The Guardian

Nick brings a lawsuit again the pharmaceutical company, Bendaprine, on behalf of Hunter Reed and his mothers 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 Hunters 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, Andres 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 wont end up in juvenile detention like his brother. But, Andre doesnt 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.

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.

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.

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 Lesleys strength after she learns her current foster parents are unable to adopt her, Nick takes the search on as a personal campaign to save Lesleys life. As hope of finding suitable foster care fades, Nick decides that the only way to save Lesleys life is to become her legal guardian. Nicks supervisor at LS, Alvin Masterson questions Nicks ability to care for Lesley. Eventually, the judge does grant Nick legal guardianship. Meanwhile, one of Burton Fallins 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.

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.

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Nicks Aunt Liz visits Burton & Nick and tells them she is dying.

A case that Nick took at Legal Services creates a conflict of interest, James tries to help his nephew.

When a mother of a missing child shows up in Nick Fallins 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 Graces 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 Burtons and was the judge who presided over Nicks probation. His passing causes Burton to re-evaluate his life and his accomplishments as a lawyer.

Nick and LuLu find teenagers in her house, after they hear a girl screaming giving birth. They want to keep the baby and soon end up in foster care.

In The Season Finale Burton and Lulu tells Nick damaging information but that deals with a wanted killer. Dr. Reed asks to be his sons (Hunter)Trustee but their future could be in trouble.

A 13 year old is charged with the rape and murder of his mother and could be tried for first-degree murder. Nick must try and get the case to juvenile court.

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 Burtons 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 childs 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.

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.

LuLu represents an old friend after one of her adopted children is dead. Nick represents someone he knew as a kid.

Nick takes the case of a 16 year old mom who wants to put her baby up for adoption, after her father ends up being arrested for the murder of the 16 year olds very ill mom. Brian Olsen (LuLus Husband) ends up being accused of negligence.

Lulus home is broken into forcing Nick to protect her. Nick takes Gavin Putinski a former child actor who claimes his parents want him to leave home.

Nick meets Sam at a gala in Burtons honor. Sam who is a transvestite tries to get custody of lovers son. Also Nick finds out Mary and Shannon have been living with his father.

A tough case involving a sick baby brings Nick and Lulu closer together when Lulu gets attached to the mom.

The past comes back to haunt Both Nick & Burton, When a drug dealer from Nicks past is shot and Burtons new client is the police officer.

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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 dads 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 Lulus job move is bad because he may lose her love.

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Alvin is having to take James Mooneys caseload & trying to stop Lulu from leaving for new job. Nick meets Sharon Diamond who was arrested for solicitation. Nick asks for help in what to recommend for Sharon (A.K.A.: Tiffany Skovich) who was working at a restaurant. Nick tells Tiffany Skovich to talk to the police about Mason and go to a shelter. Alvin tries to get Mason to stop using girls for money. Alvin goes to far looking for Tiffany before police get to the scene, leaving Nick to wonder why he isnt at LSP. Alvin fights Roger over pictures he took outside the restaurant where Mason worked. Roger & other LSP board members feel Alvin went to far. Lulu is the new Director Legal Services of Pittsburgh.

When the bank insists that the firm pay off its loan immediately, Nick is forced to try to collect unpaid fees from delinquent clients. Meanwhile, Lulus estranged father returns and asks her for money.

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 cant read. Burton takes the case of a mother who puts her baby up for adoption because she cant afford to keep her son. Burton wants to adopt Shannon but her dad doesnt want the adoption to happen.

Nick tries to find a place for Donny Longo & his Grandfather to live together, but Donny has a hard time with Rebeccas ruling (the Judge that handled the shelter hearing). Meanwhile Burton must try to get Mr. Lounges house back from a man that bought it at an auction. Mr. Longo lived in the house for 65 years with paying rent. Nick learns that Mr. Longo used the property for bad purposes that caused Mr. Longo to lose custody of Donny.

Teds dad goes on a shooting spree killing himself & co-workers leaving Nick and Suzanne to tell Ted his dad has committed murder. Nick and Suzanne take Ted to see his dad. Burton wants Nick managing partner of the firm but Nick doesnt seem ready. Burton worries about Eric Kane who seems ready to go back to work to soon and not deal with trauma of the shooting. Burton gets worried when Eric Kane closes a deal without the authority of a CEO.

Nick finds out how hard it is to get the trust of the people he hurt back. Burton feels Nick isnt ready for a heavy caseload that might hurt Fallin & Fallin. Nick wonders if the bus driver caused the accident on purpose. Lulu tries to place Connor Adams in a foster home and understand why Nick had the affair with Suzanne.

Jake lies to everyone about how he got hurt soon Burton & Maureen find out the secret. Nick tries to figure if Luke should live in Foster Care or live with his dad after seeing his mom sleep with a friend of his. Lulu drafts a trust fund for their baby; Nick wants them both to be trustees. Burton worries about Jake who was supposed to help on a case.

Nick sees a change in his dad that worries him, Burton keeps getting dizzy due to Vertigo. Burton wonders if he will be a good dad to Shannon. After Nick & Burton learn Shannon has been found they try to get the woman who called police about Shannon to tell Nick and Burton where Shannon might be. When Burton offers to pay the woman to tell where Shannon is Nick isnt sure the woman will tell the story.

Alvin tells ALS will later affect Nick about his date with Victoria and how theyre relationship and for Alvin his only form of communication will be blinking his eyebrows. At a court hearing Alvin is asked to turn over his files involving past clients at LSP. Alvin isnt ready to turn over the yet just yet because feels that in doing so would violate the Attorney client privilege. Nick also helps a young boy who claims he cant remember being abused Nick learns that Andrew has been lying to him all along and now has to testify at his fathers hearing.

Nick s future at the firm is about to be voted on, as Nick awaits the verdict on his future he takes on two cases that involve two boys. The first boy Nick defends is Kevin Brown who is accused of raping a girl who became pregnant with a baby. The second boy Nick defends is a young boy who attacked an 8 year-old girl and attacked a social worker who was trying to place him in a foster family. The boy was placed in a center that was supposed to help rehabilitate the boy into society. Alvin defends a former client of LSP named Taliek Allen. Alvin defends a former client of LSP named Taliek Allen who fired his attorney. Taliek Allen shot a friend of Alvins. He tries to get his clients sentence appealed. Alvins client says he is tired of going through the appeals process to get his prison sentence reduced.