With all three of her children living once again under the same roof with her, Maxine finally decides to let them be the grownups that they are (horseplay notwithstanding) and fix their own breakfasts; the ceiling in Amy's courtroom collapses, and she is sentenced to a stint in Accountability court, which she deems a punishment for her ruling in the Casey Ives matter; shortly after his return from New Mexico.

Vincent's struggles with his latest novel leads him into blowing off his agent, who responds by dropping Vincent and demanding the return of the advance that Vincent's already spent; Maxine receives another award, and uses her acceptance speech to talk about the young boy lost in the system that she and Sean can't seem to locate; Amy's dealings with two troubled teenage girls and their mothers in Accountability court inspires her to change her focus when she returns to Juvenile Court; Maxine tries to avoid removing the children of a overburdened single mother working to overcome anger and abuse issues; David finally feels that he's put his wife's death behind him and can now pursue a relationship with Amy; Ignacio lets Maxine know that he's ready to do whatever it takes to have a future with her; Amy fires Donna to propel her into practicing law; Kyle decides to accompany Heather to Minnesota and take care of their son while she's in rehab.

Asked to help out Vincent with a loan to pay back his canceled contract advance, Peter discloses the family firm is about bankrupt and bitterly regrets having been expected to run it alone. Despite the court's huge backlog, Amy refuses to accept a bargain between lawyers in a juvenile homicide case and finds out a tragic family secret. Lover David tries hard to get sailing phobia-afflicted Amy to enjoy his new yacht. Maxine dates Ignacio, who realizes it's time to divorce Francesca; Donna, whom Amy dropped as clerk, takes a position as a court-appointed minor counsel for the Hartford Youth Advocates, right across the hall from Amy's chambers. Written by KGF Vissers

Pre-teen Brent Chase is charged with sexually abusing a classmate, but the trial points out both were victims of excessive class peer pressure. The colored bracelets code further triggers Amy's overprotective meddling, despite warnings from Vincent, who grudgingly accepted a menial law firm data job and spills Peter's business failure to his in-living ex Gilian, who proves surprisingly supportive. Sean has to suspend Maxine for contacting a leveled adolescent's unwitting father out of the blue, also causing is mother to be arrested. Written by KGF Vissers

Supervisor Sean must suspend Maxine for slapping, in front of a cop, a wicked teen charge for nearly-fatally neglecting her naive senior foster mother's basic needs. Penniless Vincent jumps at the chance to earn $100 as 'driver' to escort to has father's house maternally-abused swell teen jock Robbie, with whom he bonds while working out why the knave, who shows a critical interest in author Vinnie's own problems, dreads returning home. Novel juvenile advocate Donna fails to appreciate Amy's coaching of her first case and negotiating with DA Morris Riordan, although it perfectly serves the needs of preteen client Carl Sipple not to be tried as an adult but get juvenile help rather then a jail sentence. David bitterly finds Amy ditched their date to have drinks with her clerk. Summoned to Ned's principal's office, Peter and his ex are pleasantly surprised to hear their son mischief stems for an under-challenged high IQ. Written by KGF Vissers

Class clown Avi Gould is charged for a laxative prank which accidentally landed a teacher in hospital. Amy stressed over a breast lump examination, but despite excessive nightmares is diagnosed in the clear. Peter Gray and ex Gillian bicker over the suitable education for adoptive son Ned given his high IQ, which wrecked Vincent's one equally bright future. The trace of missing charge Anthony leads Maxine to bug Sean and two former colleagues, their predecessors, including not-amused politician Larry Feiner. Written by KGF Vissers

Maxine's stressing about lost charge Anthony caused her to be hospitalized for a cardiac crisis, but can't stand the family bickering on at her bedside despite Vince's best efforts and soon discharges herself against medical advice. Her kin facing fats and looking for Maxine's things, Peter and Gillian have sex again so he moves back home. Amy learns about her mother, whose ghost Maxine believes to talk too. Clerk and unofficial translator Rob Holbrook proves his value as Amy's new permanent clerk in the case of juvenile robber Marissa Levy, from a wealthy family which expected to settle. Written by KGF Vissers

Vincent takes another job offered by Sean, assisting street worker Louann 'Crystal' Turner, and volunteers as tutor for her academically gifted homeless charge Leon, a cocky ingrate. Fatherless Travis Stewart's devoted but MS-afflicted mother Tina's custody is challenged in favor of a distant aunt. David quit his job and decides to sail to the Antilles, Amy demands an invitation but can't seriously contemplate a long leave. Maxine rejects any convalescence help from Peter and determined Jillian, except a single yoga lesson for show. Written by KGF Vissers

Vincent extends his 'interim' jobs to helping street workers again, now with a prostitute, but her pimp gets a goon to beat him up. Maxine is so shocked by foster daughter Graciela Reyes's negligence extending to literally standing by as her senior foster nearly wastes away to death, that she slaps her in front of a cop and has to be suspended by Sean indefinitely, which contributes to working up a cardiac crisis. Imp Graciela is most uncooperative and rude on trial for failing to respect her parole terms, yet Amy rules against the state for canceling a program. Sean tracks down Anthony, happily adopted. Written by KGF Vissers

In Amy's juvenile court schoolboy Charley Dane is on trial for stabbing his teacher, who was actually his only true friend who got fired for seeing Charlie after school hours, as a well-meaning substitute for his superficial parents who only wanted a perfect kid to show off... Ma Maxine returns to work, and immediately discovers the baby teenager Zachary Pettit cares for so well is not his kid brother but his own son, abandoned at birth by the teenager mother... Vincent gets emotional and physical bruises when he cares personally for a bright colored drug addict on the street... Written by KGF Vissers

Vincent extends his 'interim' jobs to helping street worker Louan 'Crystal' Turner again, now with a prostitute, but her pimp gets a goon to beat him up. Maxine is so shocked by foster daughter Graciela Reyes's negligence extending to literally standing by as her senior foster nearly wastes away to death, that she slaps her in front of a cop and has to be suspended by Sean indefinitely, which contributes to working up a cardiac crisis. Imp Graciela is most uncooperative and rude on trial for failing to respect her parole terms, yet Amy rules against the state for . Written by KGF Vissers

Athletic scholarship prep kid Diego was abused into hospital, may be unable to use his arm. Maxine suspects his father 'again', but when she learns it were jealous prep kids, gets obsessed with prosecuting especially the ring leader, the city's richest man's son Alex St. Clair, and suspects alumnus Sean of plotting with school staff. While Vincent has mixed feelings about an editor asking for his manuscript in the making and suggesting elaborate changes, he and Crystal worry about street girl Fanny. Amy must rule whether to order brain surgery rather hen medication before serious epilepsy case further reduces teen Allison's mental age, disputed between the parents. Written by KGF Vissers

Before Vincent and Crystal eyes, a homeless teen is murdered by a pimp, which shocks and shakes their confidence, so he must question her relapse into alcohol abuse. When Maxine checks on neighbors suspecting child abuse In a wealthy Romanian expat home, Sean's team and the police dig into a whole system of house boy slavery, while she focuses on reuniting separated brothers Radu and Sorin Parasca. While Davis sacrifices his other dreams to treat pregnant Amy to her ideal house, she mistrusts Carl Hodgson's plea that her son Carl shot her terminally ill father out of compassion, but her brother Daniel Beck demands severity. Written by KGF Vissers

Maxine finds jail bird Gary Helms has mixed feelings when his ex wants him to sign over parental rights so her lover Mark can adopt their boys to raise them in Tennessee, and confronts them, so the though junior son can hear from his father playing the street gangster is just dumb, and his firstborn model pupil brother see the caring side of the parent their mother vilified all their lives. Amy keeps working despite warning signs until diagnosed on her 40th birthday the fetus is no longer viable, then keeps away from her loved-ones and lashes out at accidental admirer Jerry Lambert. Written by KGF Vissers

Vincent and become lovers, she publicly credits him at an award ceremony with her rehab success. Despite Amy's misbehavior and losing their baby, David arranges to undo the family dream-house buy and still proposes. She risks her reputation pointlessly by imposing herself as character 'witness' to oppose against incorrigible Graciela being tried as an adult, and looses. . Written by KGF Vissers

While attending a bench and bar dinner, Amy gets into a heated argument with the State Attorney and accuses his office of being politically motivated in regard to the juvenile justice system. As a result, Amy's inundated with requests to move cases out of her court, which causes a litigation nightmare that puts Donna's 17-year-old client at risk of being considered AWOL from the Coast Guard. Meanwhile, Maxine and Sean come up with a creative solution to the housing problem of a recently sober mother who is seeking to regain custody of her children. Written by Anonymous

Vincent is not amused that Crystal arranged to promote him away to a juvenile institution teaching position, as he wants a relationship. Reza Ajami is on trial for beating fellow Muslim Jusef Said, who bullied him and his 'white' girl friend as Reza refused to join Yusef's radical roots club, and has his own trauma. Ignacio's civilized home dinner for Maxine escalates into 'puberal' lust. Written by KGF Vissers

Vincent's first experience as writing instructor in juvenile ward is scary, but after finding potential i the prison work shop he thanks Crystal for arranging the job and invites her a home dinner to meet the family. After Maxine's pre-teen ward Joshua runs away from his adoptive mother to a regular foster mother, who intends to bow out heartbroken, a three ways compromise is devised. Peter gets grumpy when questioned about keeping his stuff at home rather then move them back to Gillian's. Amy's biased testimony for Graciela only hurts her case, so the lawyer bans her from court, where the incorrigible brat's insolence contributes to a long jail sentence. Strict Oswell Bray's daughter challenges his custody over her kid sister, assuming without proof she must also be abused. Written by KGF Vissers

Teen Eric Oldham, who has a violent bully record, seems likely to be tried as an adult for beating up and abandoning his single mother, but his day in court shows she's the bad example. Peter commits to fully restoring his marriage but hits a confidence problem. Maxine's autistic ward Adam Diehl's separated parents seem unable to care for the out of control boy properly, but working on its bedtime ritual reveals alternative prospects. Written by KGF Vissers

Maxine is afraid of becoming more than just friends with Ignacio so she introduces her friend Patricia to Ignacio and encourages her to invite him as her escort to a benefit. At the same time as she sets out to prove an arrogant college professor is guilty of spousal abuse. A 15-year-old boy with a criminal record asks Amy to believe that he has turned his life around and that he's innocent of the serious crime he's charged with - attacking an undercover officer who accused him of dealing drugs. Meanwhile, Lauren's participation in a Meat is Murder rally gets her suspended from school. Written by Anonymous

Vincent's most promising juvenile ward charge Anthony is about to be released and focused on his father, but as turns out in a truly terrifying way. Sean and Maxine pull all stops to get the administration to amply fund a handicapped children foster home family in danger of eviction. Being legally forced to convict incorrigible pre-teen Junior Lopez to years of juvenile correction and two surprise twists in Gracela's case contribute to both Amy an clerk Bruce resigning from court justice. Written by KGF Vissers

Judge Grays last day on the bench. She is approached to run for senator. Maxine talks with Ignacio. There is bill in the senate to incarcerate 13 year olds as adults. Maxine tries to be a foster mother.