Original subtitles

Previously on LA Law.

I know my case was just over a contract, but the settlement you hammered out is

going to make a profound difference in the quality of my life.

Well, I hope so.

As far as Melanie Hayes is concerned, you're a winner.

Would you, um...

Would you like to come inside?

I, um... Yeah.

I better not.

It's been wonderful.

Thank you for a lovely, lovely evening.

It's all grist for the mill with you, isn't it?

Everything's broadcast on your own personal hit parade.

Excuse me, Roxanne, but as I recall, it was you who were intent on exposing our

private life to a therapist.

She can help us.

Not so I can hear myself talk.

Okay.

You know what?

I ruined a whole deposition yesterday because of you.

Probably lost a client, cost the firm a lot of money.

You know what else?

I don't care.

Barbara said that you wanted to see me as soon as I got in.

Sit down, Yolanda.

I thought it was time to talk again.

Oh? Back in December, we had a long talk.

Point. By point.

About the areas of improvement we needed to see from you. Please don't fire me.

It's not working out, Yolanda. You know that.

There's a morale problem among the other paralegal. They resent covering for

you. Two of the partners won't give any of their contract work to you anymore.

I've got to keep this job.

You're not happy, and neither are we. Give me another chance.

We did.

Lots of chances.

They came to me in confidence.

I don't believe you. You want to turn the paralegal department into some kind

herald. Take a deep breath, Yolanda. Full of kittens.

Kittens, uncomplaining, pliant kittens in leather skirts and cheap perfume.

Yolanda, sit down. I don't want to hear it.

Yolanda, I am so sorry.

He said that I didn't deserve to work here.

And then he started calling me names.

Oh, God, Roxanne.

I don't know what I'm going to do. I really don't. He's despicable.

What's wrong?

Douglas, he fired her out of the blue.

Why? Because I don't fit in with Douglas Brackman's view of this law firm.

I'll tell you something.

I fear for this place. I really do. That's the truth.

Because if he can fire someone like me, someone who has skills and seniority on

no notice, then nobody's job is safe here.

Nobody!

Sorry I'm late.

Marianne Doyle finally called back and I could not get off the phone.

Why was it necessary to fire Yolanda Douglas? She wasn't doing the job. From

what I saw, she worked her tail off. First of all, that's not true. Second of

all, Arnie and Leland had nothing but complaints about the quality of her

Couldn't she at least have been given a warning? People have been known to

improve Douglas.

Not to mention that she's a single mother with a five -year -old son.

What makes you think she wasn't given a warning?

So that's a different story.

As long as she was treated fairly, I don't want to second -guess Douglas'

decision. Let's move ahead.

No, as a matter of fact, I'm not quite ready to move on. I was found guilty

before I set foot in this room, wasn't I? You have shown a certain penchant for

brute force when dealing with the office staff. I also think we should have

talked about it. I mean, this may just be another management prerogative for

you, but it had some pretty serious consequences for Yolanda and her kid.

Thank you, Michael, for pointing that out to me.

And thank you, Ann, for that bit of insight into my character. What a caring

compassionate group of people you are. Come on, Douglas.

No, really.

In fact, I think it's high time this firm had a managing partner who

that. Douglas, if we prejudged you, we're sorry.

Now, can we move on with the meeting? Leland, I've been Simon Legree long

around here.

Someone else can do it. Like who?

Why not Michael?

He'd bring all that sensitivity of his to the job. Look, Douglas, get something

straight. Losing streak or not, I'm a trial lawyer.

Period. What about you, Ann?

I'm sure you could fire someone with kindness instead of that brute force I

enjoy so much.

I have a baby, remember?

The time I'm here, I need for my caseload. Don't even look at me. I'm the

attorney handling matrimonial cases.

I've got my hands full as it is. Rawlins is interviewing clerks today.

Maybe one of them could be office manager.

Douglas. I'll do it. Stewart.

Well, it makes sense, doesn't it? I handle the books anyway.

And to tell you the truth, I don't think it's that big a deal.

It's not.

It's not a big deal at all.

Hey, Dave.

Arnie, just the man I was looking for. I'm a little busy right now. No problem.

I just wanted to remind you about Thursday night.

Thursday.

Direct mail, man of the year, my moment in the sun. Tell me you haven't

forgotten.

Of course not.

What a night this is going to be. Not just for me, but for this woman.

Graced, one on each arm by the two most seminal influences in her life. The one,

a selfless helpmate. The other, moi, a soulful life mate. The three of us,

inextricably bound by twin ropes of love and commerce. The one enriched by the

other. David. You're right.

I better get out of here before I bust into tears.

Arnie, there's a little shindig tomorrow to kick off the festivities.

I think I'm going to have to skip that one, David. But we're still on for

Thursday, though, right?

We're on for Thursday.

I appreciate you seeing me without a referral or anything.

No problem.

I'm just going to lay this out and cut to it.

A friend of mine, Mark Ross, is currently residing in division lockup

cocaine with intent.

I want to get him out, and I need your help.

Is he guilty? Very much so.

I hope that doesn't end our conversation.

Still listening? The police seem to think he's a serious guy, but I figure

a joint recommendation from defense counsel and a sympathetic DA, we can get

judge to set a makeable bail.

The district attorney on this case is Grace Van Owen.

Who just happens to be a friend of mine?

As it so happens, yes.

I appreciate your interest, Mr. Weiland, but I don't exploit personal

friendships for professional gain. I'm not asking you to exploit anything, Miss

Perkins. I just know that district attorneys sometimes listen better to

they trust.

I'm not asking you to betray that trust, nor do I expect you to.

Five grand for doing it. You get him out, there's an extra two.

That's seven grand for one afternoon's work, Counselor.

Got yourself a lawyer?

I can't believe you're representing this guy.

I'm not going to lie to you, Gray.

You're paying me a fortune.

And if I can get a bail set, he'll give me the case to try.

Look, I could really get my practice on its feet.

Yeah, but I'm afraid that if he gets out, there won't be a trial.

He'll be on the first plane to Brazil.

Not going to happen.

I promise.

Look, I'm not asking for O .R. or anything. Just give me something you can

with. Case number 89804, people versus Mark Ross, bail modification.

You owe me.

Your Honor, the people would agree to a half a million surety, 50 ,000 cash.

It's crazy high, Your Honor. Completely unreasonable.

My client poses no direct threat to society. He has roots in the community.

a major league drug pusher and a big threat to society.

This is his first arrest, Your Honor. Only because he's high enough up to be

able to insulate himself.

I would respectfully request a reasonable bail.

100 surety, 10 ,000 cash.

Well, you're not going to get that, Counselor.

I'll give you 250 .25.

Conditioned. Daily check -ins with probation.

That's all.

Next case.

Case number 63184.

Thanks, Grace. I appreciate it. Yeah.

Abby, be careful with these people.

I will.

Thanks again.

Counselor, excellent job.

Another friend of mine's got a suppression hearing tomorrow. Are you

Can you represent it? He is.

But I kind of like your style. A switch might be in order.

A thousand dollars.

I'll be in your office after three to go over the facts.

Fine.

How many summer interns are you looking for?

One. I may have a problem with date.

You see, I can't start until the second week of June.

First things first.

You're editor of the Law Review?

That's been very good for me, in terms of my critical skills.

And it has apparently revealed this gift I have for case analysis.

Can't hurt the old spelling, either.

Top tenth of your class.

Actually, I was ranked second.

Well, to hell with you, then. Where's number one?

Well, there is this theory, you know, that first in the class always ends up

with something brown and malodorous at the end of his nose.

I don't suppose that you were first in your class, were you? Good reflexes,

Joshua.

Okay. First of all, that was a joke.

Second of all, in my particular case, first in the class does belong to a

classic brown nose.

Look, I've got the grades.

I've got the recommendations.

I've got the vitae.

What more could a recruiter want?

We'll let you know.

Send in the next person, would you?

Yeah.

Diana Moses.

Hi. Jonathan Rollins.

Sit down.

Uh, you're from San Jose.

Yes. Did my undergraduate work at USF. It's here.

Gaffney Scholar, Phi Beta Kappa, Dickinson Fellow.

A whole nine yards of overachievement. Spoken like someone familiar with the

syndrome.

You understand we're looking for an intern.

An extra pair of hands for the scut work.

Mackenzie Brackman is top -heavy with partners. We're not looking to groom

another one.

I'm not looking for that either.

My interest is public policy law. But before I get too tracked, I'd like to

a close look at a private firm.

Leland Mackenzie did some really groundbreaking work in the fair housing

industry 30 years ago, and... Well, I'm not telling you anything you don't know.

But I'd love the opportunity to work in the same office with him.

All right.

We'll let you know, Miss Moses.

Thank you for your time, Mr. Allen.

Do me a favor.

Sure. Send in the next person.

Sure.

Oh, yeah.

Yeah, yeah.

All right, there are some things I still need to clarify, so bear with me.

Um, Strangen versus Von Zell. That's me, Stuart. Ned Strangen developed a vacuum

extrusion technique that Von Zell Plastics is using without his

As soon as the depositions are all completed, I'd like to go in for summary

judgment. We owe a stenographer $8 ,500 for a deposition transcript.

Is that right?

I need a breakdown on that bill.

Can't we just pay it and work it out later? I mean, we've done it that way

before.

Right, Douglas?

Stewart's call, Victor?

I really don't like to do it that way.

It takes forever to get the money back.

Speaking of which, Leland, Owen Powell has used up his retainer and then some.

Oh, speak to him about it.

Meantime, let's proceed to the case, though. Yeah, okay. Could we at least

some of the out -of -pocket expenses back? Does it amount to that much,

Yeah, as a matter of fact, it does. I have a bill for $600 for photocopy

expenses alone. Leland said he'd speak to him, Stewart.

Could we move on, please?

Yeah.

By the way, our service contract on the photocopier is about to expire, and I am

of the opinion that we should consider upgrading.

Anybody have any feelings on that?

I've got a motion to draft.

Mike, wait a second.

I see you have a conflict next week. The Bartke hearing falls on the same day

that the Thug trial is supposed to begin.

I'll take care of it.

Richard Hazel versus Castellano, Tile, and Tarazzo?

There should be a settlement by the end of the week. Could we move on, please?

And? Stuart, I told you I needed the accountant to testify.

Part of the deal was flying him in and paying for his hotel room. But what I'm

trying to tell you is that I happen to be an accountant and this guy has an

obligation to testify.

Considering the mess he made, I think he should have paid his own way. How are

you doing, Mr. Binney?

Excuse me, honey, what should I tell Pamela? She's been waiting quite a

Oh, I'll be right there.

What's with Binney?

I have no idea.

Hey, Arnie. Arnie, you're going to have to fill me in on the Posner case.

I will.

You're about finished, Stuart. Oh, no, Leland. We've got a lot more.

I'm thinking of sending out for lunch.

You'll have to excuse me. I have an appointment.

Actually, I have to run, too.

I'm having lunch with the club today.

Dolgen versus sports fitness clinic.

I'm waiting on a counteroffer. I understand he actually came out of his

Only briefly.

He sat up in his bed, asked for his toothbrush.

and then broke into an uncontrollable fit of weeping. You know what it's like

be in a coma.

The whole world is going on all around you, but it's just a distant blur.

Here's a wild one for you.

Mari Gelb is challenging the bill we sent him for overnight mail expenses.

He said we should have sent it regular mail.

I mean, didn't he specifically request overnight delivery?

I'm sorry, Stuart. I wasn't listening.

Don't bother telling Leland what an inspiration he was. I already told him.

Actually, my interview's over.

They asked me to wait.

How'd it go?

Who can tell with you people?

I thought I totally bombed with you.

No.

I should probably apologize. I was just trying to at least appear objective.

Miss Moses, a moment of your time, please.

I'm sorry I had to wait.

It's a lock.

What's the matter?

Ross.

What's up?

There's no easy way to say this, so I'll just say it.

The birth mother wants her baby back.

What? She changed her mind and... She signed the consent form. What are you

talking about?

She's petitioning the court to have the consent withdrawn.

How the hell can she do that? Stuart? No, no, no.

The consent form is signed, Arnie. This is a done deal.

No, it's not a done deal. The adoption isn't final yet.

And until it is, she has the right to withdraw the consent, or at least the

right to try.

You can't be serious.

You never told us this. I told you it could happen.

I said it virtually never does.

No, what you said was that it was a hundred to one shot, Stuart. This is the

second damn time something that never happens happened to us, Ross!

I'm sorry.

Yeah? You go to hell with her. I'm sorry.

This baby is our baby.

We're not giving her back.

You may not have a choice.

Are you saying she could win?

That's up to the court, but... there may be a presumption in favor of the

natural mother.

Oh, God.

Oh, my God.

Hold it. Hold it. Hold it. What are you saying here?

Are you trying to prepare me for...

Are we going to lose our baby? We're going to fight, Stuart.

We're going to fight like hell.

I don't believe I'm hearing this.

Look, I've asked her and she's willing to meet with you.

What's going on right now is she's feeling confused.

Confused and guilty about giving her baby away.

I think when she sees you both, she'll see what a good home her baby has. And

then maybe this will all go away.

What if it doesn't go away?

What if it doesn't go away, Ross?

I think when she meets the both of you, a lot of her fear and confusion will

evaporate. Look, we'll do whatever we have to do, all right? Good.

I'll set up a meeting right away.

I have to go home, Stuart.

Yeah, I'll take you home. Come on.

Let us know, huh?

As I indicated, the search was incident to the arrest. Not true. He was arrested

in his apartment while they searched his car down in the street. What's more,

they didn't even open the attache case until they had him at the station. A

warrant was obtained for that search.

Your Honor, the warrant issued at 4 .30.

The police report indicates the search took place at 2 .45.

Exigent circumstances.

What exigent circumstances? The police had the case. My client was in custody.

She's right, Mr. Aoli.

Looks like the officers blew it here.

A warrant did issue, Your Honor, and... But it issued too late. The search was

illegal. That evidence is not admissible.

I have no choice but to dismiss.

Judge. I'm sorry. Mr. Griffith, this is your lucky day.

Case dismissed. That's all.

Thank you.

Lady, you're really great.

Tell your friends.

You better believe I will.

Fine, fine day.

Hi, Grace. Nice argument.

Can I talk to you a minute?

What's wrong?

What's wrong is Mark Ross didn't check in with probation today, so we sent a

unit to his apartment, and he's cleared out.

What? He's gone.

Grace, I didn't know he was going to jump.

I swear.

I went out on a limb because you promised me he wouldn't. I know. I know.

Grace, I'm sorry.

I'll give you the benefit of the doubt, Abby. I'll just assume you're as stupid

as I was about this.

Look at this. Look at this.

Roxanne, this is Seymour Kupferman from Massapequa Park. Si, this is my wife,

Roxanne. Hi.

How do you do?

Boy, this is some year you're having, my friend. Man of the year, a video, a

wife. I still can't get over it. Is that beautiful?

Hey, Jerry's getting out a direct mail all weekend. Go on.

You know why?

Is that a rock or is that a rock?

It's beautiful.

$14 ,000, and that's to me.

Tell them what they're looking at, doll.

27 acres of fagnum moss dairy. Give me a kiss.

It looks just like ordinary peat moss, but what makes it special is that it can

absorb water to the tune of 35 times its dry weight.

All right, all right. I got a parcel on the coast of New Brunswick. There's a

paper mill 10 miles away.

We're talking disposable diapers.

We're talking surgical dressings. We're talking...

Excuse me, menstrual tampons and sanitary napkins.

All I can say is the good Lord put it on this earth for Jerry Mnuchin to find

it, and he found it.

All right, Jerry.

All right.

This your first shindig with the direct mail crowd, Roxanne?

Yeah.

They don't get better with time.

I've been listening to Cy talk about whatever direct he's selling for 11

now. I can tolerate anything.

That's because you've got a boyfriend, honey.

Si has what he needs. I have what I need.

I don't think I could ever do that.

Give it a year or two.

I never thought I could either. Believe me, the men in this room suffer more

when the post office raises the bulk rate than when their wives are

All they have to do is go to work. And they're happy. Why do they bother

married? They can just put so many diamonds on their own fingers, that's

Ever think about getting divorced?

Why? So I can sell real estate.

No thanks.

Nobody wants to grow old alone, kid.

Look, we don't know Dave so well.

Maybe he's different.

Criminal jump bail counselor, it's a fact of life.

No, Frank, he is your criminal. He does what you tell him to do. Not this time.

Hey, he made us both look bad. I will not be used, okay?

Just because I'm willing to defend your friends does not mean that I'm willing

to get my hands dirty. Did I ask you to do anything illegal, Abby? Grace Van

Owen is a good friend of mine. Did I ask you to do anything illegal?

Now, I said I'd get you more business if you got results, and you did.

I am now prepared to fill your waiting room with clients on a daily basis if

you're ready to take them.

The question is, do you want this business or not?

Yes, I want it.

Yep.

Okay, we'll come out.

She's here. Okay.

So, um, easy does it.

We're nice people.

Tammy?

Sorry to be late.

They said my motel was real close to downtown, but it isn't.

Come on in. Sit down.

So, uh...

Where are you staying?

It's on Olympic Boulevard near, you know, Western.

Oh. You feel okay there?

Safe?

I guess.

They said be sure and get a room with a kitchenette, but everything sucks.

Oh, yeah.

It's the price we all pay for living in paradise.

It's not even that pretty a city, huh?

It's a lot dirtier than I thought.

I'm so happy to finally get a chance to meet you.

Yeah, Ann.

Ann always said she wished we could have met. Oh, I know.

No, I'm sorry about that.

It's just, I was having a real hard delivery, and I was making decisions I

shouldn't have, and I wanted to meet here, just the three of us, so that I

could tell you...

I could tell you how sorry I am to be causing you any hurt.

Oh, look, it's been a real rough time for you.

Rougher probably than you ever could have expected.

Really? I was so unprepared, you know, for everything, but mainly for what

happened to me after I had my little girl.

See, everybody said, oh, don't see her, Tammy.

You know, like I said, I was sick and all.

So I never held her.

They took me out of maternity and I thought I wouldn't be near the other

but I still had all this milk.

Nobody ever told me about any of that.

I knew right away what I did was wrong.

It was supposed to be just normal blues, but more and more I just felt almost

dead.

I never should have given up a little girl.

Tammy, um...

So much courage for you to be this honest in front of a couple of strangers

this.

I'm really not surprised to see how brave you are. Thank you.

Because that's what it took to give your baby up for adoption, didn't it?

She loves us, Tammy.

She's just a little baby, but we feel her love and her trust.

She is an unbelievably happy baby.

She knows we're her mommy and dad. No, I'm her mama.

Excuse me.

Tammy, let me ask you something.

Long after you left the hospital, I'm talking like two months after you had

baby, you signed a consent form that said you decided to give up any claim to

her, right? Yeah, nobody wanted me to have her. You understand it's a

Tammy? Contract is binding. My lawyer said you start this little stuff. He

don't come alone.

Uh, forget about the law for a second. I know that you can give her everything,

okay, but that doesn't make you right.

Who's with my baby now, huh?

Who's with my baby all day?

She gets very good care, loving care.

It's not the same as having a mama who's there.

Tammy, there were two different times you could have said yes to your baby,

you didn't.

We said yes, and we meant it. We owe it to her to fight you, and we were

prepared to do it.

You can scold me.

Nobody's scolding you, Tammy. Yeah, scare me.

Put me down. You probably got all your judge friends all lined up, huh?

But nothing you can do, nothing can make you her mama.

You can finish in the morning, Benny.

I won't be here in one morning. Why not?

I got fired.

What are you talking about?

I didn't get my paycheck. That doesn't mean I'm fired.

No, Benny, it doesn't mean that you're fired.

It means that somebody didn't take care of the payroll account.

Nobody got their paychecks today.

But...

Where's my tuxedo? It's behind your door.

Arnie, do you know that no one got paid today?

I'll see you tomorrow, Benny.

You guys had better figure out who's in charge around here. What am

I supposed to do? We're in a war zone. People need their checks, Arnie, war

or not.

Roxanne, everyone will get a check.

Diana, tactic day one?

I was told it isn't usually this much.

Today was exceptional, that's true.

Hi, honey.

Hey, you ready, babe? Yeah.

Daryl, meet Jonathan Rollins. He's an attorney here.

Daryl Tyler, my husband.

Hi. Hi.

See you tomorrow.

So as I look around, I see some of the same faces as last year.

For instance, that looks like Cy Cufferman. Cy!

Come on, Cy!

Come on!

You look terrific!

Would you lose some weight? About 18, 20 pounds?

27. Ooh, 27?

Woof -ah! Would your wallet drop out of your pants?

I wouldn't exactly say that. Cy used to be fat. But you see, once at a parade,

He had some ropes wrapped around his arms. And he had a girl standing on top

his head, holding on, waiting.

All kidding aside, though, tonight, ladies and gentlemen, we're here to pay

tribute to David Meyer, your man of the year.

David!

For you, baby.

You know, even as a child, David was interested in business.

When the other kids were playing doctor, he was playing accountant.

And when the other kids were playing spin the bottle, he was playing the

is Right.

That's not true. But seriously, I don't want to stand here and list all of

Dave's accomplishments.

Because I know he's going to do it all by himself anyhow.

So would you please give a big round of applause to the three -time winner of

the Golden Crying Clown Award figurine, your very own Man of the Year.

You're dazzling, Stupendous. Look at that smile.

David Meyer.

This is certainly a moment.

I'm going to get emotional here, you know. Hey, don't worry about it. You're

right. The hell with it.

If I can't get emotional here, where can I?

We all speak the same language in this room.

We all know what it's like to mortgage the house, to pay for the printage and

the postage, to wait for that 2 % response that never comes.

Like the song says.

Each time I find myself flat on my face, I pick myself up and get back

in the race. That's life.

We've all been there.

I would like to say just a couple of words about someone that most of you

met until tonight.

And that someone is my wife, Roxanne. Without her, you would not

be honoring me here tonight. Believe me.

Honey?

Would you stand up? Stand up, let these folks have a look -see, huh?

Please, come on!

Yeah, girl!

You know,

it's hard to know how to describe this galamine.

I mean, after all...

How would the earth describe the sun?

The source of light, of warmth?

Without it, this verdant, bustling planet would be a cold, dead, distant

of rock, and so too would I be without my Roxanne.

Oh, sure, we've had a little bit of rough sledding lately.

We yell and scream and argue. We go to a marriage counselor the whole bit.

I've been immersed in business, and she's... struggling mightily to drop a

pounds.

Although, looking at her here tonight, I have never, ever seen her look

lovelier.

The point being, my friends, and you are my dear friends,

we're going to make it work, no matter what it takes.

Fate brought us together, and for all eternity, that's the way we're going to

stay. So right now, there is nothing that I would love more than for her to

up here and accept this award with me now.

That's okay, folks. She's just a little bashful. Let's take a break, okay?

Arnie, can we talk?

Sure. Come on in.

I'm going to file for divorce.

Because of what he did last night?

Because of all of it.

Will you represent me?

Rox, I may not be the right attorney for you. Why?

If it's the money... No, it's not the money.

I have business dealings with your husband. He'll argue it's conflict of

interest. Is it? I don't know, but it's going to be messy enough contending with

a husband who thinks his wife is in love with her attorney.

Do you believe that?

No.

Then help me.

I don't want to go through this with a stranger.

Are you sure you want this?

I can't kid myself.

He's never going to change.

You got yourself an attorney.

Knock, knock.

Abby! Hi, got a minute?

Court.

How are you? Good, good.

Victor, when you were with the PD's office, you represented a lot of drug

dealers, right?

I had my share, yeah.

How'd you get comfortable with that?

You mean how could I possibly live with myself?

No.

Yeah. You think of yourself as part of the process, Abby.

Defense attorneys help stop society from becoming a police state. Now, that may

mean day -to -day work for the guilty, but it ultimately benefits the innocent.

What if you just do it for the money?

Nobody expects you to do it for free.

The thing is, I tend to make between $2 ,000 and $3 ,000 a week, paid up front

in cash.

I'll be in court constantly trying cases, getting more experience than I

was possible.

That sounds great.

Yeah.

I got this meeting with Stuart and Ann.

You heard? Yeah, how does it look?

I don't know.

Look, Abby, one thing.

Go by the book.

If a drug lawyer cuts corners with the rules, the DA will pounce. You can count

on that.

Thanks, Victor.

The hearing is scheduled for a week from Tuesday. I'll know who the judge is by

the end of the day today.

I'm lining up the best shrinks in town for expert testimony, and we should make

that decision as soon as possible.

Victor, have you spoken with anybody at Children's Services?

Yeah, they're sending somebody next week.

You'll have to do an interview with the Department of Children's Services.

They'll file a report with the court. So we're the ones on trial. Is that what's

happening here? Pretty much.

The court decides who the child's going to be better off with.

Toward that end, I'm bringing in Stephanie Hall.

She's going to try to dig up any dirt she can on the girl.

This is unbelievable.

So our plan is to assassinate the character of a 20 -year -old girl from

Arkansas, huh?

Our plan is for you to keep your baby.

You know what the original plan was, Victor?

Why don't you tell him, Arnie?

We go to a baby broker.

Yeah. We meet a nice pregnant mother.

We like her. She likes us. We get a baby.

We live happily ever after watching this little person grow up. That was the

original plan. Honey.

Only it hasn't worked out quite that way, has it?

All the echoes of no problem have gone away.

In ten days, I've got to go and ask a judge if I can keep my child.

Between now and then, I have to somehow prepare myself for the very real

possibility that he's going to say no.

Okay, honey.

It is not okay. Don't tell me it's okay. It's not okay.

They're going to try to take Kelsey away.

I'm scared to do it.

I'm so scared.

So am I.

So am I.

Victor.

I couldn't care less what happens to Tammy Harris.

I don't care if you emotionally cripple her for life.

Beat her up. Ruin her.

Do whatever you have to do.

Just make sure we keep our baby.

For obvious reasons, Ann and Stuart won't be coming.

All right, let's get started.

Douglas, things are getting pretty chaotic around here.

Why are you addressing this to me?

Douglas, take a look around. We're rudderless ship.

Nobody's getting paid. I didn't get paid.

You're the only partner who's a manager.

Let's try an associate, then.

Douglas, no one can do this job as well as you can.

Period. Plus, I think you love it. Yeah, I do, too. You're too good at it not to

love it. And the fact is, we do owe you an apology.

You're the guy who has to say no. Sometimes you're going to get abused.

I'll tell you this. If you don't come back on board, we're in big trouble.

Is this totally unanimous?

I'm sure I speak for Ann Stewart, the entire firm.

I don't want to feel like I have to be guarding my flanks all the time.

If anyone has something to say to me, I want them to say it to me.

Yes, sir.

Understood.

All right.

Let me get back to the office and sort out the damage.

First, let's get some checks.

Where's your ride?

Daryl's working.

What does he do?

Paramedic.

You need to get home?

You have kids?

Not for now.

No.

Would you like to get a beer at Clooney's? Or dinner?

Better not Okay

Hey

How

was your day it was a bitch

Michael, what do you know about Abby's practice these days?

Not much.

Victor said she was handling a few drug cases.

More than just a few.

She's become quite a little star.

You make it sound like doing criminal law is a crime in itself.

Michael, these guys are serious drug dealers.

Alleged drug dealers.

Oh, come on. Frank Weiland, for one, is a major player.

Good for Abby. How can you say that?

Great. She's a one -woman shop.

She's struggling to make a go of it.

How can you imply that what she's doing is wrong?

She's putting these bastards back on the streets. There's everything wrong with

that. Oh.

So you're not upset with her because she's representing drug dealers.

You're upset with her because she's good at it.

Never mind.

Forget I mentioned it.

Can you?

What's that supposed to mean?

It means what it means.

It means we can't seem to separate ourselves from our work. It's as though

is all we've got between us.

What's with you?

Nothing's with me.

I am just telling it the way it is, and I am not happy with it.

What do you want?

I want some romance.

I'm tired of spending my nights alone because you're working.

Me? I'm the only one who works. Okay, yeah, me too. But damn it, Grace, you're

not giving me one single reason to change.

Fine.

Then why don't you go out and get yourself some airhead tootsie who

anything better to do than sit around waiting to do Prince Michael's bidding.

You know, you've been a prosecutor too long.

I bring up a problem that we both should be responsible for, and you respond by

tearing me down.

Oh, please.

Stop being so sensitive.

Me? You're the one who's being thin -skinned here.

All I know is that I come in here after a lousy day. Hell, a lousy week. Which

you are taking out on me.

Looking for some simple love and affection.

So that's what you're looking for.

You know what, Michael?

We're not married.

We don't have children.

We can just walk away.

What are you doing?

I had to go to the bathroom.

I thought I'd check in on her.

I got a good feeling about this, Stuart.

We got Victor and Arnie going all out. They're a pretty formidable team.

You've got the top psychologists, Lennon.

We're not gonna lose her, Ann.

There's no way we're gonna lose her.