Family Law

1999
Family Law

Seasons & Episodes

  • 3
  • 2
  • 1

EP1 Irreparable Harm Sep 24, 2001

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.

EP2 Moving On Oct 01, 2001

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.

EP3 Obligations Oct 08, 2001

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.

EP4 My Brother's Keeper Oct 15, 2001

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.

EP5 Against All Odds Oct 22, 2001

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.

EP6 Sacrifices Oct 29, 2001

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.

EP7 All in the Family Nov 05, 2001

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.

EP8 Security Nov 12, 2001

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.

EP9 No Options Nov 19, 2001

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.

EP10 Sex, Lies, and the Internet Dec 10, 2001

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

EP11 Angel's Flight Dec 17, 2001

: 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.

EP12 Blood and Water Jan 07, 2002

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.

EP13 To Protect and To Serve Jan 14, 2002

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.

EP14 Arlene's Choice Feb 04, 2002

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.

EP15 Children of a Lesser Dad Feb 25, 2002

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.

EP16 Celano v. Foster Mar 04, 2002

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.

EP17 Big Brother Mar 18, 2002

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.

EP18 Once Removed Mar 25, 2002

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

EP19 Admissions Apr 08, 2002

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.

EP20 Ties That Bind Apr 15, 2002

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.

EP21 Alienation of Affection May 27, 2002

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"".
6.5| 0h30m| en| More Info
Released: 20 September 1999 Ended
Producted By: CBS Productions
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Synopsis

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.

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Reviews

thiu i just started watching htis series and each time it sucks me into the lives of this characters. this series has the drama and the comedy. it has everything that one could ask for. i love how real, human and quirky the characters are. it's so easy to relate to each one of them. everday they wrestle with choices. tough choices on what it is to be human. what it is to interact with others and to find each of their places in what they do. it's a vocation for them. it's not something they do for money. i love this series. the casting is great. each one of them contributing something to make the show great. i can't believe they cancelled this!
Pepper Anne Before CBS became quite successful with the legal drama of Judging Amy, there was a short-lived series called 'Family Law,' starring some of television's better stars (Kathleen Quinlin, Christopher MacDonald, and my favorite, Dixie Carter) as attorneys in a California law firm.Likewise, the show followed a 1998 show called 'L.A. Doctors,' which seemed to be quite a similar, fast-paced drama, except involving doctors (and that's pretty much what any drama is these days if it isn't about cops: lawyers and doctors), which itself was not a bad show, starring Ken Olin and Matt Craven, but it, too being short-lived. 'Family Law' was both a funny drama and also addressed some pretty good policy issues, including unique legal issues. For example, there was one episode where Dixie Carter's character, Randi King, takes a case that she is sure is going to get thrown out of court--I think it had to do with social responsibility of bartenders or something--but the judge actually agrees to take the case, and it becomes this hilarious legal issue (not that the issue of drunks and the responsibility of bartenders is any laughing matter). Christopher MacDonald (as Rex Weller), too, was the witty cynic who seemed to enjoy screening cases based on the pay-off, was another element of comedy relief, whereas Kathleen Quinlin's character, Lynn Holt, and her usual partner often took the policy issues that dealt with all sorts of family law issues such as child abuse, divorce, etc. and in a way that often hit home for Lynn Holt, as (like Judging Amy's lead character, Amy Gray), her cases often paralelled with situations in her life as the single mother of two young children. The show was pretty funny (mostly because of Christopher MacDonald and Dixie Carter-->who came in the show less and less over the years), and you got a pretty good mix of about three cases going on in each episode. Then, everything changed and Tony Danza, an terribly eager idealist (and not too much realist) "fighting for the little guy" type of attorney, Joe Selano, was added to the cast for the remaining two years. The format of the show changed as well, and I suppose it was all because of the network scrambling to do what they could to boost ratings (instead of working with writers or other things, they went the easy route--a new look). Suddenly, the law firm changed. One of the main female characters left the show and much of her screentime then shifted to Tony Danza, who's character was sometimes very irritating. Dixie Carter all but disappeared entirely, and even Christopher MacDonald made rare appearances. By then, each episode seemed to only manifest importance on one case, one particular set of events that would amass the whole show. They did this too, with an old CBS show, Early Edition in which the episode used to hinge on three or more stories and no real main plot (usually just a collage of subplots, but interesting ones nonetheless), until it became entirely focused on one plot in each episode. If the plot wasn't interesting, or was weak, then so was the episode. That show didn't last long either.This is unfortunate considering the potential of the cast as well as the issues at hand that were offered in the first half of the seasons on air (the show ran till 2002). It was actually a pretty funny show, but once they reformated everything, it was all downhill from there. It may be lost to obscurity forever, but if you do every catch the reruns, I highly recommend the pre-Danza shows. They were funny and thought-provoking.
setter9 Family Law is one of the best television shows to come around in a long time. Kathleen Quinlan is my favourite actress - her portrayal of Lynn Holt as a woman with strength and intelligence is amazing - and I thank whoever it was that decided to cast her in this series. Family Law is extremely well-written and well-acted and is very deserving of any accolades that come its way. I sincerely hope that it is on for many years to come and that the Emmy voters don't take too long to realize how worthy Family Law is of its praise. *Please don't cancel this show, CBS!*
Leslye Allen (LJAllen) I haven't been this pleased with a legal drama since LA Law. The multi-dimensional cast is fabulous and the writing is absolutely flawless. I am also pleased to see Dixie Carter given the opportunity to spread her glorious wings. I do wish, however, the show would broaden Salli Richardson's portrayal of Viveca Foster. I hope they remember that she is not only beautiful--she can act.