09/23/01
Season 6: Episode 1 - "The Candidate"
In the sixth season premiere episode, Ellenor is called to the home of a close friend, Senator Keith Ellison. The senator is spattered in blood, and there's a murdered man in his bed.
Keith Ellison is put on trial for murder. Initially, the assistant district attorneys Helen Gamble and Ron Livingston allege that Ellison came home and discovered his wife in bed with another man. In a fit of rage, they claim, he got a gun and committed the murder.
As the evidence mounts, Ellenor and Bobby discover that Keith Ellison may have known about his wife's affair. If this were the case, he definitely had a motive to commit murder, and the defense lawyers will have a hard time arguing the "fit-of-rage" defense.
In a surprising twist, Ellison's sixteen-year-old daughter claims that she, not her father, pulled the trigger. None of the lawyers, for the prosecution or the defense, accept this claim. In order to put an end to the trial, and to save his daughter from any legal trouble, Keith Ellison accepts a plea bargain of manslaughter.
At the end of the episode, the truth is revealed. It was Keith Ellison, not his wife, who was having an affair with the man. Rather than publicly admit his homosexuality, Keith Ellison accepted the plea bargain to keep his secret.
09/30/01
Season 6: Episode 2 - "Killing Time"
Ellenor learns that Marsha Ellison is guilty of the crime for which her husband was convicted. Ellenor goes to Keith Ellison, who is now in prison, and urges him to come forward with the truth, though he refuses.
Meanwhile, Eugene Young represents a man who is up for parole, Leonard Marshall (guest star Charles Dutton). Eugene insists that the best chance for parole is to confess to the crime and beg forgiveness. During the parole hearing, Leonard refuses to admit guilt, though the parole board still sets him free.
Also in this episode, Rebecca assists a powerful attorney, John Mockler (guest star Ron Silver), who is famous for fighting death penalty cases. Rebecca discovers that Mockler picks only the cases that he feels are worthy. If he doesn't believe a client has a good chance of getting his penalty overturned, he will not fight for the case. Instead, he urges the doomed clients to find religion.
Rebecca believes that every person, no matter what the case, should be defended to the full extent of the law. She tells Bobby about John Mockler's questionable tactics, and they attempt to get a stay of execution for Mockler's latest case. Their argument is not successful, and the death penalty is carried out.
10/07/01
Season 6: Episode 3 - "Liar's Poker"
Lindsay represents a young man, Martin Jenks, accused of murder. There is only one eyewitness in the case, but Lindsay doesn't believe that she can keep Jenks out of jail. She goes to A.D.A. Ron Lowe and offers a plea bargain, but the deal is rejected. After the eyewitness dies unexpectedly, Lowe then decides to accept the original plea bargain. Lindsay has difficulty convincing her client to plead guilty, but he reluctantly accepts the offer and gets the five-year sentence.
When Lindsay discovers that Lowe tricked her, she goes back to the judge and argues that her client should be set free. In a closed-door meeting in the judge's chambers, the judge says that he cannot free Jenks. But the judge also chastises Ron Lowe and D.A. Kenneth Walsh for their unethical behavior.
Meanwhile, Jimmy represents a seedy client, Sid Herman (Jeffrey Tambor), who is a bookie. Jimmy has incurred a serious gambling debt, and represents Sid in a hostile divorce as a way of paying off the debt. When Sid's wife is murdered, Sid is charged with the crime.
The episode ends with Jimmy sitting at a computer, gambling on football via the Internet.
10/14/01
Season 6: Episode 4 - "Vanished"
Bobby represents a couple, the Baldwins, who are haunted by the kidnapping of their son 18 years earlier. The Baldwins believe that a man named John Pierce, who is serving a prison sentence for molesting children, is the guilty culprit. At the time of the disappearance, Pierce was a suspect, but the police did not have enough evidence to charge him with the kidnapping.
The Baldwins believe their son was murdered, and they just want to know the location of the body. They persuade Bobby to bring a civil lawsuit against John Pierce for the "wrongful death" of their son. They believe that under the threat of a lawsuit, which could jeopardize his parole, Pierce will tell them the location of their son's body. Bobby moves forward with the case, though on the witness stand, Pierce insists that he did not kidnap the boy. At the end of the episode, Bobby is approached by a young man who believes that he is the boy who was kidnapped years ago.
Meanwhile, Jimmy still owes money to his bookie, Sid. After being seriously threatened, Jimmy "borrows" money from a client's trust fund. He uses the money to bet on horses, and he wins enough to pay back the bookie. Jimmy returns the client's money, but not before Eugene and Bobby discover his reckless action.
10/21/01
Season 6: Episode 5 - "Vanished, Part II"
Chad Baldwin, the boy who was kidnapped 18 years ago, shows up at Bobby's office, along with the woman who raised him, Allison Tucker. She claims that John Pierce "left" the boy with her, claiming that the child was his own son.
Allison Tucker agrees to testify as part of the trial against John Pierce, and can provide crucial testimony to keep him behind bars. But she is worried that she could also be charged as an accessory to the crime, so she first cuts an immunity deal with the district attorney's office.
After she testifies, however, unsettling news is uncovered. According to Allison Tucker's sister, Allison had a few miscarriages, and once threatened to "go to a hospital and steal a baby." Bobby believes that Allison Tucker is the real kidnapper, and that she brilliantly framed John Pierce. He shares this news with the Baldwins, who ask that Bobby not tell the district attorney the truth. They are desperate to restore their relationship with their estranged son, and are afraid of attacking the woman who raised him.
In the end, John Pierce accepts a plea bargain for seven more years in prison, as he knows the case against him is overwhelming.
11/18/01
Season 6: Episode 6 - "Honor Code"
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.
11/25/01
Season 6: Episode 7 - "Suffer the Little Children"
After promising the mother of a murdered teen that he'll find the drive-by shooter responsible, A.D.A. 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.
12/02/01
Season 6: Episode 8 - "Dangerous Liaisons"
Bobby fears that his protective feelings for a vulnerable female client (guest star Gabrielle Anwar) 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.
12/09/01
Season 6: Episode 9 - "Inter Arma Silent Leges"
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.
01/06/02
Season 6: Episode 10 - "Eyewitness"
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; and Ellenor's A.D.A. friend makes her an offer she must refuse, despite the consequences.
01/13/02
Season 6: Episode 11 - "The Test"
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.
02/10/02
Season 6: Episode 12 - "Pro Se"
When Ellenor is reluctant to defend a client, Ray McMurphy (Giancarlo Esposito), he decides to act "pro se," that is, as his own attorney. Wary of that strategy, Ellenor wants nothing to do with McMurphy's trial, but has no choice when Judge Mantz (Rene Auberjonois) orders her to assist him as standby counsel. Meanwhile, Bobby copes with the mental damage caused by his physical assault.
02/17/02
Season 6: Episode 13 - "Judge Knot"
Helen and Bobby are shocked to learn that the FBI suspects a popular and highly respected judge (Bruce McGill) 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.
02/24/02
Season 6: Episode 14 - "Man and Superman"
The wife of a schizophrenic who thinks he's Superman seeks Jimmy's legal counsel after her husband accidentally causes harm to an innocent victim while under hospital care. As it seems impossible to prove what was actually going through the man's head when he caused the accident, the jury must sort through the legal finger-pointing to determine who—the defendant, his wife or the hospital — is ultimately at fault.
03/10/02
Season 6: Episode 15 - "M. Premie Unplugged"
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, A.D.A. Mitchell Wheeler (Scott Cohen), who previously made an indecent and unethical proposal to Ellenor, returns, this time with a different kind offer for her.
03/17/02
Season 6: Episode 16 - "Manifest Necessity"
Helen Gamble heads up the prosecution of an accused murderer with suspected ties to the mob, a case her boss, D.A. Walsh, has an inexplicably strong interest in. Meanwhile, Lindsay unintentionally helps a familiar client get arrested.
04/07/02
Season 6: Episode 17 - "Fire Proof"
An upstanding Italian-American businessman and long-time friend of Jimmy's family faces charges of arson, insurance fraud and murder following a fire in his furniture factory — charges Jimmy can't fathom to be true. Meanwhile, Lucy is embarrassed by the over-the-top attention she's getting from a high school student who's on a work/study program in the office and who has a major crush on her.
04/14/02
Season 6: Episode 18 - "The Return of Joey Heric"
Homosexual murderer Joey Heric returns in all his narcissistic glory, and he's itching to take the firm on another wild ride. Meanwhile, prostitute drug addict Jennifer Cole, another ex-client, comes back into Jimmy's life, this time claiming she was beaten up and raped by one of her customers.
05/05/02
Season 6: Episode 19 - "Eat and Run"
Bobby and his team are assigned the case of Lawrence O'Malley, a paranoid schizophrenic who believes he's the infamous fictional character "Hannibal Lecter" and, under that guise, is accused of murdering women — and eating them. O'Malley's behavior in and out of the courtroom is disturbing on a number of levels, but most of all when he refers to Lindsay as "Clarice."
05/12/02
Season 6: Episode 20 - "Evil-Doers"
Following the "not guilty" verdict for paranoid schizophrenic Lawrence "Hannibal Lecter" O'Malley, Lindsay's fear over what he might do next brings her to the verge of a breakdown. Meanwhile, an accused rapist's brother comes forward with unbelievable news.
05/19/02
Season 6: Episode 21 - "This Pud's For You"
The partners rally around the case of a fragile client with whom they all have a personal connection, despite mounting tensions over what defense they'll use in the trial. Meanwhile Rebecca teeters on the line between legal ethics and personal morals when she's forced to represent a shady character accused of kidnap and murder.
05/19/02
Season 6: Episode 22 - "The Verdict"
Follows the taut and turbulent trial through to its conclusion, when a startling verdict is revealed that could completely alter the life-courses of several members of the firm.