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A provocative legal drama focused on young associates at a bare-bones Boston firm and their scrappy boss, Bobby Donnell. The show's forte is its storylines about “people who walk a moral tightrope.”
“Between Justice And Morality Can We Choose?”
Steve Harris
Eugene Young
Camryn Manheim
Ellenor Frutt
Michael Badalucco
Jimmy Berluti
Jessica Capshaw
Jamie Stringer
James Spader
Alan Shore
Rhona Mitra
Tara Wilson
1997
Bobby defends Rachel Reynolds, a young woman facing drug charges. She is not a drug dealer, but was trying to cover for her brother. Lindsay represents Emerson Ray, who is suing a tobacco company in a wrongful death suit. Lindsay's favourite law professor, Anderson Pearson, represents the defence. Eugene represents "Free Willy", a man who exposes himself in public.
Bobby represents a man facing armed robbery charges. His strategy is to plead out to lesser charges. Eugene's client fears for her and her 11 year old son's safety, at the hands of her ex-husband. Eugene makes several attempts to get a restraining order. The situation has deadly consequences. Bobby tries to secure a loan and pays a visit to Jimmy Berluti, his friend and banker.
Bobby plans to represent Gerald Braun in a wrongful death suit against Ronald Martin. Eugene's "Free Willy" returns, after being arrested in a peculiar position with a hooker. Defence Lawyers in the Emerson Ray case make a motion to have the case dismissed. Bobby fears that the judge is biased. Jimmy, Bobby's friend the banker, is fired for approving a construction loan under false pretences and Bobby decides to hire him.
An extremely nervous Lindsey goes up against the tobacco industry and her old Law School Professor in her very first jury trial. Outraged by the release of his daughter's killer, Dr. Braun takes matters into his own hands.
Preparing for Dr. Braun's murder trial, Jimmy comes up with a controversial defence after the client refuses to argue temporary insanity. Meanwhile, Eugene bets both Lindsey and an ADA that he can win a hopeless case, and Ellenor finally comes face to face with the Podiatrist she met through the personal ads.
Dr. Braun's emotional and outrageous murder trial finally begins, with Bobby going up against a known ADA who is also a famous Rabbi. Eugene represents a boy accused of statutory rape, after he impregnates a 13 year old girl.
1999
Bobby and Jimmy defend a dentist accused of murdering a frequent patient... but eventually discover he's hiding a sordid secret. Ellenor dines with George Vogelman.
Bobby gets a murderer off on a technicality when the arresting officer illegally searches the car and finds a corpse. Jimmy goes against Henry Olson's wishes and confronts Olson's son to try to convince him to confess to the murder. Lindsay decides to move in with Bobby, leaving her possessions...including her answering machine, at Helen's.
Tensions flare when the 'male nun' starts infiltrating the office. Ellenor buys a gun for protection. Rebecca suspects that a wealthy man has bought a client's guilty plea.
Bobby's old mentor, Raymond Oz, calls on Bobby to represent him when his wife tries to have him declared incompetent. Bobby has reservations after observing Oz in a clearly disturbed state of mind. Eugene co-counsels for an incompetent lawyer who's never won a jury trial. Ellenor sinks into depression in the aftermath of the Vogelman affair.
Bobby acts as Raymond Oz's co-counsel while Oz persists in forging ahead with a self-defense strategy.
Rebecca defends a girl accused of killing her mother. The girl claims she suffers from flashbacks involving child molestation. Lindsay and Bobby argue over wedding dresses.
Jimmy defends a remorseless rape victim who murdered her attacker. Lucy is bitten by her dentist while under anesthesia.
Lindsay represents a serial murderer confined in an asylum when his case is up for review. Eugene's son is a prime suspect when his mother's lover is beaten to death in her bed.
Ellenor takes on Richard Bay in a case wherein a little old lady is accused of attempting to run over her husband in her car. Bay and Ellenor clash both in and out of court. Jimmy evaluates his relationship with Judge Kittleson when he represents an old girlfriend in a suit regarding the sale of reproductive eggs.
Tempers flare over a particularly tough case. Bobby defends old cling/drug dealer Eddie against the murder of an addict. Eddie claims it is self-defense. D.A. Helen brings the coroner to testify that it wasn't. The coroner's testimony is damaged by prior odd behavior. Eddie attacks Helen to try to force the judge into a mistrial. Bobby & Swackheim nearly come to blows. Each of the participants, Bobby, Helen & Swackheim, express their outrage with the legal system.
Lindsay sues a cigar company for breaking up a friend's marriage. She alleges that the husband's addiction was the deciding factor in the divorce. Rebecca & Ellenor defend a police officer who killed a teenage boy in a grocery store. The officer claims he saw a gun. The cashier says otherwise.
Lindsay takes the firm to Los Angeles to defend an acquaintance who's on trial for murdering his on-line girlfriend. As evidence mounts against their client, Bobby and the rest deal with a controlling judge, an antagonistic detective and the victim's sister, a nun with issues.
Dennis Mills maintains his innocence. The firm continues the trial, striving against all odds to exonerate Mills.
Ellenor defends a 'slow' teenager accused of killing a younger boy. A witness comes forward claiming to have information exonerating her client, but Ellenor suspects he's lying. Helen calls in a police officer when his son is under suspicion in a homicide. Representing the accused, Bobby argues the officer was acting as an agent of the court, not a father.
Jimmy is tempted to compromise his integrity to get convicted murder (and insect admirer) Henry Olson released. Eugene and Rebecca represent a woman who's suing a plastic surgeon when her husband dies during a liposuction procedure. They soon realize they're as much on trial as the surgeon when the opposing attorney makes several references to their race.
Bobby is kidnapped by an irate former client who claims Bobby's incompetence in a manslaughter trial forced him to spend 12 years in prison.
Bobby defends the so-called 'Black Widow'; a woman who's accused of murdering her recently deceased husband and whose two previous spouses also died mysteriously. Helen lies to a 15-year-old girl who killed her unborn child, coercing her into giving a statement.
Bobby and Helen clash in an assisted suicide case. Bobby remembers his experiences of 'pulling the plug' on his mother and acts as though he were on trial. Meanwhile, Ellenor flies to Pennsylvania to try to exonerate a 31-year-old death row inmate who claims to be innocent of a double homicide.
Ellenor pursues the Donovan case, hoping to forestall his execution. Meanwhile, Rebecca's case representing a woman with Alzheimer's trying to keep her marriage from being annulled becomes complicated when questions arise about the death of her client's first husband.
Ellenor continues the Donovan case, following up on the various leads to exonerate her client.
Eugene is disgusted by his client, a homeless man accused of murdering a woman and raping her corpse. Jimmy represents an old friend who's being sued for notifying employees that one of their co-workers has AIDS.
Ellenor defends a deaf woman who shot and killed the man who allegedly murdered her young daughter. The client's crime is captured on video in front of dozens of witnesses, leaving no doubt as to who committed the act. The only to way to exonerate the client is to manipulate the jury's heartstrings. Meanwhile Lindsay learns that Bobby hates weddings and decides to spring a surprise elopement.
1998
Bobby is hit by a car while his mind is involved on other matters. Meanwhile, Ellenor becomes disillusioned with the law when she comes to the realization that underhanded behavior has become second nature to her. Eugene defends a young man on murder charges. Bobby visits his father. Rebecca shocks the firm when she announces she's passed the bar exam.
Helen and Lindsay move in together. Rebecca tries her first case. Anderson Pearson calls on Lindsay to defend him when he's arrested for the murder of a stalker.
Bobby and Lindsay lay the groundwork for the Pearson trial. George Vogelman, the podiatrist that answered Ellenor's personal ad (episodes #5, #12), comes into the office with a severed head in his medicine bag. Ellenor and Eugene try to determine what to do with Vogelman. Jimmy and Rebecca defend Jesse Manning, an elderly man accused of plotting to murder his wife. The prosecution's case is based solely on evidence of his step-by-step drawings of the murder and an intricately devised plan for the perfect murder.
Anderson Pearson's court date arrives. Ellenor harbors doubts as to her client, Vogelman's innocence after a stash of pornographic videos are found in his home.
Lindsay makes an appeal in the Pearson case. Ellenor tries to find another viable suspect in the Vogelman case. Jimmy represents a cousin being sued by a former employee, fired solely because of her Iranian nationality.
Tensions flare at the firm when Ellenor takes a questionable tactic in the Vogelman trial. With the odds stacked against them, Ellenor and Eugene adopt a 'Plan B' strategy, which essentially involves accusing the victim's family and friends of the murder.
Bobby fears that Lindsay is too emotionally involved as she takes her last shot at saving Pearson. The firm is sued by Steve Robin, who claims the firm slandered him in the Vogelman trial. Eugene strikes an illegal deal with Helen to help his client Kevin Peete in exchange for damaging information on the Harrelson killer.
Rebecca is faced with an ethical dilemma in the days leading up to her swearing-in ceremony; turn in a client she suspects of being a serial killer or fulfill her legal obligation. The firm prepares to defend itself against Tommy Silva, naming Jimmy as lead counsel. Bobby prepares to defend a babysitter against charges that she shook a baby to death.
Bobby declines Helen's offer of manslaughter, instead forging ahead in the Evelyn Mayfield baby-shaking trial. Rebecca defends young Michael Baylor again, this time on sexual harassment charges. The firm debates whether Jimmy should represent them in the Silva trial. Lucy surprises Bobby with an impulsive kiss.
Jimmy takes on Tommy Silva as he battles for the firm's future. He's forced to make unpopular decisions when both Ellenor and Eugene are ineffective witnesses.
Eugene defends a high school friend, Jerry Green, when Jerry is arrested after a high-ranking politician solicits him for sex. Helen is pressed to go after the politician, destroying Green's life in the process. Ellenor's proposed new client, an asbestos company, is rejected by a partnership vote, enraging Ellenor. Bobby discusses inappropriate questions with Lucy.
Bobby and Eugene travel to a friend's home to counsel him when his daughter's newborn child is smothered. Bobby is forced into an ethical dilemma; his two options being to either contact the police, or conceal evidence in a possible homicide. Lindsay helps Jimmy defend a shipwrecked man accused of murdering a companion to save his own life. Rebecca gets a drug dealer off when the arresting officer recites an implausible story on the stand.
Judge Roberta Kittleson, presiding over a case Bobby's working on, informs him that she's had an erotic dream featuring him and proceeds to inquire whether he's interested in her. Bobby responds negatively and worries that it affected Kittleson's judgment when ruling after ruling goes against his client. Helen prosecutes a TV newsmagazine producer as an accessory for murder after he inadvertently encourages a Kevorkian-like suicide doctor to capture a death on videotape. Lucy teaches Eugene's son, Kendall, to dance.
Bobby takes over the defense of a teenage prostitute accused of murder when her previous attorney withdraws, claiming he represents her 'john' (who's also her alibi). Ellenor revisits her past when her very first client is found passed out in a dealer's apartment with a bag of cocaine on his chest. Jimmy cuts a deal with opposing counsel so that both parties in a very bitter divorce get satisfaction.
Tensions boil over at the firm when Ellenor discovers Lindsay's salary is more than double hers. Ellenor demands justice and tries to recruit partners to her side. It eventually escalates into a knock-down drag-out brawl. Bobby and Lindsay represent a restaurateur forced out of business by a deceptive television reporter. The reporter, under the guise of doing a positive feature, aired an exposé on cockroaches in the kitchen. Helen prosecutes a teenager for killing his neighbor's cat.
The office is thrown into turmoil when Ellenor's client Leonard Sowers rushes through the door with policemen giving chase and throws a bag of heroin onto her desk. Ellenor is arrested for possession of the heroin. A proximity search of her desk turns up a bloodied knife which turns out to be the weapon used to murder Susan Robins. The firm is dealt a surprise when Dickie Flood charges Ellenor with first degree murder. Lindsay & Ellenor bury the hatchet when Lindsay takes over her defense. The police, hoping to make another case for the murder, arrest George Vogelman for concealing a murder weapon and perjury. Meanwhile, Bobby defends Judge Kittleson when she's sued by a former clerk claiming sexual harassment. Jimmy is mesmerized by Judge Kittleson's frank sexual discussion.
Jimmy represents a couple suing a gun manufacturer for indirectly causing their daughter's death. Jimmy argues that the company targeted advertising at criminals and also circumvented gun laws by selling mail-order build-it-yourself assault weapons. Eugene is stunned to learn his son Kendall is selling drugs.
Eugene battles his ex-wife Sharon for custody of Kendall. Sharon claims Eugene's profession and questionable tactics are sending the wrong message to their son. Helen prosecutes a young man for stealing a girl's car, but begins to doubt the alleged victim's story when the accused makes a very credible witness. The witness claims she was car-jacked. The accused adamantly maintains that the girl loaned him the car. Rebecca represents a psychologist fired from his job after suffering a head trauma that left him cross-eyed.
Judge Hiller assigns Lindsay the repugnant task of defending nun-killer Michael Kingston. Lindsay discovers that the police search that found the body was unconstitutional and, against all her morals, moves that Kingston be released. Helen delivers an impassioned argument, stating that the constitution was designed to protect the innocent, a category that doesn't include Kingston. In the end, Judge Hiller has no choice but to strike the body from evidence and dismiss the charges. Meanwhile, Jimmy and Rebecca defend a man on solicitation charges, claiming that the undercover officer aroused the man, then announced she was a prostitute. Jimmy and Judge Kittleson arrange a private meeting.
Lucy is stunned to learn her landlord has planted video cameras in her apartment and is uploading sensitive videos featuring her onto the Internet. Judge Kittleson is outraged when she finds details of her private life on the 'net, including photos of her and Jimmy. Helen recruits Ellenor to advise a witness when he announces plans to change his story, clearing his father of charges of murdering his mother.
Helen brings felony murder charges against Gary Armbrust for lying to save his father. Rebecca takes a pro bono case defending an accused killer. She receives information from the prosecution calling the arresting officer's testimony into question. However Judge Swackheimer, who already ordered the outspoken defendant chained and gagged, feels that the information is irrelevant and deems it inadmissible. Bobby works to discover the cause behind a rash of deaths in a cosmetic surgery hospital.
Eugene defends a rabbi accused of rape. The rabbi admits a pre-existing relationship with the woman and claims that when she tried to break off the relationship it was merely a means to arouse him. Eugene struggles with ethical questions when it's made known the rabbi had previously been accused of rape.
Lindsay is stabbed by an unknown assailant wearing a nun's outfit during a late night at the office. Lindsay manages to utter the word 'nun' to Bobby before she passes out. Based on the information, Helen drags nuns into the courthouse for interrogation, reasoning that a nun upset over Michael (the nun killer) Kingston's acquittal may have committed the crime. Jimmy finds a photo of Lindsay with her image defaced in Judge Kittleson's office, bring a fleet of police to her home. Other suspects include Kingston himself and Joey Heric.
2002
The strain of Lindsay's incarceration begins to affect her marriage and she lashes out at Bobby. Meanwhile, a zealous law-school grad who seeks to join the firm has a run-in with Ellenor; and Jimmy is embroiled in a 16-year-old child-kidnapping case that hinges on lawyer-client confidentiality.
Lindsay's murder conviction tries Rebecca, who's handling the appeal to the Supreme Judicial Court; Jimmy's kidnapping case turns confrontational, in and out of court.
A resolution reached in Lindsay's murder conviction has emotional repercussions; and First Amendment issues figure oddly in Jamie's first trial, the defense of an accused flasher.
Religious freedom figures in a criminal case. On trial: a Christian Science couple charged with the murder of their ill child, whose parents' faith forbids medical treatment.
Political, religious and moral issues surface in a trial involving medical research. Also, Lindsay, now on her own, defends a client whose singing gives a neighbor the blues.
A sexual-abuse case involving victims of a former priest embroils Eugene; a nuisance suit filed by ex-lovers escalates into violence that rattles an already shaky Lindsay.
An accused molester's defense rattles Bobby, who's also unnerved by the reproach of a venerable priest; a case involving animal sacrifices embroils Ellenor.
Ellenor and Eugene defend a fiery yet frightened client named Cassie Ray, a murder suspect with a shadowy past. Moreover, Cassie's alibi witness has significant skeletons in her own closet. In a separate case, Lindsay reluctantly defends an airline that refuses to carry passengers of Arab descent.
A cop-killing case rattles Bobby, whose anemic defense of an unsavory client leads Helen to suspect that he's "tanking the trial"; a drug bust raises search-and-seizure issues.
Bobby has been benched due to his erratic behavior, so Eugene must take his place as lead counsel in a controversial murder case. Meanwhile Lindsay defends a killer, against her own better judgement, and Jamie is placed in a compromising situation involving a judge
Ellenor fights to save Denise Freeman, a rehabilitated death-row prisoner who has devoted her prison time to helping younger inmates. In a last-ditch effort to stay her execution, Ellenor bases an appeal on the medication the court ordered Denise to take at trial, which prevented the jury from observing her schizophrenia. Eugene argues a civil suit that blames a beer company for the death of a college-age youth.
Ellenor continues her desperate attempt to stop the execution of a mentally ill woman Denise Freeman on death row. The firm is torn over a controversial settlement in their case against an alcohol company.
Jimmy Berluti defends his high school crush, who is under investigation for a suspicious homicide, and Claire Wyatt interviews for a job at Lindsay's newly formed law firm.
A wrongful-imprisonment suit occupies Bobby, whose client spent 15 years in jail for a killing he didn't commit; a case involving a youth's soccer injury tests Claire's mettle in court.
Helen faces up against the firm in a case involving an accused killer whose protective mother provides alibis. A disturbed former client jarringly reenters Lindsay's life.
Psychopaths plague Lindsay and Helen. The latter is sued by an acquitted killer for defaming his mother; the former is hounded by a deviant she once defended.
The firm defends Kyle Healy, a wheelchair-bound man whose wife is charged with murdering his brother, the heir to a multimillion-dollar estate. Jimmy and Ellenor's defense is damaged by compelling circumstantial evidence; testimony about the defendant's stability — and the prosecution's playing of a shattering trump card. In other storylines, Jamie champions the cause of a lawyer who claims firms won't hire her because she's a rape victim; and Bobby, whose marriage is in trouble, links up with an old flame.
The death penalty comes under scrutiny in a controversial hearing centering on a troubled teen and admitted killer, whose case parallels Bobby's reinvolvement with a former lover.
A crazed fame-seeker takes CBS CEO Les Moonves hostage in a ploy for TV time to be negotiated by Jimmy, also a hostage.
A date-rape case links the accused to Jamie, a former victim; the return of crazed Stanley Deeks prompts terrified Lindsay to take drastic action that could jeopardize her career.
The collapse of Bobby's marriage is a prelude to a professional crisis. Also, the firm defends a wife on trial for slaying her abusive husband and represents a 10-year-old in a liability suit.
Shocking twists in the trial of an accused wife-killer rattle Jimmy and Rebecca. Bobby's news to the firm devastates Eugene and has an impact on Lindsay.
2000
Bobby doesn't want a client to testify to avoid introducing an incriminating videotape. Helen and Richard Bay may have coached a witness in the same trial. Ellenor and Lindsay represent a parent whose three children have all contracted learning disabilities.
2003
Eleanor defends a man accused of killing his wife and unborn son. He contests that it was suicide. Eugene and Jimmy defend a woman who shot a crack dealer on her street. Alan Shore comes to Eleanor looking for a job after he was fired for embezzlement. He is given a case where a woman files charges against a homeless man who "Halle Berry'd" her (came out of nowhere and kissed her). He uses insurance fraud to coerce her into dropping the charges.
Bobby struggles to overturn the guilty verdict in the Scott Wallace case. Bobby's refusal to allow Wallace to testify may be grounds for a new trial. Ellenor and Lindsay continue their attack against the EPA, but a hostile judge may thwart their efforts. Helen faces a crisis when doing the right thing over Richard's coercion of a witness may cost her a job.
Ellenor continues the Jamison case, challenging Judge Aldrich's decision to cut her client's award. Jimmy is upset when he learns that former client Jennifer Cole is pregnant and has been arrested for possession of cocaine. He conspires with the D.A. to install Jennifer in a rehab program. Bobby continues to work Scott Wallace's appeal. Helen faces alienation from her colleagues in the wake of her unpopular actions in the Wallace trial.
Bobby takes the Scott Wallace case to appeals, hopefully proving that prosecution witness Kyle Barrett perjured himself. Helen faces Rebecca in the courtroom in an emotional case when an abused spouse claims that she was mistaken in identifying her husband as her attacker. Bobby and Lindsay announce that they're expecting a child but Lindsay suspects she may not be the only pregnant woman in the office.
Eugene defends a man accused of murder in a trial where the outcome hinges on the honesty of a police officer who's been living a lie. Jimmy confronts a judge whose propensity for giving moral lectures to defendants has made him a laughingstock. Bobby continues preparations for the Scott Wallace retrial. This time the case is in Judge Hiller's courtroom.
The long-awaited Scott Wallace retrial.
Bobby defends a man on trial for allowing his wife to be murdered in an 'honor killing'; an ancient cultural ritual used to punish adulterous behavior. Eugene reluctantly aids incompetent attorney Harland Bassett yet again. Ellenor announces that she's pregnant, encountering some adversity.
Lindsay defends a psychiatric patient who claims to be a serial killer. His psychiatrist claims he's only a disturbed individual looking for a little notoriety.
Scott Wallace, William Hinks, and a high profile kidnapping case converge to make this one of the most explosive episode of The Practice thus far. First, Bobby is forced to choose between his responsibilities to his client and the life of a 7-year-old girl when his client knows the kidnapped girl's wherabouts but refuses to divulge her location unless he receives a cushy plea bargain. William Hinks, the acquitted serial killer, begins stalking Lindsay. Meanwhile, an increasingly agitated Scott Wallace is fired from his job and tries to convince his employer that he deserves to be rehired.
Despite a restraining order, William Hinks continues to harass Lindsay, as more questions arise as to whether or not he's the real serial killer. Meanwhile, Bobby blames himself for Scott Wallace's latest offense.
After Scott Wallace kills his friend, Jimmy becomes a witness for the prosecution. Bobby, meanwhile, is still defending Wallace. Lindsay is convinced that serial killer William Hinks has claimed another victim, and fears for her own life. To protect her, Bobby takes matters into his own hands
Bobby is arrested for conspiring to murder serial killer William Hinks. The entire firm, with Eugene at the helm, must now rally to defend him. Meanwhile, Rebecca discovers foul play in the wrongful death suit of a friend's husband.
Tensions at the firm are at an all-time high when Bobby is tried for the murder of William Hinks. Bobby is acquitted, though there is little to celebrate when a mysterious cassette recorder is sent to the office. Lucy and Rebecca hear Hinks' voice on the recorder, just before it triggers an explosion.
Unconscious and in critical need of blood, Rebecca's fate is left to a higher power when her mother refuses to allow a transfusion because of the family's religious beliefs. Bobby is awestruck when Lindsay gives birth to their son a month early. The crossover continues on Boston Public S01E13 Chapter Thirteen (II).
Ellenor's chosen "sperm donor," Michael Hale, has second thoughts about the agreement over the rearing of her soon-to-be-born child. Meanwhile, Rebecca emerges from the I.C.U. and gets lost in the hospital. Additionally, Helen prepares to prosecute the rape of an eleven-year-old girl.
Helen prosecutes an accused rapist, while doing her best to keep the 11-year-old victim off the witness stand. Meanwhile, Ellenor has complications with her pregnancy and is treated by Dr. Ben Gideon (Gideon's Crossing).
Bobby and Jimmy employ the firm's notorious "Plan B" strategy in a last-ditch effort to save a client accused of raping and murdering his teen-aged stepdaughter. Bobby makes a case that the client's wife is actually the murderer, and the accused client is declared not guilty. Meanwhile, Ellenor goes into labor with only a panicky Helen Gamble there to assist her.
Helen Gamble uses trickery to coerce a confession from an alleged carjacker represented by Jimmy Berluti. While Gamble feels that her means were legal and necessary to get a dangerous man off the streets, Berluti and Eugene disagree and ask a federal judge to rule the confession inadmissible, a decision that would set the carjacker free.
Lindsay presses Richard Bay to explain a questionable arrest of her client, who is an illegal alien. She ultimately discovers that the police planted drugs on her client, in order to force him to testify in a murder trial. The client refuses to testify, as the murderer is his own brother, and allows himself to be deported to Colombia. Meanwhile, Lucy's actions as a rape counselor are called into question during a date rape trial.
Eugene and Jimmy agree to help the mistake-prone Harland Bassett in the case of a young girl who developed liver damage from an antibiotic. With the odds stacked against them, the trio take on a politically-tied, deep-pocketed drug manufacturer.
Richard Bay prosecutes a murderer being defended by Bobby. The killer warns Richard that if that jury returns with a guilty verdict, Richard should fear for his life.
Helen is enraged by Richard Bay's execution and determined to punish Jackie Cahill and all other responsible parties. She makes a deal with Cahill, offering him immunity on Bay's murder plus the added bonus that she won't announce that he's a snitch and release him into the general prison population if he gives up the shooter. He agrees. After the shooter has been killed by police, Helen reneges on the deal, claiming Jackie hasn't fulfilled the terms of the agreement. Jackie's lawyer protests and drags Helen into court. Meanwhile, Rebecca and Jimmy defend a man on charges that he strangled his wife. Rebecca is adamant about the man's innocence, arguing that the only reason he's being prosecuted is because he was stunned by his wife's death and gave the investigating officer erroneous information. Rebecca and Jimmy are shocked to later learn that their client has a history of strangling both women and chickens.
Alan Shore agrees to help friend Sheila Carlisle, a successful attorney who claims God speaks to her, and who has subsequently been fired from her law firm for being mentally incompetent. Meanwhile there are startling new developments in the case of Brad Stanfield, whom Ellenor and Jamie are defending for allegedly poisoning his pregnant wife.
Eccentric attorney Sheila Carlisle, whom Alan Shore hired on a temporary basis without consulting anyone else, takes on a lawsuit on behalf of the firm; and Ellenor finds herself in a moral dilemma when faced with the truth about her client.
Alan Shore is troubled by Sheila Carlisle's increasingly erratic behavior and fears for her mental - and legal - competence. Meanwhile, Shore is ordered by the court to represent a man who refuses to divulge his identity for fear that the unsavory nature of his crime will be made public
A complex murder case implicating a white supremacist embroils Eugene; malpractice fears haunt Jamie; the defense of accused killer Roland Huff embattles Shore, whose tactics astonish Tara and precipitate a run-in with a judge.
Eugene and Jimmy's defense of the leader of a white supremacist group takes an unexpected turn when surprising new developments come to light. Meanwhile, Shore continues in his quest to free Roland Huff from prison, and Jamie and Eugene must come to terms with their differences.
A rape case rattles Jimmy, ill-prepared to defend a client who maintains his innocence despite overwhelming evidence against him. Also, ethics violations catch up to Shore, who has a showdown with Eugene.
Alan Shore uses questionable, if not illegal, tactics in representing his clients — Ted Grayson, a mentally unstable man accused of murder, and Karen Evanson, a woman who claims her husband's suicide was induced by a prescription drug.
Alan Shore defends a twelve-year-old girl who is trying to escape an arranged marriage in her home country. Meanwhile, Eugene tries to help a man who is seeking justice for the brutal murder of his wife.
Alan Shore uses unorthodox tactics when he's appointed by the court to defend a young man accused of murder. Meanwhile, Tara must try her first case when she's thrown into covering Shore's previously scheduled client.
When the police torture a man they believe shot one of their own, Eugene, barely able to contain his emotion, takes the lead in seeking justice.
Jimmy Berluti and Jamie Stringer defend an elderly man, Walter Josephson, who is accused of killing a member of the local Irish mob, and Alan Shore agrees to help a friend — by any means necessary — who discovers his wife is cheating on him.
When his best friend from childhood is accused of murdering his mistress, Alan Shore returns home to defend him.
An ongoing, sensational murder case besets Shore with pre-trial anxieties centering on jury selection; a hostile judge; a priest's confession; and suspicions of malpractice that involve a manipulative witness for the prosecution.
Fireworks erupt at Dr. Stewart's trial when shocking testimony is elicited from the defendant's strong-willed mother, a conflicted priest and a crackpot.
There are major shake-ups at the firm, as tensions rise between Eugene and Alan Shore. Meanwhile, the firm takes the case of a young man who is suing the doctor he feels is responsible for the death of his wife during childbirth.
Tensions between Shore and Eugene rise to the boiling point when Shore retains the services of a high-profile law firm to go head-to-head with Young, Frutt & Berluti in the face of his abrupt firing from the firm.
Eugene and his firm stand against Alan Shore and his "new" firm. The entire episode revolves around Eugene, Ellenor, and Jimmy testifing that Alan doesn't deserve the amount of money Alan proposed. Can Ellenor really testify against her friend? How will Alan go against his old firm?
Friction at the firm gets to Jimmy, who's torn between loyalties and principles. Meanwhile, tension besets Shore as he crosses swords with his brilliant but erratic new boss, whose behavior raises questions of competence.
Eugene is presented with an offer he finds hard to refuse, and Ellenor is shocked when she hears the news, knowing full well that any departure by Eugene would mean the beginning of the end of the practice. Meanwhile, Jimmy is confronted by crooked lawyer Lenny Pascatore), who claims that the neighborhood only has room for one practicing attorney. Across town at Crane, Poole & Schmidt, Denny Crane ruffles some feathers by making Tara his personal paralegal, and Hannah Rose enlists Shore's help in handling an assault case involving two hockey players.
Eugene considers an exciting new offer for his future... could this mean the end of the practice? Meanwhile, Jimmy is shaken by an ominous run-in with neighborhood lawyer Lenny Pescatore, as their turf war heats up, and Ellenor clashes with sexy and ruthless attorney Hannah Rose of Crane Poole & Schmidt.
Denny and Alan make an appearance before Judge Eugene Young; Hannah Rose recovers from her bout with Ellenor; Jamie accepts a job with Berluti; Ellenor invites Bobby Donnell to help his former colleagues bid farewell to the firm.
2001
A sensational murder case embroils a charismatic state senator, on trial for killing the man purported to be his wife's lover. Part 1 of two.
Courtroom skirmishes and contentious strategizing mark the murder trial of state senator Keith Ellison. Conclusion.
A parole hearing for a convicted killer who maintains he's innocent vexes Eugene and a death-row inmate who accepts his fate troubles Rebecca.
Jimmy's heavy gambling losses oblige him to represent his agitated bookie in a thorny civil suit. Meanwhile, an attempted-murder case raises questions of legal ethics.
An unsolved kidnapping case embroils Bobby with the alleged abductor, a convicted child molester. Gambling fever leads Jimmy to take a big risk. Part 1 of two.
Startling revelations complicate a kidnapping case, which hinges on the testimony of a mysterious recluse with a secret past. Conclusion.
Bobby, Eugene and Jimmy work with an insurance company to settle the claim of a 10-year-old accident victim. But when the case presents a dilemma of moral and ethical proportions, the tension that's been brewing between Jimmy and Eugene finally boils over.
After promising the mother of a murdered teen that he'll find the drive-by shooter responsible, ADA Lowe adopts a “whatever it takes” attitude towards the prosecution of the young gang member he thinks did it—who is defended by Ellenor. Meanwhile, Lindsay is moved to help a mentally retarded man find the daughter he lost touch with years ago as a result of being wrongfully incarcerated for over a decade.
Bobby fears that his protective feelings for a vulnerable female client may threaten his objectivity in her case. Lucy goes above and beyond the call of duty to help an elderly rape victim get the only thing she wants from her attacker—an apology.
Rebecca faces what could be the greatest challenge of her career when she attempts to uncover why her doctor's husband, an Arab, was detained by federal agents without any explanation. After encountering a series of impenetrable legal roadblocks, she learns a difficult truth: “Inter arma silent leges—in war law is silent.” Meanwhile, Eugene’s court-appointed client forces him to use the race card.
A Reverend shares a secret with Jimmy and Lindsay that could drastically affect the ruling on their client, accused of murder, but only if he's willing to testify. Ellenor’s ADA friend makes her an offer she must refuse, despite the consequences.
Bobby makes a judgement call based on a client’s instructions, but it turns out he may have made the call too soon. Meanwhile, Lindsay begs Helen Gamble to order DNA tests on a client serving jail time for double rape—a sentence the client received 7 years ago with a fresh-out-of-law school Lindsay by his side.
Ellenor is ordered to appear as co-counsel for murderer Ray McMurphy, who insists on defending himself in his latest trial. The trial turns ugly for everyone involved, as McMurphy will do whatever it takes to keep himself from going back to prison. Meanwhile, the firm try to support Bobby as he comes out of hospital and he tries to come to terms with being victimised.
Helen and Bobby are shocked to learn that the FBI suspects a popular and highly respected judge of accepting bribes. Convinced the judge is innocent, they're torn about whether or not to assist the U.S. Attorney in a “sting” operation which could also effectively put their careers on the line.
A schizophrenic who believes he's Superman entangles Jimmy in a civil suit involving a hospital and the widow of a bystander killed by the mental patient's seven-story leap.
Eugene and Rebecca go head-to-head with Helen Gamble on a case involving a father accused of an unthinkable act of child abuse. Meanwhile, ADA Mitchell Wheeler, who previously made an indecent and unethical proposal to Ellenor, returns, this time with a different kind of offer for her.
Helen Gamble heads up the prosecution of an accused murderer with suspected ties to the mob, a case her boss, DA Walsh, has an inexplicably strong interest in. Meanwhile, Lindsay unintentionally helps a familiar client get arrested.
An arson case inflames Jimmy when he has to defend a respected Italian-American businessman who is an old friend. But his suspicious furniture-store fire killed a night watchman. Jimmy is reunited with the savvy hooker who previously duped him.
The enigmatic and disturbed Joey Heric returns. An admitted killer who's now a lawyer, Joey is grandstanding in a homicide trial. In another storyline, Jimmy is reunited with the savvy hooker who previously duped him.
A client who believes he's Hannibal Lecter admits to cannibalism but not murder in a trial that's especially hard on Lindsay, whom the defendant calls Clarice.
An accused rapist and his identical twin muddy a trial. The Hannibal Lecter copycat continues to terrify Lindsay during a commitment hearing.
Eugene takes charge at the scene, ordering Lindsay and Bobby to avoid talking with police. But the legal team's ensuing debate on how to proceed leads to questions about Lindsay's arguably tenuous state of mind, as well as the moments prior to the shooting, which Lindsay says she can't recall.
Lindsay stands trial for shooting Lawrence O'Malley, who became obsessed with her after her firm defended him in his murder trial.
1997
Bobby's judgment is called into question by the firm's other members when he becomes romantically involved with a beautiful, icy client who shot to death a male neighbor she claims was attempting to rape her. The prosecution says it was murder.
The firm defends Joey Heric, a colorful client on trial for the murder of his lover. Jimmy is tried on solicitation charges by a vengeful district attorney.
Bobby and Gamble clash in and out of the courtroom when an emotional assisted-suicide case forces them to confront painful memories. Meanwhile, Lindsay goes head-to-head with her ex-boyfriend when she defends an elderly bookie.
Jimmy finally gets his first case, that of a little girl bitten by a dog. A juror approaches Lindsay with inside information on a case. Eugene defends a one-legged mugger.
Ellenor and Lindsay face disbarment proceedings for their unethical conduct. Bobby defends a man accused of murdering his lover's husband. Eugene represents a police officer applying for disability, claiming the job made him a racist.
Ellenor is sued by George Vogelman, her podiatrist friend, for causing him emotional distress, while Jimmy defends a man who lost his job because in the eyes of his boss, he looks like a monkey. Lindsay has hazy recollections about a night out with Chris Kelton.
Rebecca's friend enlists the firm to try to set a legal precedent by forcing his wife to have a C-section against her wishes. Benny Small is tried for drug possession.
A black client is tried for the brutal beating of a department store security guard during a riot. Bobby plans to use a defense very unpopular with both his client and second-chair Eugene. Meanwhile, Ellenor's obnoxious cousin wants to sue the travel agent that booked her honeymoon on allegations of 'emotional distress'.
Lindsay is hired by a drug dealer to defend his "mule" who's been caught smuggling drugs over the border. Jimmy takes on a case of a community stricken by cancer. Bobby must decide with whom he wants to pursue a romance.
Donnell & Associates travel to Redland Hills in a last minute attempt to get a stay of execution for convicted murderer Randall Jefferson while a documentary crew watches their every move.
Bobby and Lindsay second-chair Bobby's old mentor, Raymond Oz, when Oz fears he's losing his memory. Eugene struggles with his conscience when he defends a man on trial for raping and murdering two boys. Jimmy's fantasies come true when a childhood sex symbol seeks his legal counsel.
When Bobby's priest performs an exorcism on a parishioner, who dies during the procedure, Bobby must manipulate the system to shield Father Martin from murder charges; Eugene represents Martin Parks in a bizarre malpractice suit. Jimmy decides to tape a television commercial, a decision that proves unpopular with his colleagues.
Jimmy is furious when his mother reveals her love for another woman. He feels obligated to represent her in court when she requests he argue her right to marry her lover. Meanwhile, Eugene refuses to defend a rapist after he runs into one of his client's victims in a clothing store.
Bobby reconnects with an old girlfriend who needs his help after she is arrested for prostitution. Ellenor and Rebecca fight to keep a 12-year old girl with Tourette's Syndrome in school. Lindsay defends a woman who is suing her doctor for sewing live maggots into her leg to prevent post-surgical infection.
Bobby is arrested and tried for the deaths of three police officers, after he tips off a client, using information obtained during a sleepover at Helen's, that the police are planning to raid him. Jimmy has to defend himself when an opposing attorney claims he's unfit to practice law.
Rebecca's life is threatened after she witnesses a murder and picks the killer out of a police lineup. Jimmy continues his case against the electric company.
The trial against Boston Electric begins, with Jimmy bringing both a weak case and doubts as to whether his star witness will be sober, into court.
Lindsay and Ellenor defend a pornographic star accused of killing her co-star. Complications arise in the Moreno case when it appears Rebecca's ID of the suspect may have been tainted. Lindsay's fondness for having her elbows sucked works against Bobby when he sucks on Helen's elbows.
Bobby defends Dr. Jeffrey Winslow, on trial for the brutal murder (and decapitation) of his mistress. Neither Bobby nor Helen (the D.A. on the case) will back down, sending their relationship into a tailspin. Eugene defends Rebecca's irascible uncle on tax evasion charges.
The saga of Dr. Jeffery Winslow continues. Bobby uses every trick in the book to keep Dr. Winslow out of jail.
The Luis Moreno case finally comes to trial with Rebecca more determined than ever to testify. Ellenor rushes off to defend Cruikshank again, leaving Lindsay to defend a man being cited for using too much water in his toilet. Eugene faces his own prejudices during an altercation with a dry cleaner.
Bobby is called on to defend Joey Heric on murder charges once again. Lindsay goes up against her former professor, Anderson Pearson, when she represents a client who's addicted to cigarettes. Lindsay sues Pearson himself when she suspects his firm of burying damaging information. Ellenor defends Cruikshank against anti-tourism charges, earning hersely several trips to jail when she vehemently disagrees with the judge's decidedly biased position.
Joey's case comes to trial. Ellenor represents a woman heckled by a carnival clown.
Tensions rise when Lindsay requests a partnership. Eugene defends a gang member on murder charges while Rebecca receives an animal rights activism award.
The furor over Lindsay's demand for partnership continues. Bobby discovers that Lindsay's not the only associate looking for another job. Rebecca is involved in a car accident she believes is a scam. Rebecca and Jimmy go undercover to ferret out the guilty. Ellenor meets up with an old friend in the midst of a chimpanzee custody trial.
Bobby works with the firm of Cage and Fish to help in the defense of Marie Hanson, an apparent axe murderer who may have been Lizzie Borden in a past life. Ellenor discovers that her new boyfriend is the crooked chiropractor treating Rebecca, while Lindsay and Helen discuss Helen's future with the DA's office. The crossover starts on Ally McBeal S01E20 The Inmates (I).
Jimmy's faith in his priest is shaken when Father Ryan is arrested for the murder of a 16-year-old boy. Jimmy desperately tries to track down the real killer before Father Ryan's case goes to trial. Ellenor struggles over her sense of ethics and her blossoming relationship with Fred Spivak.
Bobby defends a young boy who killed his mother over a seemingly inconsequential argument. Eugene wrestles with his conscience over the morality of his profession and its possible effects on his son, Kendall. Lindsay tries to land a class action asbestos suit.
