L.A. Law

The staff meeting convenes and Brackman announces the upcoming associate performance reviews. Sifuentes mentions Alex and Marcia Jennings’ case against the alarm company which failed to respond to a panic alarm during a burglary and rape at their home. Becker insists the way to stop crime is to pack a gun. Abby agrees and pulls a .38 out of her purse.

Abby airs her hostile feelings towards the firm at the staff meeting. Kelsey mentions the case she’s handling for thirteen year-old Matthew Richardson, who is suing his father for slapping him. McKenzie daydreams about Jennifer.

Markowitz meets with Dr. Klein, an infertility specialist and is embarrassed when he is asked to give a sperm sample. Roxanne is furious when Dave makes her late for work by rambling on about his new cassette sales pitch.

Becker offers Abby a free consultation with his publicist as a going away gift. At the morning staff meeting, Brackman and McKenzie voice their suggestion that Sifuentes act as second council to Rollins’ wrongful death case. Suffering a side effect from his sperm building medication, Markowitz excuses himself from the meeting.

Becker goes over Brackman’s divorce settlement with Sheila’s lawyer, Stan Nussbaum. Sailing through the amicable settlement, Becker hits a snag when Sheila balks at Brackman’s insistence she share his burial plot. Renouncing everything about Brackman, including his last name, she proudly announces she is assuming her maiden name, Sheila Slutsky.

Benny is amused by a ventriloquist, Kenny Peterson, and his dummy Gilbert. But when the dummy starts to make fun of Benny, amusement turns to hurt. Rollins is assigned to defend Peterson against assault and resisting arrest charges, despite the fact he will only speak through Gilbert. To make matters worse, Gilbert has his own caustic personality.

Waiting pensively for the jury to deliver their verdict on the Torrey case, Van Owen is overcome with remorse as Lyle Torrey is sentenced to die by the infliction of lethal gas. Knowing that her case against Torrey was based on illegal confession, she realizes the outcome of the trial was a compromise of her legal ethics.

Kuzak takes on the case of a nudist colony fighting a nuisance complaint from the surrounding neighbors. Asked to question Tracy Shoe, recent winner of the Miss Nude Galaxy contest and the reason for the neighbor’s complaints, Kuzak stares in disbelief when she walks in naked.

Rollins is representing Gretchen Wynn, a packager of county fairs, who is being sued by Ray Breecher because the giant African frog he entered into a county fair frog-jumping contest was ruled ineligible. Kelsey’s clients, the black Jackson family, are suing the Haas family for parental liability in the death of the Jackson’s son, who was kicked to death by the Haas’ skinhead son.

Brackman takes on an airline in court while sitting on the runway in a delayed aircraft. Becker fights with the partners over profits from his divorce cassette, which makes Roxanne a potential millionairess should she divorce David Meyer. Sifuentes gets more than he bargained for when he hires a tough female private eye. When he goes up against Van Owen and wins he gets a kiss in congratulations.

After joining a weight loss center, Roxanne gains two pounds. When another member, Tammy, accuses Roxanne of suffering from a bad sexual relationship with Dave due to her weight, Roxanne hauls off and belts her. The next day, Roxanne is arrested for battery.

Kelsey stops by Abby’s office to tell her Bill Ringstrom is married. Stunned by the news, Abby confronts Ringstrom, asking him why he never told her. Pointing out that Abby never once asked him any personal questions, Ringstrom makes her realize she didn’t really want to know.

Becker is approached by a frustrated husband, Duane Butler, claiming Becker has turned his wife against him after she saw his divorce video. Trying to explain to Duane that he needs counseling with his wife, Becker realizes his need for protection when Duane storms from his office.

After making love with his young girlfriend, Jennifer, Leland thinks he is having a heart attack and rushes to the hospital. After a check-up, he is embarrassed to learn he mistook gas and anxiety as a heart attack. To add to his embarrassment, Sheila Brackman is at the hospital at the same time and hears about his misadventure.

When Brackman fires one of the firm's paralegals, Yolanda Krieg, the partners get on his case for being unfair to her. Tired of their criticism for the way he runs the law firm, Brackman resigns as office manager. Markowitz accepts to take on the position.

While Abby and Weiland are in her office discussing another one of his “friends” pending trial, narcotic officers bust in and arrest Weiland. Abby persuades the judge to have him released on bail, despite the Deputy D.A., Terrance Flaherty, pleading for denial.

Van Owen prosecutes Richard Jeffries for allegedly killing a transient, Vincent Kyle, without just cause. She is given little faith for her abilities to convict Jeffries by Vincent’s friends and their priest, Father Sullivan.

Alice comes to work at McKenzie Brackman under Benny’s expert tutelage. Brackman balks at Becker and Rollins’ pro bono cases with Roxanne and Diana. At Roxanne’s deposition, Meyer’s attorney grills Roxanne about her major debts before she married Meyer. To give her a taste of what the trial would be like, Ganz embarrasses her by mentioning her lack of interest in sex while married.

Van Owen prosecutes Peter Bostik, a controversial talk show host, intent on using his trial to garner added publicity. Supporting Bostik in court is a loyal group of radical followers.