ABC’s "Private Practice" has tapped a "Law & Order" veteran as a cast regular, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Details about the role are being kept quiet, but Benjamin Bratt will appear in the season finale and join the series as a regular in the 2011-12 season, the story notes.

The news comes about two months after cast member Audra McDonald said she would be leaving the show. The new cast addition may come from the need to freshen up the series, since the show has drawn 8.2 million viewers so far this season, down from 9.3 million last year, the story points out.