Original subtitles

♪ I know ♪

♪ The only way out is through ♪

♪ The only way out is... ♪

♪ If this is the way that it must be done ♪

♪ I'm doing it the best, and trust me, son ♪

♪ With a switchblade and a rusty gun ♪

♪ Doing this forever, you've just begun ♪

♪ Metaphors, similes, jokes, and puns... ♪

"Dear Mr. Baylor, my name is Victor Suffredes.

"I saw you on TV.

"You won a big lawsuit against that hospital.

"You're a good lawyer, and I need a good lawyer.

"I don't belong in this place.

Bad things happen here."

Is it darker than last night?

This place messes with your head.

How long did you say you've been here?

A few weeks. I've been trying to get a new lawyer.

If it works out, I'll hook you up.

Oh, shit.

Which one of you is Victor?

Right here.

Why don't you get out of bed, Victor?

What'd I do?

Nobody's coming for you.

"Please help me, Mr. Baylor. Sincerely, Victor Suffredes."

Now that the voir dire is behind us,

we've turned our focus to the opening statement

and our first six witnesses.

- Uh, is Mr. Baylor joining us? - No, he's working on--

This is supposed to be a status meeting, isn't it?

And we are giving you a status report.

Shoparoo Markets clearly has a flimsy case.

They are infringing on your brand.

I mean, and, clearly, a Mellomar is not a Mallomar.

And I got to tell you, the two formative moments in my life

were the first time I bit into a Mallomar

and the first time I bit into Jamie Pedulla.

She was my next-door neighbor.

Ms. Stone, let me be frank.

We took a big risk hiring your firm.

You've never had a case like this before.

In fact, three months ago, we never even knew you existed.

Then Mr. Baylor had his, well, very impressive victory

in the Great Benefit case--

Just as it probably takes more than one person

to make your cookies,

it was a team effort to win that case.

Well, the question remains, where's Mr. Baylor?

Doing what you're paying him for.

Working on his opening.

♪ I was saved by the graces ♪

♪ I was saved by love ♪

♪ I found a friend in you ♪

Rudy, I want to thank you again

for coming out with us today.

We've wanted to meet you for a while now.

I'm excited to tell you why J. Lyman Stone

is the perfect firm for Fletcher Kincaid

to outsource any legal work in South Carolina.

What does he mean, "legal work"?

Rudy, we invited you here for a different reason.

We are offering you a position.

"A-a position"? I don't understand.

We want you to consider moving to Nashville.

We want you to come work with us.

If you're as sought-after as Peter says,

I'm sure you've been courted by other firms.

But they're not Fletcher, Kincaid, Brown and O'Brien.

I really appreciate this.

But I'm very happy where I am.

Highly unlikely.

Rudy, we know you're close

with Ms. Stone and Mr. Shifflett,

but we're also aware your firm's struggling a bit.

We just won $80 million.

I wouldn't say we're struggling.

That money is tied up on appeal.

And your Nabisco case should settle quickly.

I don't think so.

And we think the damages will be significant.

Can't get blood from that turnip.

Oh, you'll get your hourly, short a few hundred hours.

Probably not what someone like you is looking for.

With the right firm behind you,

you could be a rainmaker.

If I may, Forest, Rudy already is a rainmaker,

aren't you, Rudy?

Ducks!

- Any greeting cards? - Birthday or get-well?

Same price.

Birthday.

Whose birthday is it?

Pink?

Blue is sold out.

Delphine!

I said no power tools!

Listen, I told them! I-I'll tell them again!

Ugh. Guys, guys, the boss is going crazy. Come on.

Whoo! We got some wild ones.

So this woman wants to sue a deli over a toenail

she found in her potato salad.

How'd she know it was a toenail?

Oh, wait, it was a toe. I read it wrong.

Ew. - Ew.

Hey.

You're supposed to be working on your opening.

Where you been?

Uh, duck hunting.

"Duck hunting"? With who?

Just, uh, some guys from Fletcher Kincaid.

- Is that so? - Come on.

They're one of the biggest firms in Nashville.

I thought maybe they wanted to subcontract with us.

You think they took you duck hunting

because they're looking for an LPO shop?

- Legal process outsourcing. - Yeah, I know what that means.

Okay.

They were trying to poach you.

- No, absolutely not. - Oh, stop.

You smell like duck shit and betrayal.

And while you were out playing Bear Grylls,

we were giving Nabisco the hand job

they expected from you.

Did they make you an offer?

No.

Yes. They offered me partner.

Partner. At 26--that's crazy.

- That's what I've been saying. - I'm proud of you, boo-boo.

Why is that crazy?

Look, I'm building you an office, aren't I?

Hold on. We are building me an office.

Why can't I be partner? - You can be.

But not a year out of law school and after just one case.

Ah, two. We have Nabisco now.

Thrilling.

Hey, you wanted that case, too.

"No more hospital trolling" is what you said, remember?

Yes, I remember.

Okay, well, then try to remember

that Nabisco is paying for the Great Benefit appeal,

not to mention the lease on your bar.

Rudy, be happy.

You got a giant case, and it was everything you wanted.

- Except the money. - Shut up.

I'm trying to keep the lights on here, all right?

Fletcher Kincaid thinks I'm partner material.

Fletcher Kincaid thinks you're a celebrity.

They're using you.

Now, while that can sound fun on a Saturday night,

by Sunday morning, you'll just want to wash the sheets.

You do know ducks mate for life, right?

So you might have murdered someone's husband.

You're gonna have to live with that.

What's the next number?

Five.

What's this for?

Just trying to get a message past those dicks.

Is this gonna get you in more trouble?

It's gonna get me out of here...

hopefully.

She rarely gives interviews,

no press gaggles on the courthouse steps

and no social-media presence.

Yet her string of high-profile courtroom victories

is the envy of every attorney in this room.

Please help me welcome this year's recipient

of the Palmetto Award for Excellence in Advocacy,

the incomparable Amanda Vonn.

Lovely to have you. - Thank you, Steve.

Good afternoon.

Ms. Vonn...

people say a good litigator is a good orator,

one who can hammer words into swords

and weaponize the English language.

Do you find that to be true?

What is the world's most patented invention?

The mousetrap.

Dating back over 4,000 years, it's remarkably simple--

bait, trigger, strike.

The perfect example of stored energy,

it sits there in silence...

no showmanship, no argument,

no need to announce its presence.

In fact, it does its best work in total darkness.

It simply...

waits,

holding its power in reserve until the very last instant.

And then...

without warning...

it fulfills its purpose with deadly efficiency.

Do I think a good litigator

knows how to weaponize language?

Perhaps.

But that is not her most vital talent.

What is?

Knowing when to strike.

That Q&A was like a Nyotaimori Experience...

you know, where they serve sushi on a naked woman.

I'm aware.

Don't look up. Sushi eater at 2 o'clock.

Ms. Vonn, I enjoyed the interview so--

Ms. Vonn isn't taking any more questions.

What time did you set that meeting?

Ms. Vonn, if I could just-- if I could steal you

for a moment. - It's all right.

Megan is my paralegal. Careful, she bites.

So you've been calling my office, Ms. Plankmore.

Um, you know my name?

Well, I appreciate what you've been going through

since Great Benefit. - Well, the jury got it wrong.

There's an appeal in process.

Look, Ms. Vonn, I think I would be

an asset to your firm.

If I could--if I could just-- - This is where you listen.

Life leaves fingerprints, darling.

Your colleague Brad Noonan is in prison.

Your client has been indicted,

followed soon after by my dear friend Leo Drummond.

But you...

you somehow emerged without a scratch.

Because I did nothing wrong.

You believe the fact that you weren't indicted

is exculpatory.

Everyone else thinks it's because you cooperated.

No, that's--that's--

Perhaps the reason why you're so toxic

isn't the result of a spectacular loss

in your one and only case.

Perhaps it's because you can't be trusted.

That's the sound of a mousetrap snapping.

J. Lyman Stone and Associates.

Mr. Baylor's not in at the moment, no.

I can leave him a message, if you'd like.

Hey, let me ask you something.

Hmm?

Why don't you just make the kid a partner?

Because it's not always a great thing

to get what you want the minute you want it.

But we could lose him.

If he goes to another Trent-and-Brent,

he'll be back in a month. - I'm not so sure.

Why is he so restless, anyway?

Because he wants to do something meaningful.

You know I can hear everything

you guys are saying, right?

Yeah, our address is on our website.

Um, I'm looking for Bruiser.

Relax, would you?

It's nothing I haven't said to your face.

Holy shit. - What?

Oh, boy.

What the hell is he doing here?

Hey, Julep.

- Who's that? - My ex-husband.

- You couldn't call first? - You blocked my number.

Remember? - I had to.

Every time you'd call,

I'd get rage texts from your stripper wife.

That was a long time ago. And Lynette's not a stripper.

She's Channel 4's chief meteorologist.

Oh, right.

Strippers provide an actual service to society.

She tells people when it's gonna rain.

- Mm. - So does Alexa!

Oldest story in the book, Rudy.

Boy meets girl.

Boy gets drafted to the big leagues.

Boy dumps her for bikini-model- turned-weather-girl.

- What are you doing? - What you mean?

What does it look like I'm doing?

You know everybody studies for the bar online these days.

"Online"? What are you talking about?

I'm orally inclined. It works for me.

Literally, it doesn't.

Let's start over. Congrats.

On what?

The big case. I saw it on the news.

You did good.

And you look good. - Oh, cut the shit, Tom.

I can't help you,

even if I wanted to, which I definitely do not.

The money's all tied up in big words you wouldn't understand.

I don't need money this time.

I need a lawyer.

- I got mail, lots of it. - Oh!

Thank you, Delphine.

Chocolate on your fingers.

Yeah, I'm saving it for later.

I like her. - Yeah, me too.

Right?

Been there.

Oh, look at this one.

It's from your nephew. - I don't have a nephew.

Uh, well, apparently you do.

And maybe if you were a little more involved,

little Victor here wouldn't be in juvie prison.

You know how many of these letters I've been getting?

Yeah, I like to read them on the can.

"Dear Uncle Rudy, how's life?

Pen's not easy. Maybe I'll get used to it."

"I've been working on my jump shot, just like you taught me.

"Happy birthday.

A dollar is worth more than meets the eye."

That's some sage advice, my friend.

This could be a 60-year-old man, for all we know.

It's stamped "Medford Juvenile Detention."

This kid's my best arm.

He's been pumping cheddar since the day we signed him.

He could go to The Show someday if he's not ruined by this.

Or a torn ACL.

UCL. Low blow.

He's a good kid, Julep.

Call me that again, and it will be a torn ACL.

All right, so this kid...

he wake up with a dead hooker in his bed?

He might have thrown a game.

Minor-league game, minor-league crime.

Who gives a shit? - Oh, you'd be surprised.

All the online betting, there's a lot of action

down in the bush leagues. - So wait a second.

You want me to defend some hotshot kid

who cheated on his own team?

Are you not seeing the irony here?

Listen, Bruiser...

this kid's special.

He's not like me.

What's in a name?

Fighting, fighting, fighting for your name.

I don't know. It feels like I'm swimming here.

"A dollar is worth more than meets the eye."

It's just strange--a kid pretending to be your nephew

sends you a birthday card from prison.

Trademark infringement, product confusion.

Who's gonna even care?

Unless he couldn't send you a normal letter.

Hey, what's that thing that Aristotle said

about knowing thyself? - "Aristotle"?

Are you trying to blow this case?

I'm trying to make it mean something,

more than just money.

- Maybe this kids a puzzler. - What do you mean?

Well, in the puzzler world,

that's what we call a signifier, i.e. a clue.

- "The puzzler world"? - I contain multitudes.

Tom, do you know how I got to Milwaukee?

I sold my mother's watch for a plane ticket

so I can see my man pitch his first major-league game.

Called you as I was hustling my way into the locker room

so you would think that I was still at school.

And I round the corner, and there you are...

on the phone, telling me how much you miss me

and how much you love me...

all while getting blown by Lynette

on a goddamn massage table.

That's a long time to hold a grudge.

Oh, a 20-year grudge isn't old.

It's vintage...

ready to be decanted.

Now get out.

- Hey, Deck. - Up yours, Tom.

Good talk.

All right, guys, I think I cracked it.

- Got an opening argument? - Yeah, I think so.

Oh, dude.

More than meets the eye.

What are you blathering on about?

The dollar's the cipher, the serial number, right?

So this little genius wrote us a letter

specifically based on this number.

Okay, look, so each number corresponds

to a specific word in the letter, right?

So the first number is four.

The fourth word is "how," first letter of which is H.

The next number is eight.

Eighth word is "easy," first letter, E.

Next is five. The fifth word is "life," L.

Then we have the sixth word, which is "pen."

Then the ninth number is "maybe," M.

And then the last number is eight,

so we're back to our "easy," E.

- "Help me." - I'll be damned.

Why would he go to all that trouble?

'Cause they're reading his mail and...

- He's scared. - Yes.

- Shakedown! - Get up!

Let's go, let's go, let's go!

Everybody up now!

Facility-wide safety check is in progress.

Follow the staff instructions.

Let's go, let's go, let's go!

Hell, that's the third one this week.

- What am I gonna do with this? - A toothbrush shiv?

Who told you to make that-- some guy on Reddit?

I can't go in the hole.

Relax, that's not gonna happen.

Watch this.

- How'd you do that? - Magic.

Let's go, gentlemen.

Come on, let's go. - Get up.

You hiding something there, huh?

What the hell is this?

I told my dentist I'd brush.

You know what this is?

Looks like another six months to me.

This is a story about David and Goliath.

You know, it takes courage to pick up that stone

and say, no more.

And today that courage belongs to Nabisco.

I know what you're thinking.

How could Nabisco be David...

in any story?

Believe me, I asked myself the same thing.

But fairness...

isn't just for the underdog.

It's for anyone who plays by the rules.

Now, the defendants call this Mellomar...

not Mallomar,

Mellomar.

But it's the same chocolate coating.

What do you see?

The same marshmallow inside,

but it is missing one key ingredient

you can't copyright...

integrity.

♪ Oh, my Lord, won't You come down to me? ♪

♪ Oh, my Lord... ♪

All right, and this, this is the bullpen, yeah.

See, I find that not having assigned offices

keeps everyone on their toes. - It's very Silicon Valley.

Ah, those tech boys are slicker than owl snot.

We're just working folk out here,

trying to make a dollar holler--no doors, no titles.

Just everyone digging the same dirt.

Feed that bird, Billy.

That does sound refreshing.

I mean, your work is primarily personal injury?

Well, we got slip-and-falls, fender benders,

the occasional dog bite.

Hey, Josephine, what do you call them dogs

everyone's trotting around?

You know, they mush them all together so they don't shit?

Doodles.

60% of our canine liability work.

Keep it simple here--

no base, all commission, you eat what you kill.

You know, most of our business never even sees a courtroom.

So you don't try cases?

No, trials are for people who like to lose money slow.

We get in, we get paid, and we get gone.

What if you didn't have to choose?

If you built a small trial unit,

just one or two strong cases a quarter,

you'd scare the insurers.

They'd pay out faster on the rest and for more.

I admire the gumption. I really do.

But this place runs on volume.

Big verdicts make headlines.

Small ones, they pay rent.

You could do both.

Build your reputation, raise the floor.

Listen, you can dress it up all you want, darling,

but lipstick don't turn a pig into a paralegal.

This place is never gonna be white-shoe.

Mm, well, not with that attitude.

Thank you, Dina.

Listen, you change your mind,

we always got room for a closer.

The pizza's hot. The coffee's free.

And we get a discount at the dry cleaner's next door.

I'll think about it.

All right, well, don't think too long, now,

because pride is a hell of a diet.

Thank you for your time.

- What are we doing here? - Shh.

Do me a favor. Just be cool, okay? Be cool.

Jerry, how you doing, pal?

You, uh, got room in there for two more?

- Sure thing, Deck. - Great.

Hey, say hi to your sister for me.

What are you doing? Get in here. Come on.

- 50 on the come. - No more bets, no more bets.

- Yeah! - Copy that--50 on big red.

Why are we here?

I just want to say a quick hi

to a certain public-defender bottom-feeder

who happens to represent Victor Suffredes.

This is the kid with the letter?

You mean the unjustly imprisoned 12-year-old

crying out to his favorite uncle for help?

Yes. - Deck, I'm not heartless.

I have a case to try. - Exactly.

You are not heartless, all right?

So don't be. Come on.

Come on, nice and easy. Here we go, baby.

Five.

There we go!

- Seeing 8 for 10. - 20 on hard 6.

- 90 on the 8. - 20, field.

Nah, he's not done yet. Let's go 25 on...

- 10, 10 on 8. - Wait, there he is.

Here we go. Craps table, come on.

Hey, hey, hey, hey, Louie V.! Still cheating gravity?

Still pretending to be a lawyer?

Oh, 4, 4, easy 4. Shooter stays hot.

Hardway comes down.

Sir, if you're gonna stand at the table,

you got to make a bet-- it's a $25 minimum.

25 bucks? Hey, hey, you got some cash?

- How much? - 25.

- I only have a hundred. - Yeah, that's perfect.

Yeah, I'll do, uh, four 25s. - Four 25s for the gentlemen.

10, hard 4, 5 Yo.

I'm gonna do 25 on the pass line,

all the hardways, 5 back.

Deck, why are you here?

I'm just here to jog your memory--

client of yours, kid by the name of Victor Suffredes.

Never heard of him.

6, easy 6. Hardway comes down.

Wait, did I just lose?

- Did you just lose? - Yes, sir, you did.

I did. All right, let's go 5 back on the hard 6.

Sure you remember him, okay? He's a 12-year-old kid.

He hacked his entire school network,

Rickrolled every classroom.

Halloran gave him three years at The Pen.

Three years for Rick Astley?

Yeah, I guess justice did give him up.

That's a sealed juvenile case.

Here we go.

You shouldn't be sniffing around that file.

And if you don't mind,

I'm having a hot freakin' roll here.

He wrote to me--he said he's looking for new counsel.

He's wasting ink. I'm still his lawyer.

All right, give me, uh, 25 on 5.

If you're still his lawyer, why hasn't he heard from you?

Because I already did my part.

He pled. Case closed.

"He pled"?

5, 5.

You could have filed for post-conviction relief,

asked for reconsideration. - Kid took a deal.

That's the end of it. - He's 12 years old.

You think 3 years is justice? - I think that's the sentence.

Yeah, let's see it. Hit that back wall this time.

Who the hell walks away from a heater?

Somebody who doesn't want to answer questions.

Guys, please, I'm fine.

I've been networking.

I've been taking some really interesting meetings.

I'm good. I'm--I'm great, actually.

Just hear me out.

Dad, do you really think that's a good idea?

What?

Me coming to work for you.

- No, no... - Actually--

No, I was gonna say move back in with us,

you know, until you figure out your next move.

Wow, okay.

Um, am I really that radioactive?

Sweetie, of course not.

It's just a little difficult

while you're still under investigation.

You were the one who told me it was my job to bend the law

and see how elastic it is, remember?

And then next thing I knew, I'm sitting with the FBI.

I think you might have read more into that than I meant.

Are you gonna take any responsibility?

Are you gonna take any responsibility?

That's not fair. I didn't even commit a crime.

You committed the greatest crime of all.

You lost.

And you're right. It's not fair.

You're a better lawyer than Rudy will ever be.

Wow, you finally remembered his name.

I am going to run to the men's room.

Did you ever congratulate him?

Who, Rudy? No.

No, Mom, believe me, I'm the last person

he wants to hear from.

You two were so in love.

That was a long time ago.

Not so long.

Honey, do you mind if I give you a little advice?

Everyone else seems to, so, sure.

Look, I know you feel like you've lost everything.

Haven't I?

I lost the case. I lost my job.

I lost my boyfriend. You and Dad are paying my rent.

What's left?

You.

You're what's left.

Every time we've spoken in the past three months,

you've told me how everybody got it wrong.

Sweetheart...

have you once stopped and asked where you went wrong?

Hmm?

Oh, hey. Got you coffee.

Thanks.

Hey, you know what? Quick gut check--

I was thinking, um, depo testimony first,

and then I'm gonna box them in with the ratios on--

- Rudy, we settled. - What do you mean?

We're cross-examining the lead food scientist at 9:00.

No, we're not, because they settled.

I know.

"Courtus" interruptus.

- How much? - Nothing.

Consent decree and permanent injunction.

They stop making the copycat, destroy the molds,

and send recall notices.

So we get 10% of zero?

See, that's the thing about your first case

going the distance.

You expect all of them to.

It's still a win, Rudy.

Congrats.

Look, I know you want to be partner.

But trust me when I tell you,

there's a risk in getting too much too soon.

Just ask my ex.

Tom was faced with a decision--

stay with a great team

who felt he needed more seasoning in the minors

or go to a shitty team who'd put him right in The Show.

He chose The Show.

And tore his UCL in the first week.

He wasn't ready.

Right now this works.

I set the table. You sharpen the knife.

Anything more than that wouldn't be good for me.

It definitely wouldn't be good for you.

- Jocelyn Stone? - Yeah.

Namaste.

I'm gonna kill him.

Hey.

How you doing? Deck Shifflet.

Right, right. Uh...

Are you, uh, Victor Suffredes' father?

Step.

I like to think of it as the dad who stepped up.

Am I right? - What do you want?

Uh, well, I want to talk to you about Victor's case.

He reached out to our law firm.

But, you know, the whole juvenile-court system--

all the files and transcripts are sealed.

So, if we want to help Victor-- - Oh, no, no, no, no,

Ain't no helping that boy.

Kid's a compulsive liar.

Right, well, uh...

have you, uh, c-considered an appeal?

Because the window for this closes on Monday.

I don't know about any of that.

Sir, we're just concerned that your son--

He is not my son. Now, I told you that, yeah?

Okay.

Buddy, I'm just here

'cause I think Victor might be in trouble.

Look...

I've washed my hands of that boy.

Kid's been a migraine since the day I married his mother.

Well, speaking of his mother,

if I wanted to talk to her about an appeal,

you know where I might find her?

Yep.

Marshview Cemetery.

All right, have a great day.

Thought I locked that.

You really bought Yogi's.

I, um...

I heard you're living in the apartment upstairs?

And I, uh...

read that alumni profile they did on you.

It was incredible.

I saw you on TV.

You, um...

You really--you really did it.

It's literally everything you ever dreamed of, and I...

I just wanted to say congratulations.

I, um...

I don't know why I did what I did.

Rudy, I should have never used your brother in that way.

I, um...

I was just so caught up in...

the case, the firm, Leo.

I just--I think I convinced myself that I was doing my job.

Rudy, I'm sorry.

Are you gonna say anything?

We're closed.

That was unexpected.

What do you think she really wants?

I don't know.

Maybe she just really wanted to apologize.

Not a chance.

All right, but just hear me out, okay?

Nabisco--it was a win, no matter how you look at it.

It is hard to make a meal out of cookies, though.

Lord knows that I've tried. Wait, wait, no, stop.

Just sit down. Sit down.

What I'm trying to say is, you're not cookies, okay?

And you are definitely not Fletcher Kincaid.

Rudy, you're not doing what you're meant to do.

I know it doesn't always pay the bills, okay?

But, Rudy, you fight bullies, and right now this kid Victor--

he needs a Rudy Baylor on his side

'cause he's got nobody else.

- Deck-- - No, no, let me finish.

Let me finish-- because as you said, right?

Literally, as you said, it's not about the fight.

It's about who you fight for.

- Let's go talk to him. - That's it?

You want to talk, I'll talk to him.

I'm--no promises. - No, right.

Of course, no promises. Let's go talk to him.

I love this. Yes, we're talking to him.

By the way, that was a great opening argument.

- Really? - Yeah.

- What was the best part? - I'm not cookies.

Cookies.

Of course.

- I am not your lawyer. - I know that.

Then why the hell am I getting

your grand-jury subpoena?

Jocelyn, what am I supposed to do?

Tell the truth.

You didn't know what the kid was doing.

I might have known what the kid was doing.

You idiot.

Baby, was that Amazon?

I needed that LED mask, like, yesterday.

Ha! Honey, they don't make LED strong enough.

Lord, give me strength.

Tommy, what is this bitch doing in my house?

- She's my lawyer. - I'm not, actually.

- Great. Then go. - Gladly.

Wait, Jocelyn. Hold on, hold on, please.

Hang on.

Honey, she's the best lawyer I know.

We need her.

You better believe we're talking

to Dr. Kathy about this.

Jocelyn, you got to help me out here.

- You can't afford me. - Come on.

My retainer is 50 grand.

Jocelyn, listen...

I'm boxed in.

If I tell the truth to the grand jury,

they're gonna kill me.

They don't kill you for this. They put you in prison.

That's not what I meant.

What are you into?

I'll tell you everything

once we have attorney-client privilege.

Please, Julep.

You got to be kidding me.

You're broke, and she got one of these?

Do you know what this costs? - Don't remind me.

I still owe a fortune on that thing.

Hey, hey, what are you doing?

Taking my retainer.

Come by in the morning.

Lynette's gonna lose her shit.

Well, tell it to Dr. Kathy.

- Holy shit, it worked. - Victor?

Hey, are you--are you okay? What happened to you?

I tried to send you a letter. They did not like that.

Wait, they put their hands on you?

Get a picture of him. - Yeah.

I knew you were my guy.

We've only got a day left to file an appeal.

Now, Victor, I'm gonna ask you something.

Are you telling us you're innocent?

No, I definitely hacked the school network

to Rickroll all the screens.

I'm saying they tricked me.

Who did? How?

Judge gives me some slimy lawyer

who smelled like an air freshener.

Louis V. Palermo.

Yeah, and Judge tells me if I say I did it

and sorry and all that, then I'll get a warning, so I did.

Then all of a sudden, Judge crashes out,

yelling cyber terrorist, gives me three years.

And I'm in, like, literal shackles, bruh.

Hold on. What did--what did Palermo say?

All right, you can go now.

Hey, are these the guys who touched you?

Hey, you can't obstruct his right to counsel.

Suffredes is on behavior status.

He gets no visitors. - Hey, take it easy!

Hey, he's a kid. Take it easy on him.

Victor, I'm gonna file today.

Hey, you, you want to say anything

about those bruises on him?

Who the hell do you think you are?

I'm his lawyer.

- All right, thank you. - Morning.

Yeah, I understand. I'll call you back, okay?

We got boned. - That was fast.

Who got boned?

The, uh--the Victor Suffredes appeal got dismissed...

technicality.

You filed an appeal?

You're not an appellate attorney.

Well, deadline was today, so I had to file.

Okay, at the risk of sounding like I approve any of this...

why was it dismissed?

We didn't get a signature from the guardian.

Well, that's a hell of a technicality.

Stepfather's a real charmer.

You can't file on behalf of a minor

without a legal guardian signing on.

I thought it might slip by, okay?

Come on, you know better than that.

And not for nothing,

but who did you think was gonna pay for this appeal?

Who's paying for your ex-husband's criminal case?

She got a handbag.

Yeah, a very expensive handbag.

You're kidding, right?

It's worth more than your car.

- You know what-- - All right, guys, guys.

Can we please just get back to the whole guardian thing?

There's got to be a way around that, right?

There isn't. Sorry.

Hi.

- Oh, shit. - Oh, good.

Oh, great.

I don't know how we went from a whale to two fishes

in three months, but here we are.

Goddamn, you look good. Can't be all natural, no way.

Face is mine. Tits are real.

Ass is as tight as a snare drum.

And you're not getting near any of it.

Just making conversation.

I just don't get it, okay?

I mean, this guy's married to Victor's mom

for all of, what, like, three years,

and all of a sudden, he just gets to decide this kid's life?

That's crazy. - It's the law.

He's the legal guardian.

It was just one game.

I know it was stupid, but I really believe in this kid.

And I don't want to see-- - Hang on a second.

I can't believe I'm about to help with this,

but there might be a way.

What is it?

A section 1983 action.

- A civil suit? - To get Victor out?

Followed by a petition for habeas corpus.

Well, a Section 1983 is "stop abusing me."

That's how we get paid.

Habeas is "get me out of here."

Yeah, but don't we still have the problem of the guardian?

- No. - No, 'cause in a civil case,

you can get a guardian ad litem.

Court-appointed guardian for the purposes of the case.

But only if the minor doesn't have a guardian, right?

both: Wrong.

Also if the current guardian isn't protecting

the minor's interests. - Definitely not.

Court allows the attorney

to submit a guardian ad litem for approval.

Well, who are we gonna get for that?

What you smiling about?

No, we're not accepting the tolling agreement.

If they want to extend the statute, they can file.

Understood. Thank you, Ms. Vonn.

Kid's name is Victor Suffredes,

12 years old, one of Judge Halloran's cases.

They filed a Section 1983 claim and a habeas petition.

- Who's the attorney? - Rudy Baylor.

He's the kid who won the Great Benefit ca--

I know who he is.

Hello?

It's Amanda Vonn.

I put in a call to Leo Drummond.

What did he say?

That you're an opportunist.

Oh.

But that I'd be hard-pressed

to find a more tenacious attorney.

My office will call you to set a meeting.

Wow. Um...

Hello?