Boston Legal

Shirley, I am not going through this again.

Would someone catch me up here?

Denny got engaged.

- Mazel tov? - No mazel tov.

- Who is it this time? - Beverly Bridge.

The woman Denny "craned" in the

coatroom at that charity dinner last week.

If this Bev turns out to be another Angie, oh, God!

- Angie? - Number four.

Wife number five was no picnic either.

Clovis.

She most got him to retire,

pull his equity out of the firm and move to Boca.

- Clovis nearly sunk us. - Half the staff quit.

And she was drunk the day president Ford stopped by.

All right, I'll pull out Denny's last prenup, see if I can water-seal it.

Shirley, you talk to the woman. Get her story.

Brad, check the partnership agreement.

We have to be sure there are no

loopholes in the mandatory buyout

in case of a partner's death or incapacity.

- One thing. - What?

Is there any remote possibility we could be overreacting here?

I had the time of my life

I've never felt this way before

Yes, I swear it's the truth Oh, it's true

and I owe it all to you

because I had the time of my life

I'll get the partnership agreement.

And I owe it all to you you, you, you, you, you.

Docket number 249635.

Commonwealth vs. Jerald Espenson.

Attempted murder, assault,

assault with a deadly weapon,

battery, sexual battery, false imprisonment,

torture, terrorist threats.

Alan Shore for the

preposterously charged Mr. Espenson.

Frank Ginsberg for the commonwealth.

How do you plead?

Not guilty by reason of temporary insanity.

As to bail?

We ask that Mr. Espenson be released on his own recognizance.

- Commonwealth opposes bail. - You can't be serious!

Your honor, this incident was an aberration.

Mr. Espenson is an upstanding member of his community,

he is not a danger to society,

and he has a family counting on him at home.

He has dependents?

Her name is Linda.

Your honor, let the record show

that his dependent is a gecko.

Mr. Espenson threatened to kill

his boss in her place of business

and has a history of violent outbursts.

- He could be a flight risk. - Flight risk?

The man can't even hail a cab.

Sorry.

It is incumbent upon the commonwealth to protect the community at large.

God forbid he's released and hurts someone else.

Bail is denied.

Defendant shall be remanded into custody immediately.

Meal worms are in the fridge.

I need to feed Linda. I need to get home.

Jerry, I'll feed Linda.

Sexual battery, torture, terrorist threats?

That isn't justice. It's disproportionate retribution.

And good for you.

You've enlisted the one prosecutor who's running for DA next year.

Tell me, how big was your campaign contribution?

And is there a matching fund here at the firm we can all go in on?

It was sizeable, and speak to Kim in accounting.

Jerry Espenson never intended...

Do not start defending him to me, Alan.

I agreed to defend him.

That's why he put down the knife.

No, you agreed to represent him.

No one here meant for you to defend him.

Shirley, no one is denying what this man has done to you,

but he should at least get a fair trial.

Oh, by all means.

Let's get a fair trial for the man who tried to slit my throat.

Let's.

But understand that everyone at this firm is considered a witness.

Don't expect anyone to help you or speak to you.

And won't that make for a refreshing change?

Shirley, have you talked to Denny's fiancee yet?

I've been a little busy, Paul.

I'm working on the prenup, but we need you to find out her intentions.

You're the one with the kind eyes. I don't do girl talk.

Do I have to remind you how serious this situation is?

If Denny becomes incapacitated...

or should I say further incapacitated,

this woman could become his Nancy Reagan.

She'd have his power of attorney. She could bring down the firm.

I'll talk to her.

- Daniel. - I came to take you to lunch.

- I can't. I have a case. - What is it?

A high school teacher is

seeking a temporary restraining order

against one of her student's parents.

They're hounding the woman day and

night about their daughter's grades.

- Helicopter parents. - Helicopter parents?

Well, that's what they call them now,

you know, parents who hover around their kids,

try to control every aspect of their lives.

That would be the Gerings.

Well, cool, I'm in.

What?

I want to second chair.

Why not? I got my law degree. I keep up with my MCLEs.

Have you ever actually tried a case?

No, but I've always wanted to.

Think of it as the make-a-wish foundation granting a dying kid his fantasy.

If that kid were a rich guy in his 40s.

Besides, I can probably help you.

I'm on the board of the Lexington school. My kids used to go there.

We deal with helicopter parents all the time.

That could be helpful.

I would have to get the client's approval, though.

I can get that.

And I would have to get one of the partners to agree.

Looks like a partner right there.

- Daniel Post. - Denny Crane.

- I'm a client. - I'm a partner.

- CEO, Kreisberg-Pellum. - My name's on the door.

- I love the offices. - Thank you. I love your hair.

- I got a plane. - Indeed?

Could use a little more color, though.

I'll make a note.

My fiancee sells office furniture.

Congratulations. I'd love to meet her.

My club, Thursdays. They serve Reubens.

I'll take you flying.

Oh, by the way, I'd like to try

a case with Ms. Bauer over here.

Why not? See you Thursday.

Thursday.

That's what I do. I make connections.

That's how we met, remember?

Shirley, I believe you know my client.

Why isn't this man in jail?

He has an excellent attorney

who filed an emergency writ with the court of appeals,

and the judge agreed the denial of bail was an abuse of discretion.

I'm surprised your lackey at the DA's office didn't keep you abreast of this.

Perhaps you didn't tip him enough.

He's not to be in this building.

I'll get a restraining order if I have to.

She hates me.

Tempers seem frayed all around.

That's why I'm filing for a continuance.

We'll let everyone cool down a bit,

then try again for a plea bargain.

No.

A plea bargain's out of the question.

It's not guilty or nothing.

But you are guilty, Jerry.

A whole office full of people saw you do it.

One of the junior associates took

a video of you on his cell phone.

He's thinking of entering it in a film festival.

No plea bargain.

Proving temporary insanity is

a daunting task. You know that.

A plea bargain is our best

chance to keep you out of jail.

If I plea bargain, I'll be disbarred.

Alan, my whole life is the law.

It's all I have. It's what I love.

You can't let them take that away from me.

Then we go to trial.

Look up any case law, any articles, news reports,

anything that supports the

theory that stress in the workplace

can lead to an individual

losing control of themselves,

especially in the form of a violent outburst.

Got it.

Hello, Garrett.

You're not helping Mr. Shore on the Espenson case.

Because you're a witness.

I'm sure you're aware that would be a conflict of interest.

I was just getting him coffee.

Well, you can't do that, either.

I'll take a decaf, though. Thanks.

Thank you.

Shirley, I know we're fighting,

but there's no reason to take it out on the children.

Alan, this looks like it could be tough on you,

especially since you don't have an assistant anymore.

Shirley fired you?

Worse. I got transferred to human resources

where all the people persons are.

She's building a Chinese wall.

What's that?

It's a legal concept.

It keeps anyone in the firm who may be involved

in this case from talking to me about it.