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| The Practice (1997) At the start of the series, attorney Bobby Donnell employs associate attorneys Ellenor Frutt, Eugene Young (with whom Bobby started the practice seven years earlier), Lindsay Dole, and receptionist/paralegal Rebecca Washington. By the second episode, Bobby's friend Jimmy Berluti is hired as an associate. Jimmy was an attorney currently working as a loan officer. When he falsified loan documents to help Bobby's struggling practice, he lost his job, and Bobby hires him. Bobby originally opens his practice with idealistic dreams of protecting the innocent, but during the firm's early days of financial struggle, Bobby quickly learns that drug dealers and other undeniably guilty clients tend to be the ones who provide the business that keep the firm running. Bobby maintains sole control over the firm until an ultimatum by Lindsay motivates him to name Ellenor, Eugene, Lindsay, and Rebecca as junior partners. To maintain control over the firm, Bobby writes into the charter that each partner received one vote in partnership meetings, while Bobby would get two. While this decision prevents Lindsay's power play from becoming ugly, it temporarily causes some tension between Bobby and Jimmy, who feels insulted that he was the only one on staff who is not named a partner. This is exacerbated by the fact that Rebecca is made partner despite her being the receptionist and not an attorney. Rebecca eventually earns her law degree in season three, and Jimmy is eventually made partner at the end of season seven. Bobby and his associates all share a friendship with A.D.A. Helen Gamble, who even shares a brief romance with Bobby - all highly unusual, considering how often Helen's job places her in opposition to the firm. A recurring strategy used by the practice - especially Eugene - is informally known as the "United States of America defense", an appeal to patriotism which emphasizes the rights of their client as Constitutional priorities that must be upheld by the jury. However, the firm is far more notorious for employing a strategy they refer to as "Plan B", which involves creating doubt with the jury as to their client's guilt by accusing a third, usually innocent party of the crime. While the strategy is often effective, it would occasionally backfire once the D.A.'s office grew familiar with the strategy. This tactic invariably causes great emotional distress for the attorney employing the plan when they know that the target is most likely innocent. Thus, in such cases, Plan B is used only as a last resort. Despite the firm's friendship with Helen Gamble, the practice's use of Plan B, combined with the firm's high win/loss ratio against her, attracts ire and scrutiny from the D.A.'s office, particularly in the case of senior A.D.A. Kenneth Walsh. In 2003, Bobby Donnell leaves the firm, fearing he had become the "blue-chip" lawyer he had long resented. He names Eugene as senior partner. Along with Ellenor, Eugene decides to make Jimmy a full partner and extendes an offer to Lindsay (who had left to start her own practice), and her associate Claire Wyatt to return to the firm. This occurrs at the end of season seven, when most of the cast is fired. When season eight begins with nearly half the original cast is missing without explanation, it caused confusion amongst longtime viewers of the show. It was never explained what became of Lindsay, Claire, Lucy, Rebecca, or Helen. During the final year of the firm's existence, the remaining attorneys are senior partners Ellenor, Eugene, and Jimmy, associate Jamie Stringer. Lucy Hatcher, the firm's longtime receptionist/paralegal, has been replaced by Tara Wilson, a third year law student and paralegal. Ellenor hires an old friend, Alan Shore, the top anti-trust attorney in Massachusetts after he is fired from his firm Carruthers-Abbot for embezzling. Alan's joining the firm is a mixed blessing; he attracts lots of business and generates enough revenue to make up for the three departed lawyers, but his unorthodox and often unethical or illegal methods often clash with Eugene, Jimmy, and occasionally, Ellenor. Near the series end, Eugene and Jimmy fire Alan without consulting Ellenor, creating a phenomenon known as a law firm divorce. It begins when, despite Alan's bringing in over $6,000,000 in revenue, he is given just $15,000 severance. Alan sues for wrongful termination and hire Matthew Billings and Denny Crane of the blue-chip firm Crane, Poole & Schmidt to represent him. After warning Shore of his impending dismissal, associate Tara is also fired by Eugene, and Lucy is brought back as a temporary receptionist. The jury decides that Young, Frutt & Berluti are to pay Shore $2.3 million, which contributes to the dissolution of the firm. Shore offers to forfeit his winnings, but the offer is declined. At Jamie's insistence, Jimmy then departs to start his own neighborhood law firm. Eugene is appointed a superior court judge, and Ellenor retires to spend time with her daughter. Jamie later joins Jimmy's firm. Alan and Tara are hired by Crane, Poole & Schmidt as an associate and paralegal respectively.
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