Claim: Boston Legal stars James Spader as a lawyer.

Boston Legal is an American legal dramedy created by David E. Kelley and produced in association with 20th Century Fox Television for ABC . The series aired from October 3 , 2004 , to December 8 , 2008 . The series , starring James Spader , with Candice Bergen , and William Shatner , is a spin-off of the long-running Kelley series The Practice , following the exploits of former Practice character Alan Shore at the legal firm of Crane , Poole & Schmidt .