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.

Swearing In

Dylan McDermott

Steve Harris

Camryn Manheim

Michael Badalucco

LisaGay Hamilton

Kelli Williams

Lara Flynn Boyle

Marla Sokoloff

David E. Kelley

Dennis Smith

Norman G. Langley

Charles McClelland

Alfonso H. Moreno

State of Mind

Trench Work

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.

Passing Go

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.

Reasons to Believe

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.

Body Count

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.

The Defenders

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.

The Battlefield

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.

One of Those Days

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.

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.

Love and Honor

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.

Split Decisions

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.

A Day in the Life

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.

Judge and Jury

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.

Of Human Bondage

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 exposÃ© on cockroaches in the kitchen. Helen prosecutes a teenager for killing his neighbor's cat.

Lawyers, Reporters, and Cockroaches

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.

End Games

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.

Target Practice

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.

Crossfire

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.

Closet Justice

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.

Home Invasions

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.

Infected

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.

Do Unto Others

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.

Happily Ever After

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.”

Swearing In

Seasons8

Season 3 Episodes23

Cast8

Crew5

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Episode Summary