Prosecution. Defence. There are two sides to every case. And every lawyer.

This emotionally powerful legal drama from Emmy-winning producer Steven Bochco follows the cases and lives of young lawyers who work on opposite sides – the public defender’s office and the district attorney’s office – as well as those who sit in judgment on their cases.

Idealistic public defender Jerry Kellerman does whatever it takes to assist the helpless and wrongly accused, which often leads to clashes in the courtroom presided over by Judge Trudy Kessler, a hard-liner hoping to become the city's next district attorney. Jerry also finds himself facing off against Michelle Ernhardt, the beautiful and occasionally devious prosecuting attorney with whom he is having a turbulent secret fling. But Jerry's not the only person with a covert love life: Judge Kessler is carrying on a liaison with her handsome law clerk, Charlie Sagansky, who has a few skeletons in his own closet.

Raising the Bar tackles issues such as hate crimes, drug dealing and child pornography as the lawyers face off against each other in the courtroom. The characters, each with different values and world views, struggle with the grey areas in their professional boundaries, but aren’t afraid to go toe to toe with each other in the courtroom.