Admit it; we have all been fascinated by the strong, sharp-witted and aggressive lawyers that have graced our T.V. screens for years. From heated arguments in the courtroom to solving a murder mystery and more, we are hooked to these legal T.V. dramas.  Not only do legal shows entertain us, they also provide an insight into the world of those fighting for justice. Here is the very best in legal T.V. drama that every lawyer, legal academic and student must watch:

Law & Order

One of the longest running legal drama series in the history of American television, Law & Order aired in 1990 and concluded in 2010. Set in New York City, many of the show’s story lines were based on real-life legal cases. Every episode begins with a criminal investigation and the latter half of the show focussed on the defendant’s prosecution.

Ally McBeal

Created by David E.Kelly, Ally McBeal was a huge hit in the 90s. The comedy-drama T.V. series revolved around the life of a quirky, young lawyer, Ally McBeal, working in the fictional Boston law firm, Cage and Fish. Although the show was a legal drama, its main focus was on the personal lives of Ally and her colleagues.

Suits

Premiered on June 23, 2011, Suits is the latest in the line of legal drama to hit our screens. Set in a fictional law firm in the New York City, the show follows the lives of a brilliant college dropout Mike Ross, who initially works as an Associate for Harvey Specter, considered one of the best “closers” in New York. The focal point of the show is on Harvey and Mike, working together to close cases, while ensuring Mike’s “secret” does not come out.

JAG

One of the few television shows fea­turing lawyers with a U.S. Navy theme to it, JAG centered on Commander Harmon Rabb Jr., who ended his career as a fighter pilot to enter law school.

The Practice

The Practice is an award-winning legal comedy-drama created by David E. Kelley. Running for eight seasons, the show centered on the personal and professional lives of defence attorneys at a Boston law firm. The Practice portrayed various high-profile criminal and civil cases, similar to the present circumstances.

Boston Legal

An immensely popular legal drama-comedy series, Boston Legal was a spinoff of The Practice. It followed the exploits and cases of former The Practice character Alan Shore at the law firm of Crane, Poole & Schmidt. The show managed to win multiple Emmy awards due to its humour, engaging story lines and interesting court cases.

Damages

A legal thriller, Damages received widespread critical acclaim for its intense cases, Emmy-winning performances and plot twists. In this FX series, Glenn Close played a callous yet brilliant lawyer Patty Hewes, who does whatever she can, to win cases for her firm.

While the first two seasons focused primarily on the law firm Hewes and Associates, the subsequent seasons focused more on Patty’s personal life.

The Good Wife

Renewed for another season, The Good Wife provides an exceptional legal drama. The plot revolves around Alicia Florrick, a stay-at-home mom, whose husband, a former Cook County, Illinois State’s Attorney, has been put behind bars following a political corruption and sex scandal.

Alicia has no choice but to return to her old job as a litigator to provide for her children. According to its creators, the series has been partly inspired by real-life sex and political scandals, such as the Eliot Spitzer prostitution scandal. Besides providing an accurate portrayal of legal matters, the show has received widespread acclaim for its insight on social media and the internet in society, politics and law.

Judging Amy

Telecasted from 1999 to 2005, Judging Amy is about a divorced judge (played by Amy Brenneman) who serves in a family court. Apart from various family-related cases that she solves, the show emphasizes on her experiences as a divorced mother. This series was based on the real-life events of Brenneman’s mother.

Matlock

Matlock starred Andy Griffith as a criminal defence attorney, Ben Matlock. The show revolved around identifying criminals and then confronting them in the courtroom.

After reading this article, it is time for you to get up and watch these interesting T.V. shows. NOW!