When name partner Edwin Poole shows up to a staff meeting without pants, visiting attorney Brad Chase is asked to stay on at the Boston branch of Crane, Poole & Schmidt to keep Denny Crane in check. Lori's case involving one of the firm's most important clients turns ugly when it turns out the man his wife is sleeping with is Denny. Alan takes on the case of a young black child who was turned away from playing the part of Annie, allegedly due to the color of her skin.
Alan helps his ex-lover who tried to kill him get out of a psychiatric hospital. Brad and Denny take a case where a wife is suing the hospital for causing her emotional distress when her husband died during an angioplasty. Denny learns this new case will help the other partners decide if he is a liability to the firm. Lori tries to steer Sally away from Alan.
A client of Crane, Poole & Schmidt want to build a shopping mall on an area where salmon are spawning and Denny’s son is the environmental lawyer defending the area. Alan and Lori take a sexual harassment case and learn that Christine, whom he recently helped get released from a mental institution and who he now fears is stalking him, is opposing counsel. Sally has her first trial case where she defends a man who is accused of stealing a wallet.
Edwin Poole escapes from the psychiatric hospital and gets a criminal case where a man is tried for murdering a police officer and Lori is forced to help him. Alan defends one of the firm's biggest clients after she is caught stealing a scarf. Alan asks Sally to perform an unprincipled task that can help win his case but also destroy their relationship.
With Tara as second chair, Alan defends a hypochondriac who is suing his medical doctor for malpractice. Sally assists Lori defends a man who killed a guy who beat him up four years ago with a martial art punch. Paul and Brad help Denny take on Edwin Poole's old case where their client, Holcomb Pharmaceuticals, is being sued for bilking senior citizens out of millions of dollars.
Alan is asked by his old crush, Samantha, for legal representation to help her husband Jack, who is running for Mayor, when a false rumor has been publicized. While dealing with Paul's objection about him representing Jack, Alan also has to provide moral support when Samantha discovers a devastating secret about Jack. Denny anxiously awaits results that will reveal if he has Alzheimer Disease. Lori helps a lawyer who wants to force his wife to give him their son's frozen umbilical cord because the cord could save his life. Meanwhile, Denny takes Sally's client who is suing a toaster company for his faulty product.
Lori helps her former informant who was shot while robbing a convenience store and who does not want the bullet removed because it could incriminate him. Things become more complex for Lori when she learns that the bullet is jeopardizing his life. Meanwhile, Alan tries to help his client who is accused of being a slumlord and is forced to do despicable acts from an infuriating judge. Denny gets arrested for solicitation.
After Denny rejects a case for personal reasons, Alan defends a man who was fired from being a department store Santa Claus because he is a gay cross-dresser; Brad and Alan make a bet on Alan's case – the loser will be the others elf for the day; backed into a dilemma, Lori goes to extreme measures to help her therapist, but she soon discovers the consequences are more than she bargained for.
Alan and Denny defend a drug company that is being sued by a woman who states they provided false reasoning when they took her off of an experimental pill that was a possible cure for her sickness. Alan and Denny discover a shocking secret that could make or break their case and because of that, they become at odds with each other on how to proceed. Lori discovers that Tara's new information for their case would win it for them, but the way she retrieved it could cost them their case and their careers. Lori learns a secret about Brad.
A Sudanese native wants to sue the U.S. government for the lack of action taken against the mayhem happening in his country and Paul looks to Lori to take the case. Founding partner Shirley Schmidt arrives with a mission to bring order to the firm. While making herself known, she has to deal with Denny who does not wanting her there, help with Lori's extremely high profile case, and learns that she has to keep her eye on Alan. Alan ends up defending a man who killed his mother in a fit of rage but by accident.
Lori, along with Denny and Shirley, defends a school superintendent who fired two science teachers because they refused to teach creationism and is now being sued by them. Alan learns his assistant has expressed concern about their work relationship. While dealing with that issue, Alan discovers that his client Bernard Ferrion, who killed his mother, needs legal help again. One of the members of the firm is fired and learns that a close associate is not too keen on lending a supportive hand.
Brad becomes attracted to his client who being sued for having a relationship with her boss merely for financial purposes. To make matters more difficult, Brad convinces himself that she is lying about her being a lesbian. Alan is asked to second chair on Denny's trial case where a doctor is being sued for prescribing a drug that has not been FDA approved. While working on that, Denny is on a personal mission to prove that he is a competent attorney. Meanwhile, the staff tries to deal with Alan's out-spoken new assistant, Catherine Piper.
Shirley asks Alan Shore to use his odious lawyering to help her defend a police officer accused of torture. Donny Crane returns and is the opposing counsel in Denny's case, with Chelina Hall as second chair, where a woman wants to sue her former boyfriend for saying no to her at the alter. For Denny, this is an easy case, for Donny this is to settle a score with Denny for letting him believe for 25 years that he was his father. Meanwhile, Bernard Ferrion is befriended by Catherine and Alan finds variance with that.
Milton Bombay is asking the courts to allow him to be frozen until another century so he can continue his legacy of being a great lawyer and needs Denny and Shirley to defend him. Alan and Chelina defends a high school student who accuses his teacher of censorship when he blocks out a news station on the school's televisions.
Chelina asks Alan to assist her in Texas because her former client is getting executed but may be innocent of the crime. An old friend of Denny and Shirley asks them for legal representation when she charged with having sexual encounters for a fee. Lori files a complaint about Denny with Shirley and Paul and they seriously consider doing something about it; especially when they suspect he performed an unethical act on his recent case.
Alan Shore and Brad Chase represent Kelly Nolan who is on trial for poisoning her husband. Meanwhile, Tara Wilson second-chairs for Shirley Schmidt and is shocked to find that the opposing counsel is her former lover, Malcolm Holmes. Garrett Wells and Sara Holt assist Denise Bauer on a case where a Jewish man felt violated when his Christian co-workers held Bible readings in the workplace. To make things worse, Denise is served with divorce papers.
The Kelly Nolan trial continues, but Alan, Denny and Brad fear the worst when Kelly's cold demeanor begins to turn off the jury. Meanwhile, Garrett and Sara are enlisted to help Denise in her divorce settlement and Malcolm convinces Tara to represent Johnny Damon, Edwin Starr's nephew, whose performance of "War" strikes a nerve at a nightclub.
Denise finds herself in a difficult position when an auto-injury case she neglected for three years comes up for trial and she is unprepared. While Garrett researches, he meets Cassie, a young paralegal whose strange sexual tendencies hide a painful past. Meanwhile, Denny learns he must apologize to Lori or face a sexual harrassment suit, and Alan takes Sara out for dinner and a "show."
The firm takes on two milestone cases. First, Shirley and Denise represent Christian and Wiccan parents who are outraged by a public school's Halloween celebrations, but the case takes a turn for the worse when the clients begin arguing amongst themselves. Meanwhile, Denny and Alan's friendship is tested when Alan helps Cassie sue the US military for the loss of her brother.
Denise finds herself wanting to sue her own client when Boston's most celebrated plastic surgeon is under fire for unorthodox techniques. Shirley takes on a difficult case involving an Alzheimer's patient which touches her personally. Meanwhile, Alan and Denny fight their own demons as Alan asks his new secretary to protect him from night terrors and Denny undergoes an MRI.
When the FBI's hands are tied with red tape, Brad helps Denise go undercover as a rogue agent in order to find a missing boy who is close to her heart. But when legal and ethical roadblocks appear, they must make some difficult decisions. Meanwhile, Denny's nonchalance regarding the use of firearms becomes a real concern for the other senior partners when he shoots a homeless man in the head with a paintball gun.
After kidnapping a witness and physically assaulting a priest, Brad is put on trial and enlists the help of Denny and Shirley to bail him out. Meanwhile, Alan's hands are full with his secretary's financial troubles when her credit card company charges ridiculous interest rates, putting her $50,000 in debt.
Paul recruits Denise to help him defend a cancer patient who used his wealth to guarantee he would not get a placebo during a drug study. Meanwhile, Alan goes too far in trying to convince the senior partners to promote "Hands" to partner, and Denny finds himself falling in love with a woman he meets at a charity event.
Alan finds himself all alone against the firm when he decides to defend Jerry Espenson from charges of attempted murder, torture and terrorist threats. Denise and Daniel Post get closer as Daniel second chairs a case against parents who are constantly harassing their daughter's teacher. Meanwhile, Paul is worried about the impact Denny's pending nuptials may have on the firm.
Alan and Denise take on the case of a young girl whose father killed her mother after finding the mother's whereabouts through her HMO's website. Catherine Piper comes back into Alan's life - by robbing convenience stores. Beverly Bridge, Denny's fiancée, flexes her muscle around the firm, while Brad attempts to manage the situation for Shirley and Paul. Daniel goes in for chemotherapy and attempts to shut out Denise.
After meeting Irma for a date, Alan finds himself defending her when she is charged with a sex crime by protesting topless. Meanwhile, Denise finds it difficult to remain close to Daniel when he invites her to his own funeral, and Garrett faces his toughest challenge yet when Catherine invades his office.
Alan's friendly demeanor quickly turns into anger when a prestigious private school turns away a child prodigy because she lacks the face muscles to smile. Meanwhile, Shirley and Denise take on a hospital that refused to administer emergency birth control to a rape victim due to religious beliefs, and Brad is put on special assignment by Denny.
Shirley defends a long-time client who doesn't want his Victorian erotica collection lost in his divorce, but she is shocked when Ivan is opposing council. Alan takes drastic steps to help Catherine's friend, who is being taken advantage of in a nursing home. Meanwhile, Paul cuts back on his time at the firm when Fiona begins to take priority, causing worry among the other partners.
Alan decides to help Jerry with his first big attempted-murder case but has to take drastic action when Jerry's courtroom outbursts jeopardize the case. Meanwhile, Shirley is shocked to discover that Ivan has yet to inform Missy that they are "divorced," and Brad becomes uncomfortable with a recurring word in his new relationship.
When Denny shoots his therapist in self-defense, the senior partners, fed up with his rogue behavior, begin to enact plans to remove him from the firm. Meanwhile, Alan enlists the help of Chelina in a racially-charged case involving a black man arrested for being in a white neighborhood, and Brad asks Denise to teach him to be a better kisser.
Name partner Edwin Poole returns from a mental institution to Crane, Poole and Schmidt, ready to jump back in, but Shirley has reservations when he decides to sue a candy company. An A.D.A. with a grudge against Alan brings charges, accusing him of advising his client to flee when a guilty verdict was inevitable. Meanwhile, Brad and Denise decide where to take their relationship.
Denny once again goes head-to-head with his non-son, Donny, when he shows up in his new role as a Lawyers Without Borders representative, but Alan finds it difficult to support Denny's defense when Denny makes light of the case. Meanwhile, Marlene Stanger, known as "The Squid," is hired at the firm, and immediately attracts Alan and repels Denise.
Shirley once again helps Professor Cabot, whose research into human sexual behavior gets him into trouble when he's caught with a prostitute. Marlene and Denise continue their fight for the spot to become partner by trying to assist. Meanwhile, Denny takes Alan to LA when he pays a visit to the West Coast branch of Crane, Poole & Schmidt, but his motives become clear once Alan meets Barry Goal, and Brad is shocked to discover his niece is arrested for participating in a drug "pharming" party.
While in LA, Alan takes on the case of TV star Courtney Rae, who is arrested after shooting a photographer who she mistakes for a stalker, but Denny and Barry make life difficult when they won't stop making sexual advances toward their client. Meanwhile, Denise resorts to underhanded tactics to eliminate Marlene from the picture, but the plan backfires when she is caught by Paul, and Brad enlists Shirley's help in trying to persuade the judge in his niece's trial to lower the sentence.
Denise shocks the firm by announcing her marriage to Daniel Post, who is subsequently arrested for attempting to illegally buy a lung from a fellow cancer patient.Alan once again defends Jerry Espenson when he assaults a police officer, and attempts to get him counseling to help with his sexual difficulties.Meanwhile, Shirley is freaked-out when she stumbles upon Denny and his "special doll."
New partner Jeffrey Coho takes on his first case at the Boston firm involving a murdered judge. Alan finds Claire's attitude towards people somewhat harsh as they both defend a transvestite who was fired for using the ladies' room. Meanwhile, Denny's blind date reveals his bigotry which comes back to haunt him.
Alan shocks the firm when he decides to represent Ivan Tiggs, as he sues Shirley for creating an iron-clad pre-nup in his marriage to Missy. Meanwhile, Jeffrey Coho continues his unethical practices, determined to discover the truth behind the murder of Judge Hooper, and Denny Crane comes to an agreement with Bethany.
Alan and Shirley defend a homeless man, on trial for eating his dead friend to stay alive, while Alan's pleas to Denny for permission to sleep with Shirley result in a bizarre contest. Meanwhile, Denny helps Bethany in her case again a ruthless HMO and Claire flirts with a key witness in the Judge Hooper murder trial.
Alan Shore again defends Jerry Espenson, this time against an ex-employee who claims wrongful termination, but is taken aback when opposing council turns out to be Sally Heep.Meanwhile, the Judge Hooper trial begins with shocking revelations, forcing Jeffrey to rethink his strategy, and Denny's relationship with Bethany is tested.
Denise begins a bizarre search for the remains of her fiancé, who has been scattered around the country, and Alan once again must defend Jerry Espenson, who is accused of purgery.Meanwhile, Jeffrey Coho is sued by Lincoln Meyer for defamation of character in the Judge Hooper trial, and a meeting between Denny and Bethany's mother leads to an unexpected reunion.
Alan helps Jerry Espenson with a client who is a suspect in her girlfriend's hanging murder, but she herself isn't sure if she's guilty.Denny defends Lincoln Meyer who is accused of killing the judge in his trial, but beings to lose interest when Lincoln's behavior becomes more and more strange.Meanwhile, Bethany's mother fights to get Denny back, and Brad and Jeffrey fight each other.
Alan defends a mother fighting for custody of her preteen daughters, who happen to be white supremacist singers.Brad and Denise try to persuade a new client against suing God for the death of her husband by lightning, and Denny tries his first major case in a while when he helps a waitress try to regain custody of her anorexic child.
Alan and Denny head to New Orleans with visiting attorney Vanessa Walker to defend a doctor who euthanized five patients during the Katrina hurricane.Meanwhile, Claire helps Clarence sue an all-female gym who refused to accept him unless he dressed as a woman, and Denise is overwhelmed by the sexual attention she is getting from the male attorneys.
Denny is outraged when he is not permitted to board a plane because his name is on a "no-fly" list, and asks Alan for help suing Homeland Security.Meanwhile, Shirley and Vanessa defend a teacher who is accused of negligence when one of her students dies from anaphylactic shock in class.Denise becomes nervous when Alan begins to suspect she is sleeping with both Brad and Jeffrey, and Claire continues to help Clarence with his self-esteem issues.
Denny finds it unusually difficult to break up with Bella when she asks him to represent her in her claim against an animal-rights group who is harassing her cosmetic business.Meanwhile, Alan opens up to Vanessa when she shows up in a yellow dress, and Brad and Jeffrey continue their feud at Paul's mandatory costume party.
Judge Brown turns to Denny when he sues a company for not curing his "same-sex attraction disorder," but Denny's homophobia forces him to ask Alan to help.Shirley takes on the case of a young girl who wants to take a pill to help her forget a traumatic molestation.Meanwhile, Denise finds out she is pregnant, and asks both Brad and Jeffrey for paternity tests, and Clarence takes his relationship with Claire to the next level.
Alan must once again defend Denny when he is arrested, this time for smuggling medical waste out of the country in order to create a new source of energy.Meanwhile, Clarence finds himself in over his head when his first case turns out to be a first-degree murder charge, involving a Haitian slave who stabbed her owner.In the wake of Denise's decision to keep Brad's baby, Jeffrey makes a bold decision.
When an old girlfriend shows up at the courthouse wearing a wedding gown and covered in blood, Alan decides to help her defend charges of murdering her groom.Meanwhile, Claire finds it difficult to take her client seriously when he is accused of stealing a cell phone, and Denny tries to win back Bethany by going to rehab.
Alan once again takes on Jerry Espenson in a case involving a department store selling inappropriate dolls to children, but is hurt when Jerry's new persona begins making personal attacks. Meanwhile, Denny is in hot water after making a racist comment to a potential employee, and Shirley forces Denise to reconsider her feelings towards Brad after his proposal.
When Judge Weldon is charged with possession of an illegal substance, she turns to Alan for help, rekindling their romance. But Denny's attraction to her begins to upset Alan.Shirley and Claire defend a man who miraculously recovered from HIV, but whose blood was patented by the US government.Meanwhile, Clarence battles Jerry Espenson in a case involving a woman being kicked out of her sorority for being socially awkward, and Denise becomes upset when Brad wants to be married in his military attire.
Alan and Denny's political differences again come into play when they defend an innocent man who was held at Guantanamo Bay for 2 years.Meanwhile, upset at the lack of humanity at his private practice, Jerry begs Shirley to give him back his old job, despite having held a knife to her throat the year before.
Brad and Denise's storybook wedding is interrupted by the FBI who arrest the priest for giving sanctuary to illegal immigrants. Alan takes the case, while Denise goes into labor, forcing Brad to find an immediate substitute priest.Meanwhile, Jerry Espenson takes his first case as an associate at Crane, Poole and Schmidt when he defends a woman who is evicted because of her pet duck.
New York attorney Carl Sack joins the Boston branch of Crane, Poole & Schmidt, ruffling feathers amongst the staff, including Denny who is arrested for soliciting a prostitute, and Clarence who is targeted for performing in a drag show. Meanwhile, Alan defends Shirley when she is sued for withdrawing a large contribution to an academic study, but is distracted by the familiar opposing council. Jerry helps freshman lawyer Katie Lloyd try her first case involving a murder suspect who refuses to cooperate.
Alan has his hands full trying to keep Denny away from Lorraine when she is hired by Shirley as a new associate at the firm. At the same time, he and Jerry try to mold Katie into a full-fledged lawyer by preparing her for her first murder trial, but things go awry when she makes a spur-of-the-moment decision in open court. Meanwhile, Judge Weldon's request to have a baby makes Alan question his potential for fatherhood.
Alan represents a teenage girl who blames her high school's stand on contraceptives for her contracting AIDS, while trying to work alongside Lorraine without distraction. Meanwhile, Jerry and Katie take on the case of a woman suing her husband's psychologist for causing his death, and Shirley is furious when Denny and Carl bet a huge sum of money on the outcome of a case involving cockfighting.
Shirley is compelled to help an old friend of Denny who is discharged from the army for coming out publicly as being gay, but finds resistance from the judge for challenging America during war time. Meanwhile, Alan's "word salad" returns whenever Lorraine is around, and new associate Whitney Rome is thrown into a case involving a bullfighting child whose mother wants sole custody.
Denny angers the senior partners when he fires an associate for being fat, consequently bringing a large lawsuit against the firm. Alan enlists the help of Whitney in the case of Patrice Kelly whose temporary insanity plea is not going over well with the jury in her murder trial. Meanwhile, Jerry helps a client who shares his affliction of Asperger's syndrome and begins to show some affection.
Whitney and Katie defend an ex-cop charged with murder, but are shocked to find that the main piece of evidence is an MRI of his brain that "proves" he is a racist. Alan defends Denny in court when he is charged with wrongful termination after firing an associate for being too fat. Meanwhile, Carl is furious when once again Clarence is caught on YouTube in drag, and Jerry is nervous about taking his new relationship with Leigh to the next level.
Denny is once again arrested, this time for allegedly soliciting gay sex in the court men's room, and again turns to Alan for representation. Shirley is surprised to find Bethany as her opposition in court when she defends an old "shock-jock" friend for saying offensive things over-the-air. Meanwhile, Katie begins snooping around when she suspects Lorraine is not who she says she is.
Alan takes on one of his most outrageous lawsuits to date when he teams up with Denny to sue the National Guard for failing to show up when a flood wiped out a small business. Shirley is surprised when her granddaughter visits her at the office with the news that she was expelled from university for destroying government standards tests. Meanwhile, Carl has second thoughts about staying in Boston, and Lorraine comes clean to the firm about her true background.
The firm stands to lose millions of dollars when GreenPeople threatens to sue for all the money they ever spent at Crane, Poole & Schmidt, alleging Denny misrepresented the firm as being environmentally friendly. Alan helps Clarence take on the bank that foreclosed on his house after he made a bad deal. Meanwhile, Katie helps Jerry overcome the grief of his breakup with Leigh, and Carl makes a decision regarding Lorraine's employment status.
Shirley is torn when her law school sweetheart comes back into her life as opposing council, bringing back old feelings and alienating Carl. Meanwhile, Alan and Denny flirt with the idea of swinging when they both have anonymous sexual encounters in the office, and Katie is threatened by Leigh who is jealous of her relationship with Jerry.
Denny, tries another stunt to win over Shirley's affections. Alan and Jerry go against Melvin Palmer again when they represent Mr.Beckham, a man who's daughter was murdered after a talk show stunt and he wants to sue the production company. Shirley begins to suspect her friend, Ethan, is unstable when she learns he's been arrested ten times for shooting seals in Boston Harbor.
After her father -- who is in the late stages of a debilitating fight with Alzheimer's -- injures himself and lands in the hospital, Shirley Schmidt wants to end his suffering and asks Alan Shore to argue in court on her behalf. Meanwhile Jerry Espenson's beautiful, new girlfriend sues him for sexual assault, and Carl Sack represents the island of Nantucket whose residents want to build a nuclear bomb in case of attack.
Alan Shore gets the dream of a lifetime for an attorney when he is asked to present an appeal to the Supreme Court in the case of a mentally challenged man who has been sentenced to death for the rape of a young girl. Meanwhile, Katie Lloyd learns some startling news from Lorraine Weller about Jerry Espenson's new girlfriend.
A group of high ranking politicos ask Denny Crane to run for President of the United States. Jerry Espenson's ex-girlfriend, Dana, asks that he defend her after she's arrested for prostitution. Carl Sack and Shirley Schmidt represent a woman who is suing the Archdiocese for not permitting her to become a priest.
Patriotism is in the air as Alan and Denny celebrate their acceptance into the Auxiliary Coast Guard. But when the town of Concord, Massachusetts decides to secede from the United States, Alan accepts the case, and deeply offends Denny. The case takes a personal turn when Denny represents the opposing side in court.
Bethany Horowitz asks Alan Shore to help her out with a case against a large tobacco company. But when it turns out that the defense attorney is Phoebe Prentice, an old flame of Alan's, he finds himself distracted and fears that he won't be able to perform in court. Meanwhile, Denny is distraught over his own personal lack of performance in the bedroom.
After Denny Crane almost dies from toxic shock due to his unintended misuse of an arsenal of prescription drugs, Alan Shore takes on a pharmaceutical company for employing deceptive advertising to scare people into using their products. Meanwhile, Shirley Schmidt asks Carl Sack to defend her cheeky 17-year-old granddaughter who's been arrested for voting in the primary with falsified records, and Jerry Espenson and Katie Lloyd sue a private detention facility after a 15-year-old girl is raped by a guard.
Denny Crane is arrested yet again for carrying a concealed firearm after he shoots a man in self defense who's attempting to mug him and Jerry Espenson. Meanwhile, Alan Shore fights for a sex surrogate's right to joint custody of her daughter -- while grappling with the fact that he was a former client of hers
Alan Shore and Shirley Schmidt take on the armed forces when a man's brother dies in a local military hospital due to malpractice. But a friendly wager Denny Crane makes with Alan regarding the outcome of the case could cost Alan his job. Meanwhile, Jerry Espenson's sister, Joy - whose son was conceived through an anonymous donor - - asks him to get a ruling which would allow her to find out who the father is to determine if her son and his girlfriend are related
Alan Shore and Denny Crane take a breather from the office and saddle up at a Dude Ranch in Utah. But the two city slickers soon find themselves at odds with their fellow horse enthusiasts and may need to call on the always irritating attorney Melvin Palmer - who also happens to be at the ranch. Meanwhile, Shirley Schmidt defends the murderous Catherine Piper (Betty White) when she unintentionally blows up her doctor after setting his office on fire for prescribing medication that almost killed her.
Alan Shore and Denny Crane sue the government when cattle rancher Carol Hober who accuses the USDA of not allowing her to test all of her cows for Mad Cow Disease, an affliction that's close to Denny's heart. Meanwhile, Jerry Espenson is up for partner at the firm, but his quirky social inadequacies could lead to his downfall with the firm's panel, which includes Paul Lewiston.
After Denny learns some disturbing news about the progression of his Alzheimer's disease and that an experimental drug might help, Alan tries to convince the Massachusetts Supreme Court to let his best friend have access to it. Meanwhile the murderous Catherine Piper returns, and Jerry and Katie take on the case of an ambitious student accused of cheating on her SATs.