The Practice Episode Rating Graph

After promising the mother of a murdered teen that he'll find the drive-by shooter responsible, ADA 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.

Tensions at the firm are at an all-time high when Bobby is tried for the murder of William Hinks. Bobby is acquitted, though there is little to celebrate when a mysterious cassette recorder is sent to the office. Lucy and Rebecca hear Hinks' voice on the recorder, just before it triggers an explosion.

Ellenor continues the Donovan case, following up on the various leads to exonerate her client.

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.

Eugene and Jimmy agree to help the mistake-prone Harland Bassett (Ernie Sabella) in the case of a young girl who developed liver damage from an antibiotic. With the odds stacked against them, the trio take on a politically-tied, deep-pocketed drug manufacturer.

After Scott Wallace kills his friend, Jimmy becomes a witness for the prosecution. Bobby, meanwhile, is still defending Wallace. Lindsay is convinced that serial killer William Hinks has claimed another victim, and fears for her own life. To protect her, Bobby takes matters into his own hands

Ellenor defends a deaf woman who shot and killed the man who allegedly murdered her young daughter. The client's crime is captured on video in front of dozens of witnesses, leaving no doubt as to who committed the act. The only to way to exonerate the client is to manipulate the jury's heartstrings. Meanwhile Lindsay learns that Bobby hates weddings and decides to spring a surprise elopement.

Ellenor is ordered to appear as co-counsel for murderer Ray McMurphy, who insists on defending himself in his latest trial. The trial turns ugly for everyone involved, as McMurphy will do whatever it takes to keep himself from going back to prison. Meanwhile, the firm try to support Bobby as he comes out of hospital and he tries to come to terms with being victimised.

Courtroom skirmishes and contentious strategizing mark the murder trial of state senator Keith Ellison. Conclusion.

Bobby is kidnapped by an irate former client who claims Bobby's incompetence in a manslaughter trial forced him to spend 12 years in prison.

Psychopaths plague Lindsay and Helen. The latter is sued by an acquitted killer for defaming his mother; the former is hounded by a deviant she once defended.

Tempers flare over a particularly tough case. Bobby defends old cling/drug dealer Eddie against the murder of an addict. Eddie claims it is self-defense. D.A. Helen brings the coroner to testify that it wasn't. The coroner's testimony is damaged by prior odd behavior. Eddie attacks Helen to try to force the judge into a mistrial. Bobby & Swackheim nearly come to blows. Each of the participants, Bobby, Helen & Swackheim, express their outrage with the legal system.

Dennis Mills maintains his innocence. The firm continues the trial, striving against all odds to exonerate Mills.

Lindsay presses Richard Bay to explain a questionable arrest of her client, who is an illegal alien. She ultimately discovers that the police planted drugs on her client, in order to force him to testify in a murder trial. The client refuses to testify, as the murderer is his own brother, and allows himself to be deported to Colombia. Meanwhile, Lucy's actions as a rape counselor are called into question during a date rape trial.

Ellenor pursues the Donovan case, hoping to forestall his execution. Meanwhile, Rebecca's case representing a woman with Alzheimer's trying to keep her marriage from being annulled becomes complicated when questions arise about the death of her client's first husband.

Richard Bay prosecutes a murderer being defended by Bobby. The killer warns Richard that if that jury returns with a guilty verdict, Richard should fear for his life.

Bobby is arrested for conspiring to murder serial killer William Hinks. The entire firm, with Eugene at the helm, must now rally to defend him. Meanwhile, Rebecca discovers foul play in the wrongful death suit of a friend's husband.

Rebecca defends a girl accused of killing her mother. The girl claims she suffers from flashbacks involving child molestation. Lindsay and Bobby argue over wedding dresses.

Alan Shore uses unorthodox tactics when he's appointed by the court to defend a young man accused of murder. Meanwhile, Tara must try her first case when she's thrown into covering Shore's previously scheduled client.

Scott Wallace, William Hinks, and a high profile kidnapping case converge to make this one of the most explosive episode of The Practice thus far. First, Bobby is forced to choose between his responsibilities to his client and the life of a 7-year-old girl when his client knows the kidnapped girl's wherabouts but refuses to divulge her location unless he receives a cushy plea bargain. William Hinks, the acquitted serial killer, begins stalking Lindsay. Meanwhile, an increasingly agitated Scott Wallace is fired from his job and tries to convince his employer that he deserves to be rehired.

A schizophrenic who believes he's Superman entangles Jimmy in a civil suit involving a hospital and the widow of a bystander killed by the mental patient's seven-story leap.

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.

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.

The enigmatic and disturbed Joey Heric returns. An admitted killer who's now a lawyer, Joey is grandstanding in a homicide trial. In another storyline, Jimmy is reunited with the savvy hooker who previously duped him.

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, ADA Mitchell Wheeler, who previously made an indecent and unethical proposal to Ellenor, returns, this time with a different kind of offer for her.

An unsolved kidnapping case embroils Bobby with the alleged abductor, a convicted child molester. Gambling fever leads Jimmy to take a big risk. Part 1 of two.

Bobby defends a man on trial for allowing his wife to be murdered in an 'honor killing'; an ancient cultural ritual used to punish adulterous behavior. Eugene reluctantly aids incompetent attorney Harland Bassett yet again. Ellenor announces that she's pregnant, encountering some adversity.

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.

Tensions flare when the 'male nun' starts infiltrating the office. Ellenor buys a gun for protection. Rebecca suspects that a wealthy man has bought a client's guilty plea.

Bobby gets a murderer off on a technicality when the arresting officer illegally searches the car and finds a corpse. Jimmy goes against Henry Olson's wishes and confronts Olson's son to try to convince him to confess to the murder. Lindsay decides to move in with Bobby, leaving her possessions...including her answering machine, at Helen's.

The trial against Boston Electric begins, with Jimmy bringing both a weak case and doubts as to whether his star witness will be sober, into court.

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.

When the police torture a man they believe shot one of their own, Eugene, barely able to contain his emotion, takes the lead in seeking justice.

Bobby and Jimmy employ the firm's notorious "Plan B" strategy in a last-ditch effort to save a client accused of raping and murdering his teen-aged stepdaughter. Bobby makes a case that the client's wife is actually the murderer, and the accused client is declared not guilty. Meanwhile, Ellenor goes into labor with only a panicky Helen Gamble there to assist her.

Bobby's old mentor, Raymond Oz, calls on Bobby to represent him when his wife tries to have him declared incompetent. Bobby has reservations after observing Oz in a clearly disturbed state of mind. Eugene co-counsels for an incompetent lawyer who's never won a jury trial. Ellenor sinks into depression in the aftermath of the Vogelman affair.

Bobby has been benched due to his erratic behavior, so Eugene must take his place as lead counsel in a controversial murder case. Meanwhile Lindsay defends a killer, against her own better judgement, and Jamie is placed in a compromising situation involving a judge

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.

A sensational murder case embroils a charismatic state senator, on trial for killing the man purported to be his wife's lover. Part 1 of two.

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.

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.

Lindsay represents a serial murderer confined in an asylum when his case is up for review. Eugene's son is a prime suspect when his mother's lover is beaten to death in her bed.

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.

An extremely nervous Lindsey goes up against the tobacco industry and her old Law School Professor in her very first jury trial. Outraged by the release of his daughter's killer, Dr. Braun takes matters into his own hands.

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.

A crazed fame-seeker takes CBS CEO Les Moonves hostage in a ploy for TV time to be negotiated by Jimmy, also a hostage.

When Bobby's priest performs an exorcism on a parishioner, who dies during the procedure, Bobby must manipulate the system to shield Father Martin from murder charges; Eugene represents Martin Parks in a bizarre malpractice suit. Jimmy decides to tape a television commercial, a decision that proves unpopular with his colleagues.

The furor over Lindsay's demand for partnership continues. Bobby discovers that Lindsay's not the only associate looking for another job. Rebecca is involved in a car accident she believes is a scam. Rebecca and Jimmy go undercover to ferret out the guilty. Ellenor meets up with an old friend in the midst of a chimpanzee custody trial.

Jimmy is furious when his mother reveals her love for another woman. He feels obligated to represent her in court when she requests he argue her right to marry her lover. Meanwhile, Eugene refuses to defend a rapist after he runs into one of his client's victims in a clothing store.

Eugene and Jimmy's defense of the leader of a white supremacist group takes an unexpected turn when surprising new developments come to light. Meanwhile, Shore continues in his quest to free Roland Huff from prison, and Jamie and Eugene must come to terms with their differences.

Bobby and Lindsay second-chair Bobby's old mentor, Raymond Oz, when Oz fears he's losing his memory. Eugene struggles with his conscience when he defends a man on trial for raping and murdering two boys. Jimmy's fantasies come true when a childhood sex symbol seeks his legal counsel.

The firm defends Joey Heric, a colorful client on trial for the murder of his lover. Jimmy is tried on solicitation charges by a vengeful district attorney.

Rebecca's life is threatened after she witnesses a murder and picks the killer out of a police lineup. Jimmy continues his case against the electric company.

The Luis Moreno case finally comes to trial with Rebecca more determined than ever to testify. Ellenor rushes off to defend Cruikshank again, leaving Lindsay to defend a man being cited for using too much water in his toilet. Eugene faces his own prejudices during an altercation with a dry cleaner.

Lindsay is hired by a drug dealer to defend his "mule" who's been caught smuggling drugs over the border. Jimmy takes on a case of a community stricken by cancer. Bobby must decide with whom he wants to pursue a romance.

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.

Donnell & Associates travel to Redland Hills in a last minute attempt to get a stay of execution for convicted murderer Randall Jefferson while a documentary crew watches their every move.

Joey's case comes to trial. Ellenor represents a woman heckled by a carnival clown.

Alan Shore agrees to help friend Sheila Carlisle, a successful attorney who claims God speaks to her, and who has subsequently been fired from her law firm for being mentally incompetent. Meanwhile there are startling new developments in the case of Brad Stanfield, whom Ellenor and Jamie are defending for allegedly poisoning his pregnant wife.

A resolution reached in Lindsay's murder conviction has emotional repercussions; and First Amendment issues figure oddly in Jamie's first trial, the defense of an accused flasher.

Bobby reconnects with an old girlfriend who needs his help after she is arrested for prostitution. Ellenor and Rebecca fight to keep a 12-year old girl with Tourette's Syndrome in school. Lindsay defends a woman who is suing her doctor for sewing live maggots into her leg to prevent post-surgical infection.

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.

Bobby represents a man facing armed robbery charges. His strategy is to plead out to lesser charges. Eugene's client fears for her and her 11 year old son's safety, at the hands of her ex-husband. Eugene makes several attempts to get a restraining order. The situation has deadly consequences. Bobby tries to secure a loan and pays a visit to Jimmy Berluti, his friend and banker.

Bobby defends Rachel Reynolds, a young woman facing drug charges. She is not a drug dealer, but was trying to cover for her brother. Lindsay represents Emerson Ray, who is suing a tobacco company in a wrongful death suit. Lindsay's favourite law professor, Anderson Pearson, represents the defence. Eugene represents "Free Willy", a man who exposes himself in public.

Helen faces up against the firm in a case involving an accused killer whose protective mother provides alibis. A disturbed former client jarringly reenters Lindsay's life.

Bobby works with the firm of Cage and Fish to help in the defense of Marie Hanson, an apparent axe murderer who may have been Lizzie Borden in a past life. Ellenor discovers that her new boyfriend is the crooked chiropractor treating Rebecca, while Lindsay and Helen discuss Helen's future with the DA's office. The crossover starts on Ally McBeal S01E20 The Inmates (I).

Alan Shore defends a twelve-year-old girl who is trying to escape an arranged marriage in her home country. Meanwhile, Eugene tries to help a man who is seeking justice for the brutal murder of his wife.

Lindsay and Ellenor defend a pornographic star accused of killing her co-star. Complications arise in the Moreno case when it appears Rebecca's ID of the suspect may have been tainted. Lindsay's fondness for having her elbows sucked works against Bobby when he sucks on Helen's elbows.

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.

Eugene considers an exciting new offer for his future... could this mean the end of the practice? Meanwhile, Jimmy is shaken by an ominous run-in with neighborhood lawyer Lenny Pescatore, as their turf war heats up, and Ellenor clashes with sexy and ruthless attorney Hannah Rose of Crane Poole & Schmidt.

Eugene is presented with an offer he finds hard to refuse, and Ellenor is shocked when she hears the news, knowing full well that any departure by Eugene would mean the beginning of the end of the practice. Meanwhile, Jimmy is confronted by crooked lawyer Lenny Pascatore), who claims that the neighborhood only has room for one practicing attorney. Across town at Crane, Poole & Schmidt, Denny Crane ruffles some feathers by making Tara his personal paralegal, and Hannah Rose enlists Shore's help in handling an assault case involving two hockey players.

Eleanor defends a man accused of killing his wife and unborn son. He contests that it was suicide. Eugene and Jimmy defend a woman who shot a crack dealer on her street. Alan Shore comes to Eleanor looking for a job after he was fired for embezzlement. He is given a case where a woman files charges against a homeless man who "Halle Berry'd" her (came out of nowhere and kissed her). He uses insurance fraud to coerce her into dropping the charges.

Bobby takes the Scott Wallace case to appeals, hopefully proving that prosecution witness Kyle Barrett perjured himself. Helen faces Rebecca in the courtroom in an emotional case when an abused spouse claims that she was mistaken in identifying her husband as her attacker. Bobby and Lindsay announce that they're expecting a child but Lindsay suspects she may not be the only pregnant woman in the office.

Bobby defends Dr. Jeffrey Winslow, on trial for the brutal murder (and decapitation) of his mistress. Neither Bobby nor Helen (the D.A. on the case) will back down, sending their relationship into a tailspin. Eugene defends Rebecca's irascible uncle on tax evasion charges.

Rebecca's friend enlists the firm to try to set a legal precedent by forcing his wife to have a C-section against her wishes. Benny Small is tried for drug possession.

There are major shake-ups at the firm, as tensions rise between Eugene and Alan Shore. Meanwhile, the firm takes the case of a young man who is suing the doctor he feels is responsible for the death of his wife during childbirth.

Alan Shore is troubled by Sheila Carlisle's increasingly erratic behavior and fears for her mental - and legal - competence. Meanwhile, Shore is ordered by the court to represent a man who refuses to divulge his identity for fear that the unsavory nature of his crime will be made public

Bobby defends a young boy who killed his mother over a seemingly inconsequential argument. Eugene wrestles with his conscience over the morality of his profession and its possible effects on his son, Kendall. Lindsay tries to land a class action asbestos suit.

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.

Shocking twists in the trial of an accused wife-killer rattle Jimmy and Rebecca. Bobby's news to the firm devastates Eugene and has an impact on Lindsay.

Eugene is disgusted by his client, a homeless man accused of murdering a woman and raping her corpse. Jimmy represents an old friend who's being sued for notifying employees that one of their co-workers has AIDS.

Dr. Braun's emotional and outrageous murder trial finally begins, with Bobby going up against a known ADA who is also a famous Rabbi. Eugene represents a boy accused of statutory rape, after he impregnates a 13 year old girl.

Ellenor is sued by George Vogelman, her podiatrist friend, for causing him emotional distress, while Jimmy defends a man who lost his job because in the eyes of his boss, he looks like a monkey. Lindsay has hazy recollections about a night out with Chris Kelton.

A rape case rattles Jimmy, ill-prepared to defend a client who maintains his innocence despite overwhelming evidence against him. Also, ethics violations catch up to Shore, who has a showdown with Eugene.

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.

Jimmy Berluti and Jamie Stringer defend an elderly man, Walter Josephson, who is accused of killing a member of the local Irish mob, and Alan Shore agrees to help a friend — by any means necessary — who discovers his wife is cheating on him.

Friction at the firm gets to Jimmy, who's torn between loyalties and principles. Meanwhile, tension besets Shore as he crosses swords with his brilliant but erratic new boss, whose behavior raises questions of competence.

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.

Alan Shore uses questionable, if not illegal, tactics in representing his clients — Ted Grayson, a mentally unstable man accused of murder, and Karen Evanson, a woman who claims her husband's suicide was induced by a prescription drug.

Preparing for Dr. Braun's murder trial, Jimmy comes up with a controversial defence after the client refuses to argue temporary insanity. Meanwhile, Eugene bets both Lindsey and an ADA that he can win a hopeless case, and Ellenor finally comes face to face with the Podiatrist she met through the personal ads.

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.

Bobby is called on to defend Joey Heric on murder charges once again. Lindsay goes up against her former professor, Anderson Pearson, when she represents a client who's addicted to cigarettes. Lindsay sues Pearson himself when she suspects his firm of burying damaging information. Ellenor defends Cruikshank against anti-tourism charges, earning hersely several trips to jail when she vehemently disagrees with the judge's decidedly biased position.

When his best friend from childhood is accused of murdering his mistress, Alan Shore returns home to defend him.