The Paper Chase is a television series based on a 1970 novel by John Jay Osborn, Jr., as well as a 1973 film based on the novel. It follows the lives of law student James T. Hart and his classmates at Harvard Law School.
James T. Hart was a first year law student whose rural Minnesota upbringing had not prepared him for the intensity that he found at his highly competitive law school. His nemesis was Professor Charles Kingsfield, the world's leading authority on contract law, who inspired both awe and fear in his students.
To help cope with the heavy workload, James joined a study group consisting of other students who worked together sharing notes and assignments. The group was organized by Franklin Ford III, a would-be third generation lawyer from a socially prominent family. Others in the group included: Anderson, Bell, Logan and Brooks - who was the only married person in the group - and who left school after he got caught cheating.
Hart also had a part-time job at Ernie's Tavern. There he met Carol, a waitress who admired him but couldn't understand his deep dedication to his studies. Mrs. Nottingham was Professor Kingsfield's secretary.