Harry's Law - Television Tropes & Idioms

A Law Procedural starring Kathy Bates by David E. Kelley.

Harriet Korn is tired. Being one of the best patent lawyers in Cincinnati gets a little boring after a while. As soon as she mentions this to her superiors, though, she quickly finds herself out of a job.

All well and good for Harry, who promptly clears out her desk and starts to move on...only to have someone literally drop out of the sky on top of her. Malcolm, a troubled teen trying to kill himself because he's facing drug charges, then pleads with Harry to take his case, since he feels their unique meeting was fate. Despite her better judgment, she ends up helping him and finds she actually likes being a criminal attorney. After the day is won, Harry decides to open a law firm in one of Cincinnati's worst neighborhoods in order to help the underprivileged people that big lawyers tend to pass over.

Oh, she also gets hit by a car, not that it matters much.

Harry's Law provides examples of:

Actor Allusion: In the first season finale, Josh Peyton (played by Paul McCrane) sings the song "Is It Okay If I Call You Mine?" at a lawyer gala. The song was written and performed by McCrane originally in Fame.
Anti-Hero: Damien, Type IV. Harry herself is a Type III
Adult Child: Tommy Jefferson
(At Least) Once An Episode: Jenna storming into storage, and slamming the door.
Attempted Rape: Chunhua is a victim of this.
Bilingual Dialogue: Subverted. Harry couldn't understand the gang members very well during the talks.
Harry: Look, I don't speak Legalese to you, so don't speak Gangsterese to me.
Bunny-Ears Lawyer: Recurring character Tommy Jefferson is a spotlight-hogging Large Ham literal example of this trope, probably thanks in part to Christopher McDonald playing him.
Common Nonsense Jury: Harry gets a client — a woman who committed armed robbery — off with a defense that amounted to "She did it, but she's old so we should feel sorry for her."
Creepy Uncle: Jenna had an "encounter" with her, as she put it, "quote, 'friendly uncle', unquote." She never quite got over it.
Deadpan Snarker: Seems to be a requirement to work at Harriet's Law & Fine Shoes.
Did Not Do the Research: There is no "Superior Court" in Ohio's present-day court system. (There used to be a "Cincinnati Superior Court" from 1838 to 1907.)
Disregard That Statement: Harry lives for this trope. Subverted in that it actually does almost get her disbarred.
Double Standard Rape: Female on Male: Tommy's case in And The Band Plays On. He keeps suggesting the client to drop the case because he allowed it to happen. The client point blatantly asks him if he would be saying the same thing if the genders were reversed.
Expy: Tommy Jefferson of Denny Crane.
- Heck, the entire series seems to be a Spiritual Successor to Boston Legal, with Harry taking the place of Alan Shore. Both shows are David E. Kelley productions.
Four Temperament Ensemble: Jenna (sanguine), Harry (choleric), Adam (melancholic), and Malcolm (phlegmatic).
Gang Bangers: More than a few, but Damien is the most prevalent, being a recurring character.
Genki Girl: Jenna.
Genre Savvy: Harry herself, but especially Tommy Jefferson. He doesn't just know courtroom theatrics — he also knows the inherent advantages and disadvantages of intangibles like what his client looks like to the media and the court, and how to capitalize on them fully. Other characters find it annoying, but as he shows, it's effective.
- When he squares off against Adam upon his introduction, Tommy warns him: "Listen. A lot of people have written me off as a loudmouthed buffoon in the courtroom. And a lot of people have paid for it."
Hidden Depths: Despite Tommy's brash nature, he actually used to be really nervous in court. The only reason he acts the way he does now is to get people (namely jurors) to like him.
- This show loves this trope. Damien seems like a thug at first, but he really just wants to protect people. Jenna acts like a bubbly ditz because that was how she dealt with being molested, and now she feels a responsibility to everyone to keep it up even when it's driving her nuts. Rachael seems like a controlling ex at first, but her actions turn out to be out of love and concern and intimacy. Puck is actually a caring and sensitive, very sad person just trying to do right in the world. Even the street gang stepped up to the plate to offer organ donations for the ex-gang member.
Inherent in the System: The entire point of the series seems to be to shine a light on everything that's broken in American society, though there is a clear liberal viewpoint being expressed.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Harry, Tommy, and Damien.
Knight in Sour Armor: Harry.
Knight Templar: DA Josh Peyton is a non-evil example. Always goes for the maximum penalty, seems to totally scorn plea bargaining and doesn't seem to know the meaning of the terms "extenuating circumstances" or "reasonable doubt"
- Damien is a non-evil example, too. Sure, he almost beats a guy to death, but said guy did rape someone.
Manic Pixie Dream Girl: Jenna.
Large Ham: Tom— Ahem, excuse me. TOMMY JEFFERSON.
Le Parkour: Malcolm initially attempts to pass off his suicide attempt as this.
The Nicknamer: Damien. Names so far: Sweets for Jenna, Slick for Adam, and Old Lady for Harry.
Only Sane Employee: Tommy's secretary Ivy.
- Harry herself, when compared to Dogged Nice Guy and Troubled, but Cute Marcus, Knight Templar Damien, Adam, who always brings his personal problems to work, and Manic Pixie Dream Girl Jenna.
Open Heart Dentistry: Harry is the legal equivalent. As a patent lawyer she is in a very specialized subfield of law (which barely exists in Cincinnati) that requires a technical degree to practice as well as a law degree. Furthermore it's so specialized that basic skills in criminal law are non-existent. It's one thing to go to doing civil suits for the poor, it's another to suddenly start doing criminal law after an entire career of career of civil cases that average 5 years on each...
Peace Conference: Harry decides she's going to act as a mediator between two local gangs. Thanks to her Jerkass Façade, they do manage to agree on one thing: she sucks as a mediator.
Penultimate Outburst: Harry has to get on a soapbox about something at least once per episode.
Put on a Bus: Jenna and Malcolm. Given the new direction of the show, they are likely on a Long Bus Trip.
Reasonable Authority Figure: Harry.
Revolvers Are Just Better
Ripped from the Headlines: One case involved a woman suing the fast food industry for making her fat. A similar case was brought before a court in recent memory.
- Of course Reality Ensues in that Harry refuses the case because it's stupid but Glory Hound Tommy Jefferson takes the case because he doesn't care about the client or the case only that he is well known.
  - Subverted in that Tommy develops sympathy for the woman and ends up winning the crucial part of the suit not by his typical theatrics, but by good old-fashioned legal ass-kicking (because he cared enough to come Crazy-Prepared).
Stepford Smiler: Jenna, in a way. When she had an encounter with her Creepy Uncle, she retreated into a fantasy world where everything was happy and perfect. She never really came out.
Wrong Side of the Tracks: Where Harry's new firm is set up.