daughter out of public high school against her wish; Joe uses Naoise to help him do pro bono work.
Randy and Emily represent a former drug addict who is trying to reclaim custody of the children she signed away; Danni continues in her quest to adopt Rapheal; Despite everyone's objections, Joe continues his pro bono work.
Lynn represents a cancer patient who wants to be able to receive experimental medication banned by the FDA; Raphael again pleads with Danni to adopt him; two new associates join the firm; and Joe's overextending himself working on pro bono cases has a tragic consequence.
Family attorney and mom Lynn Holt has had to scramble to keep her family and her law firm together since her husband left her and took most of their joint law practice with him. Although the attorneys are carting plenty of life's baggage, they're all determined to make the most of this unexpected second chance—and make each month's mortgage payment.
Kathleen Quinlan , Christopher McDonald , Dixie Carter
David Shore
CBS Productions , Columbia TriStar Television
as Lynn Holt
as Rex Weller
