Opposing counsel in love onscreen?

February 17, 2009 1:30 PM

American movies/TV shows where opposing counsel are involved in a romantic relationship? Possible spoilers inside.

I'm looking for movies or TV episodes where the lawyers on either side are involved in some sort of romantic relationship with each other. (It's for a paper.) Criminal/civil suit doesn't matter, nor does comedy/drama. It also doesn't have to be an ongoing or present relationship. Prosecutor secretly sleeping with defense attorney in a sitcom is fine. If it's a TV show, specific episodes would be great.

I already know about Adam's Rib, Laws of Attraction, and the Adam's Rib TV show.

posted by loulou718 to media & arts (17 comments total)

Sitcom example (and an excellent one at that): Maggie Lizer and Michael Bluth (or Chareth Cutestory) in Season one of Arrested Development.
posted by bookwo3107 at 1:40 PM on February 17 [1 favorite]

I'm pretty sure that this has happened, possibly more than once, on Eli Stone.
posted by strangecargo at 1:43 PM on February 17

Laura Linney and Richard Gere in Primal Fear.
posted by kimdog at 1:44 PM on February 17

plenty of that on Boston Legal (check out the season write-ups on imdb to find the psrticular episodes) also Laws of Attraction
posted by barrakuda at 1:48 PM on February 17

Didn't John Laroquette and Markie Post finally get together on Night Court?
posted by drjimmy11 at 1:48 PM on February 17

Also, I never watched it, but wasn't this the plot of pretty much every "Ally McBeal" ever?
posted by drjimmy11 at 1:49 PM on February 17

Lara Flynn Boyle and Dylan McDermott on The Practice
posted by sanka at 1:53 PM on February 17

Legal Eagles with Robert Redford and Debra Winger
posted by nkknkk at 2:04 PM on February 17

Sitcom example (and an excellent one at that): Maggie Lizer and Michael Bluth (or Chareth Cutestory) in Season one of Arrested Development.

I don't know if that actually is what the OP is looking for, (Michael's company is the defendant in the case; he is not an attorney.) but here are the two episodes.
posted by mesh gear fox at 2:14 PM on February 17

This idea for a film was parodied on an episode of Extras.
posted by sswiller at 2:54 PM on February 17

Thanks for all of these examples, keep them coming! mesh gear fox, you're right, I'd thought about Michael and Maggie but I'm trying to stick to attorneys. Pro se litigants/defendants might work, too, but in Arrested Development at least, Barry Zuckerkorn was their lawyer.
posted by loulou718 at 3:22 PM on February 17

Pretty much the entire premise of Raising the Bar.
posted by politikitty at 3:24 PM on February 17

Thought Markie Post got together with the judge, but I don't know. Did happen on the practice.

I can state unequivocally that in real life this doesn't work.
posted by Ironmouth at 3:31 PM on February 17

Cheesy romantic movie with Pierce Brosnan and Julianne Moore playing opposing divorce lawyers - Laws of Attraction.
posted by HeyAllie at 3:40 PM on February 17

I think that happened every week on LA Law.
posted by SuperSquirrel at 5:54 PM on February 17

Not sure if you are still checking this but on Bones the AUSA Caroline Julian (Patricia Belcher) has, on two episodes, gone up up against her ex-husband David Barron (Ernie Hudson) in court. The episodes were The Man in the Mansion S02E14 and The Verdict in the Story S03E13. These are supporting characters and the fact that they were married is barely mentioned in the first episode but it adds an interesting dynamic.
posted by magnetsphere at 9:04 AM on February 20

I'm still checking, thanks for all the responses! I have a lot of TV and movie-watching ahead of me.
posted by loulou718 at 6:34 PM on February 20