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The Guardian (2001)
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David Hollander — Writer
Episodes 37
Pilot
Nick Fallin, a high-powered, high-priced attorney living the good life is brought down to earth when he has to pay the price for his indulgent lifestyle. Busted for drugs, he must now perform 1,500 hours of community service and so Nick juggles his white-collar world of litigation with the not-for-profit world of child advocacy working with Children's Legal Services. Under the supervision of Alvin Masterson, Nick is thrust into the life of Hunter Reed, a young boy who has witnessed the murder of his mother by his father's hand. Back at Fallin & Associates, owned by Nick's father, Burton Fallin, he is dealing with company presidents who are looking to bring their business to Pittsburgh and spoiled dot com kids who want to get rich quick.
Read MoreReunion
Nick brings a lawsuit again the pharmaceutical company, Bendaprine, on behalf of Hunter Reed and his mother's estate for 10 million dollars. But, when Alvin Masterson gets wind of it he insists that Nick drop the case, being that it is a conflict of interest. Nick is quick to point out that Alvin took him off of Hunter's case and therefore he is acting within his rights as a lawyer for Fallin & Assoc. Meanwhile, James gets handed a case involving a 12-year-old boy who has been living with his older brother after their mother has been arrested for drugs. Marcus, Andre's older brother, is arrested for selling crack and James tries desperately to find a relative for the boy to act as guardian so the youth won't end up in juvenile detention like his brother. But, Andre doesn't want to be separated from Marcus and even when James succeeds in finding a relative, Andre makes it very clear he will stay with Marcus at all cost � even if he needs to get himself arrested to make it happen.
Read MoreLolita?
Nick is taken off of the Hunter Reed case and assigned a case about a fifteen-year-old girl, April Santos, who claims to have been raped by her stepfather, a cop. Nick arranges for her maternal aunt to have guardianship, but Nick soon finds out that all is not what it appears to be and he must go to CLS and admit that he may have placed April in an even more dangerous environment than her home. And at Fallin & Assoc., John Clayton seeks the firm to reorganize his assets at his steel plant. Burton refuses, claiming that there is no money to be made, but Simon discovers that his father has a personal reason for refusing the business � Clayton Steel is the same plant that he worked at as a teenager alongside his father.
Read MoreIndian Summer
Nick is duped into representing a young woman who lied to him after they spent the night together.
After Nick picks up a young woman named Dina at The Incline, they go back to his place for the night. The woman then reveals herself to be an orphaned, underaged girl whose younger sister is about to be placed in a new home where Dina is not wanted. She gives Nick an ultimatum that he must help her get placed in the same family as her sister or risk her going to the police about his underage encounter. He must uncover her true motives or risk the consequences of their ill-fated night together.
Meanwhile, Alvin goes to extreme measures, including soliciting a donation from a wealthy socialite, in an effort to raise money after CLS loses its grant and the money runs out.
Read MoreHeart
Nick Fallin finds himself the advocate for a 12-year-old girl, Lesley, who needs to be adopted by foster parents immediately in order to receive a heart transplant. Laurie Solt, a social worker for Legal Services (LS), is having trouble placing her due to the many demands of caring for a child with congenital heart disease. Inspired by Lesley's strength after she learns her current foster parents are unable to adopt her, Nick takes the search on as a personal campaign to save Lesley's life. As hope of finding suitable foster care fades, Nick decides that the only way to save Lesley's life is to become her legal guardian. Nick's supervisor at LS, Alvin Masterson questions Nick's ability to care for Lesley. Eventually, the judge does grant Nick legal guardianship. Meanwhile, one of Burton Fallin's old friends, Harry Josephs is dying of cancer and tells Burton he is challenging the employment contract of Hopeson, Inc., which terminates employment if an
employee is unable to work for 90 consecutive days. Hopeson Inc. is a long time client of Fallin & Assoc. and Burton helped finalize the original employment contracts. Burton struggles with the responsibility of fighting for his clients and opportunity to stand by his friend.
Read MoreLoyalties
Nick defends an Arab American man who appears to be the victim of a hate crime. Wendy Moniz ("Nash Bridges") and James B. Sikking ("Brooklyn South") guest star. Nick gets a new boss at Legal Aid, Louisa "LuLu" Archer (Moniz), and their first case together involves the vandalism of a restaurant owned by the Arab-American and his young daughter. However, things are complicated further when the vandal, who was viciously beaten in self-defense by the restauranteur, turns out to be a teenage boy.
Read MoreHome
Nick, now working at another law firm, is reinstated as the guardian of young Hunter Reed, his first case.
Polly Draper ("thirtysomething") guest stars
Both Nick and his child advocacy boss, Alvin, face Nick's father, Burton, in court. Nick, who is now working for Burton's competitors, Kirk and McGee, faces him when he is reassigned to Hunter -- the young boy who witnessed his father kill his mother -- after Hunter's father's controversial verdict comes in.
Meanwhile, Alvin agrees to defend his ex-wife (Draper), for whom he still has some unresolved feelings, in a wrongful termination case, only to realize that the company they are suing is represented by Burton.
Read MorePrivilege
After a rough turn of events at Kirk & McGee, Nick is back at Fallin & Assoc. just as Burton is looking into the case of Susan Newberg, deceased daughter of longtime client and family friend Frank Newberg. What begins as an investigation into Susan's widower Ray Harper, and the $11 million estate left to him, ends in a shocking case of suicide linked to sexual assault. Nick and Burton put their legal licenses and freedom at stake by violating their attorney/client privileges to protect Frank's youngest daughter and victim, 16 year-old. Meanwhile, first-year associate Amanda Bowles walks out of Fallin & Assoc. when Burton disapproves of her volunteer work at CLS.
Read MoreIn Loco Parentis
Nick thinks a woman he helped get her kids, may still use drugs.
Read MoreSolidarity
A case that Nick took at Legal Services creates a conflict of interest, James tries to help his nephew.
Read MoreThe Divide
Nick tries to help 2 brothers get adopted, the foster parents want the "gifted" brother. Jake tries to save his dad from losing his house to a loan shark.
Read MoreMothers of the Disappeared
When a mother of a missing child shows up in Nick Fallin's office at Legal Services, he finds himself in the middle of an emotional struggle for closure and justice. Prior to the disappearance of her daughter Grace, Janine McGregor was in a car accident with her for which they were awarded a large settlement. However, since Grace has been missing for 10 years, the insurance company will not release the money.
After years of searching for her daughter, Janine believes her only chance to get the money she so desperately needs is to have Grace declared deceased. However, just as a judge is about to sign off on the declaration, Grace unexpectedly reappears saying she had been kidnapped and taken to Europe. Nick encourages Janine to take the necessary steps to verify Grace's identity. However, with nothing but her gut feeling, Janine is convinced that the girl who has returned claiming to be her daughter is really her "Gracie."
Meanwhile, Nick and Burton Fallin are faced with the death of a close friend and colleague, Judge Stanton. He was a long-time friend of Burton's and was the judge who presided over Nick's probation. His passing causes Burton to re-evaluate his life and his accomplishments as a lawyer.
Read MoreLawyers, Guns and Money
Trouble gets very deep for Dale (Nick's Parole officer asks for help from Nick. Later LuLu's husband to be is arested. Nick can't tell LuLu. Burton wonders if his son will be on the federal bench.
Read MoreChinese Wall
Burtton turns his law firm over to Sen. Nathan Calldwell, he gets ready to be a federal Judge.
Read MoreThe Beginning
In The Season Finale Burton and Lulu tells Nick damaging information but that deals with a wanted killer. Dr. Reed asks to be his son's (Hunter)Trustee but their future could be in trouble.
Read MoreThe Next Life
After deciding to work together, Nick and Burton Fallin return to the old offices of Fallin & Associates to create a new firm, Fallin & Fallin. Finally working on equal ground, Nick and Burton's first big client turns out to be Allegheny County Hospital, which is under scrutiny as one of the nurses is arrested and confesses to killing patients in the oncology department during his shifts. The hospital faces several potential lawsuits from the family members of the patients who died. To assemble a strong team of attorneys, Nick and Burton bring in James Mooney to help with the case but soon discover that his grandmother died in that very hospital just a few months earlier. James immediately removes himself from the case but he eventually gives into his desire to fight for the underdogs and tries to find representation for the family members. Meanwhile, Nick is also thrown into a case as a favor to Laurie Solt, where he must defend a child's right to attend an adoption party. This is a concept that Alvin Masterson finds reprehensible, as he believes it treats the children as though they are cattle to be sold at market.
Read MoreAssuming the Position
Alvin head of Legal Service of Pittsburgh is arrested and LuLu takes over after seeing him on tv.
Read MoreThe Living
As the legal guardian of two siblings he represented the year before, Nick must find the missing sister so she can be a bone-marrow donor to save her dying brother.
Read MoreThe Neighborhood
LuLu represents an old friend after one of her adopted children is dead. Nick represents someone he knew as a kid.
Read MoreNo Good Deed
Nick helps a boy stay in the shelter. Burton helps Mary Gressler and Shannon out.
Read MoreUnderstand Your Man
Nick meets Sam at a gala in Burton's honor. Sam who is a transvestite tries to get custody of lover's son. Also Nick finds out Mary and Shannon have been living with his father.
Read MoreThe Weight
A tough case involving a sick baby brings Nick and Lulu closer together when Lulu gets attached to the mom.
Read MoreThe Intersection
Caroline Novack returns to find out that Nick and Lulu were in a car accident which could prove fatal for Lulu.
Read MoreMy Aim Is True
The past comes back to haunt Both Nick & Burton, When a drug dealer from Nick's past is shot and Burton's new client is the police officer.
Read MoreBurton & Ernie
Burton, Lulu & Nick each find themselves in tight spots. Burton tries to stop Shannon from being hurt, Alvin finds Nick & Lulu at the office late Will they still have jobs after Alvin finds out?
Read MoreSensitive Jackals
Nick hands the case file of Taliek to James, who goes before Judge Rebecca Damsen for custody, James and Nick help a young dad try and trying to get his son back but due to the dad's temper may lose his son. Meanwhile over at Fallin & Fallin Nick wants to have a criminal defense attorney to the team because Nick feels Burton needs to worry about the firm and less about Shannon.
Nick worries that James may be to close to Taliek Allen because James believes that Taliek may have killed Levi (who was a nephew of James.)
Lulu could soon leave LSP for a job in California. Nick thinks Lulu's job move is bad because he may lose her love.
Read MoreAll the Rage
Nick is upset because Lulu is about to take a job in California and while in court loses control of his temper while trying to finish his call and later goes to court ordered therapy. Shannon meets her dad for the first time, Burton has to go to a hearing to find out if he can keep Shannon.
Nick advises James to stay away from Taliek (James accused him of killing Levi then found out he accused the wrong guy) Now Taliek lost the court battle to get his son back. James and Larry Flood get ready to leave for home having no idea that they will be fighting for their lives.
Read MoreCarnival
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Big Coal
Nick tries to help a young lady who has cancer but get can't the insurance company to help her out, this puts Nick in a bind. Nick asks Lulu to help him get the insurance company to pay for her medical care. Nick tells his client's dad he needs to look somewhere else for the money.
Read MoreThe Father-Daughter Dance
Lulu starts her job as Director of LSP, leaving Alvin to wonder if he is needed at LSP. Nick helps a couple sue a fertility clinic because the baby is black. The parents want to keep the baby and the clinic to pay for damages. Nick needs to help find Samantha Gray who lost her sight because her dad.
Samantha goes to Nick's office to tell him she isn't going back to the place she came from. Nick has dinner with Mrs. Aaronson who became pregnant after doing a procedure to have a baby, now the lawsuit against the clinic will be dropped.
Samantha learns her dad lost his rights to be a dad because he was drug addict.
Nick waits with Samantha on a bench in the courthouse wondering if her dad will show up for the hearing. When he doesn't show up Nick finds him doing drugs.
Read MoreHazel Park
Nick runs into a former client while helping in a cleanup project for his Community Service. Nick helps the former client out by calling a community College after learning he can't read. Burton takes the case of a mother who puts her baby up for adoption because she can't afford to keep her son.
Burton wants to adopt Shannon but her dad doesn't want the adoption to happen.
Read More