Raising the Bar

In the pilot episode, we are introduced to public defender Jerry Kellerman, whose passion and energy for defending his clients occasionally leads him to question the justice system. While defending a man he is certain is innocent, Jerry struggles to navigate the system while remaining humble in front of a judge who despises him. Meanwhile, in the district attorney's office, Michelle tries to right a wrong in a rape trial but runs up against her boss, who doesn't want the DA's office to be embarrassed by winning a wrongful conviction.

Jerry is defending a family man accused of murder, but the only eyewitness who can prove the man's innocence is stuck in Guatemala. There are those within the system working to keep him there. Michelle finally has the chance to try her first murder case after the primary attorney dies unexpectedly. But she risks forgetting that her first priority is not to get a murder conviction but rather to be a good lawyer. Meanwhile, Richard is defending a young man who is accused of assault in a racially charged case. Charlie runs into problems when a former lover turns up in Judge Kessler's courtroom.

Judge Kessler orders Jerry to find an in-patient program for his mentally ill client; Richard defends a woman who got into an altercation at the welfare office.

Richard's extremely wealthy father offers Roz a job at his high-profile firm. Jerry defends a destitute mother whose arrest may be part of a police tactic to pressure her into testifying in a murder case. Richard and Bobbi team up on a murder case in which the suspect was defending his property from being stolen. As Judge Kessler continues to position herself as a political candidate, Charlie gets an unexpected visitor.

Jerry takes on a tough, emotional case in which a young boy was molested and murdered in an abandoned building. As press coverage raises the heat on the case, Balco decides to take over as the primary prosecutor. Bobbi, meanwhile, is defending a family man charged with possession of heroin, but the physical evidence against him seems non-existent. Jerry finally gets to meet Bobbi's husband, Gavin, but Jerry and Bobbi's playful flirting turns the meeting uncomfortable.

Jerry's latest case involves a man arrested for following a hit-and-run driver and then stealing money from him. Bobbi handles a complicated case in which the wife in a domestic-violence dispute refuses to press charges against her husband.