Duty of Care

John Deed bliver dommer i en sag, hvor hans ekskone, Georgina, og hans veninde Jo Mills er modstandere i retssalen. Georgina er forsvarer for byggematadoren Briggs, der er under anklage for manddrab, efter en ung mand har mistet livet på en af hans byggepladser. Jo er anklager i sagen, og hun får kam til sit hår, for Briggs er mand med magtfulde venner.

Deed presides over the case of a young man's death on a building site, in which the well-connected construction company boss is trying to lay the blame on his employees. Deed's determination to get at the truth is strangely unwelcome to the Lord Chancellor's department. At the same time, Charlie Deed is getting herself into hot water by 'liberating' a dog from a laboratory in the name of animal rights. With the police hot on her trail, Charlie adroitly dumps the dog on Deed and a blackmailer gets to work.