Previously on "L.A. Law"...
And Leland, you're meeting with Rosalind Shays
over Velnick's lease with Tammon?
-Tonight.
-Lastly, a reminder.
Next week is scheduled to be my last as senior partner,
unless, Leland, you'd like me to continue.
No, I'm ready to return.
I don't resent you, Leland,
if anything, maybe I resent myself.
For staying with a man who doesn't love you?
-[elevator dings]
-I really don't want to talk about it.
[screams]
Rosalind!
-Get up.
-Are you crazy? Get outta here!
-Shh!
-What the hell's the matter with you?
Your wife and of your closest friends
are in the reception area
waiting to give you a surprise party,
that's what's the matter with me.
He just came out of a failed marriage
that he himself wrecked.
He has no concept of fidelity.
He's devoid of any ability to trust,
and he wouldn't share a stick of gum, much less his feelings.
They're afraid a trial will expose
their $ million hysterectomy factory.
So what are you saying, we should turn down the offer?
That hospital is guilty of mutilation.
We represent the Recklaws,
and counseling them to reject that offer
was not only grossly irresponsible,
it was malpractice.
I'm letting this one get under my skin
a little bit too much. I'm sorry.
Because I'm pregnant?
Yeah. Because you're pregnant.
I just thought that we both agreed to
-
-
to just sit on this for a while.
Honey, I've been sitting on this for ten days.
I know what I want, Grace.
I just think that we should talk about it, that's all.
Okay. Let's talk.
Okay. I really want to have the baby.
I mean, I can't even think about abortion.
I want to have my son.
What makes you think it's a boy?
I just have a feeling, that's all.
-Oh.
-Look, I know this sounds really stupid, but...
the pregnancy right after Charlie's death.
I really want us to have the child.
Ok a y .
What happens if we do have the baby?
Meaning what?
Meaning you, me.
You and me.
Yeah, well, I assumed that, uh
-
-
I assumed that we'd be together.
As assumptions go, that's a pretty big one.
Victor, our relationship is very new.
-I mean, we
-
-
-Grace,
we're going to be parents.
We owe it to the child to be living in
-
-
Yes?
You've never even told me you love me.
But now you suddenly want to make this lifetime commitment.
Maybe we will be together.
Even get married someday.
I'm not saying that can't happen.
It could.
I'm just saying
-
-
[sighs]
It won't be simply because I'm pregnant.
♪♪ [theme]
♪♪
DOUGLAS: Okay, moving on.
Ordover vs. Ordover. Arnold?
Simple division of property. No brainer.
One meeting, tops.
Yes? Well, let's try to show up for it.
I know you've missed three appointments in the last week
-
-
Hey, big brother, give it a rest, will ya?
DOUGLAS: I won't give it a rest.
The last one you skipped was my client.
-It's unprofessional and I
-
-
-ARNIE: I did not skip it.
I was late and I apologized.
Do you want to give me detention, Douglas?
-All right, Arnold.
-DOUGLAS: Moving on.
Fairchild et al. vs. Katsu Electronics.
Mine. Wrongful termination.
A Japanese company bought out our client's business
and fired everybody.
-On what grounds?
-r*cist grounds.
We're going for compensatories and punitives.
I see. Next up, in re: San Diego Sandsharks.
Yeah, that's mine. Group of investors
looking to by into an expansion franchise in
the National Hockey League.
-Send them to Minnesota.
-DOUGLAS: Stuart, Ann,
jump on that with CJ, it sounds promising.
-You'll love it.
-Lastly, Leland,
you have an announcement.
Yes, I do.
Since the firm has been operating so efficiently
and profitably over the past two months,
I've decided to extend Douglas's term as
pro tem senior partner.
For how long?
Indefinitely.
Excuse me. You can't just do that.
Oh, yes, I can.
Since it's still a temporary term,
I'm authorized.
Besides, we've been doing so well, Ann,
-it would be foolish of me
-
-
-ANN: You're doing it again, Leland.
You're making decisions that affect all of us
without consulting us first.
This decision benefits everyone.
Last week, you said you were retaking control,
-now you're doing
-
-
-LELAND: I'm sorry,
but I am confident that this is the best thing for the firm.
-Do we get a vote?
-It is temporary.
Move along, Douglas.
That's it. We're done.
How long is Douglas gonna be senior partner?
Why is this such a problem?
Because it is.
Now, he's done a good job, I'll admit that.
He's a nice interim manager,
but none of us wants the firm's future entrusted to him.
Revenues are up, Michael. We're all making more money.
Because he's made a few quick fixes,
but he doesn't have the vision to manage the long term growth of the place.
I totally disagree.
Leland, if you want to be senior partner,
then be senior partner.
But you can't take the position and just loan it out.
I will do whatever I think is necessary
to promote the welfare of this
-
-
You're grooming him.
This is your way of passing the baton to Douglas
and it scares me.
Why? What are you afraid of?
Because if the firm goes to him...
it'll never be mine.
That's what I'm afraid of.
Michael, you've never expressed
the slightest interest in taking over.
I'm expressing it now, Leland.
I think I am ready to run this place,
and if you don't want the job, then I want the chance.
I'm not giving up the job, Michael.
If and when I do,
yes, I think Douglas deserves his chance first.
Come on.
You don't have to leave.
I'm the one who has to get back to work.
Arnie, it was an event, as usual,
but I do have a life.
You are one of the most amazing...
women I've ever know, Christina.
You're smart, funny.
Indescribably beautiful.
And I have all my own teeth.
Next Monday, same time?
Yeah, I'm tired of afternoons.
I
-
- I want a few evenings.
A few nights, maybe even a couple of
lazy Sunday mornings.
I want to be a part of your life, Chris.
Look, Arnie, don't get weird on me, all right?
We both knew what we were getting here.
We may be lovers but this isn't love.
It's sport.
Sport?
Yes.
I want you to look at me.
I want you to really look at me.
Not just the smile, or the eyes,
but look at me.
What do you see?
A matinee?
Hey, come on, Arnie, you're fun to be with,
but if this is getting too complicated,
-The maybe we should stop it.
-Oh, no, no, no, no big deal.
I mean, you can't blame a guy for trying, right?
Same time next Monday.
Can't wait. You're the best.
[door closes]
I'm the best.
MAN: Microlink was sold to Katsu Electronics in .
Six months later, I was fired.
-Why?
-Because I'm not Japanese.
Objection. That's an opinion, not a fact.
Oh, it's a fact.
So what was the reason Katsu Electronics gave for f*ring you?
They said my performance was unsatisfactory.
-Was it?
-Absolutely not.
I worked my way up from sales rep to president.
I built this company into something that they wanted to buy.
JONATHAN: And you wanted them to buy it, didn't you?
Yes, because I knew that
Japanese production and distribution capabilities
would enable us to go global.
That had always been our dream for Microlink,
become an international company.
So what changed when Katsu took over?
Soon as they came in, we were cut out of the loop.
Decisions were made, meetings were held,
we were never even told.
-JONATHAN: What did you do?
-I went to Mr. Nakajima.
He was the head of the Japanese team,
and I expressed our concerns.
And how were they received?
He shut me down.
He said Americans didn't understand their style of management.
And when I argued that we hadn't even been allowed to work,
he terminated me.
JONATHAN: How much of the original management is left at Microlink?
None. Within a year of the buy out,
Katsu fired every American executive
and replaced them with Japanese.
That's when the three of us decided to file suit.
And none of you can find any other work?
We shouldn't have to.
The three of us sacrificed everything for this company.
My God, in those early years, we all worked every weekend,
we never took a vacation.
This place was our future,
it was our lives, for God's sake.
Then they just discarded us like that.
I have nothing further.
You said you were in favor of the Katsu buy out,
-isn't that right?
-Yes, because I
-
-
Because you wanted to go global,
and Katsu has made that dream a reality, haven't they?
We were lied to.
They said they would keep us in place.
It's it true, Mr. Fairchild,
that Microlink is doing far better now
than when you were running it?
I wouldn't say far better, uh, maybe the sales
-
-
Sales are up percent, profits up percent.
That doesn't mean that they can lock us out
-
-
At the time of the buy out,
you promised to learn Japanese, didn't you?
They didn't give me time.
SPITZER: Six months. Did you take a single lesson?
FAIRCHILD: I intended to.
-SPITZER: You intended to.
-FAIRCHILD: Yes.
How do you say, hello, how are you, in Japanese?
Objection. He doesn't speak the language. Asked and answered.
You didn't learn to say even that as a courtesy?
Get on from language, Mr. Spitzer.
You made not attempt to learn anything about Japanese management.
You say you were segregated, Mr. Fairchild.
-Did you welcome them?
-We tried, but
-
-
Isn't it true you called a meeting the very first week,
and told all the American executives to watch their backs?
Didn't you say that?
Well, obviously, I was right.
SPITZER: Yeah, obviously, you were right.
I have nothing further.
[traffic noise]
I feel a little uncomfortable about this meeting.
I think we all do.
I mean, this is about safeguarding the firm,
we have to be concerned about what's going on.
Right, starting with money.
Leland takes percent of the partnership draw,
that's compared to and percent for the rest of us, respectively,
-that's way lopsided.
-And then there's CJ.
What's CJ got to do with this?
She's bringing in most of the new business, not Leland,
and her deal gives her percent off the top.
That means we're working for more and more clients
where the profit margin maxes out at percent.
The way things are going, CJ's gonna be
the highest grossing attorney in the firm.
I love Leland McKenzie, I think we all do,
but he's not bringing in new clients,
he's not practicing law much,
and he has vested our future with Douglas.
I don't believe I'm saying this,
but I think the time has come for a shift in leadership.
To whom?
To me.
Stuart, I know you might want it,
but I think that litigation is our calling card,
and it makes more sense to have a trial lawyer at the helm,
and I'm ready for it.
I'm ready for it, too.
ARNIE: With all due respect, Stuart,
if we are going to dethrone Leland,
and I'm not so sure that we should,
Michael is the one who should replace him.
I think we should at least go to him first.
I already tried that, he wouldn't budge.
He thinks Douglas has earned the position.
Plus which, we all went to him two months ago
to confront him about his unilateral decision making
and look how he responds, more of the same.
-So we just vote him out?
-KUZAK: That's just it, we can't.
Only the executive committee can schedule a vote
before the calendar year end,
and Douglas and Leland make up two
-thirds.
So what are you suggesting, Mike, an overthrow?
No.
We make a proposalen banc.
If we are united,
I think Leland will bow to the majority.
Do you realize what we're doing?
We're just making a proposal.
We're not forcing him into anything,
and we're not looking to shed any blood.
What if he refuses?
Then we have to honor his position.
This is his firm.
He created it, we can't lose sight of that.
We just have to hope that he listens to us.
You were Microlink's vice president of marketing,
-is that correct, Miss Lockhart?
-Yes.
When did you lose your job?
A week after they fired Bruce Fairchild.
They couldn't wait to get rid of me.
Why do you say that?
They treated me like I didn't exist.
I'd make marketing proposals and I'd be ignored.
I was told we, meaning Americans,
didn't have enough refinement to run an ad campaign.
JONATHAN: What did they want you to do instead?
LOCKHART: I have no idea.
The only positive reaction I ever got from Mr. Nakajima
was when I offered him a cup of tea.
Did Mr. Nakajima ever suggest how you should behave?
LOCKHART: Not in so many words,
but the message was clear.
I shouldn't be so aggressive.
I shouldn't contradict male executives.
I should give serious thought to marriage and children
before I got too old.
The defendants claim they fired you only on
-the basis of merit.
-LOCKHART: That's a lie.
I have a BA from Princeton, an MBA from Wharton,
and years of experience in the industry.
While I was at Microlink, sales more than doubled.
I was fired because I'm American.
And because I'm a woman.
And you know it.
JONATHAN: Thank you.
How long were you at Microlink, Miss Lockhart?
A little over three years.
And how many other jobs had you held
since graduating from business school?
Objection. Relevance.
Goes to work history, your honor.
I'm trying to establish a pattern
in Miss Lockhart's professional career.
I'll allow it.
Six jobs at six different companies in years.
Not exactly a longevity record, is it?
Every time I made a move, it was a move up.
I have no doubt.
You were blatantly ambitious.
You leap
-frogged from company to company
more concerned with your own advancement
than with loyalty.
Ask them about loyalty.
Ask them about throwing competent people out on the street.
No, I'll decide which questions I'll ask, ma'am.
When you made all these career moves,
was it to serve the companies or your own personal career?
I cared about the company.
I planned to stay at Microlink forever.
I cared very much, and I had no
-
-
You were sending out your resume
two months before Katsu let you go.
Because I could read the handwriting on the wall,
-and I
-
-
-Did you go to Mr. Nakajima?
Did you try to make things right,
or do anything to save your relationship with Microlink?
-There wasn't any point.
-There wasn't any point.
So, at the time you got pushed,
you were looking to jump anyway.
Right, Miss Lockhart?
Maybe.
I'm sorry, I didn't hear you.
I said maybe.
Maybe.
Thank you. I have nothing further.
[indistinct whimpering]
Yeah, just
-
- just a minute.
Arnie
-
-
-John.
-Where the hell have you been?
Oh, man. Sig Alert on the .
Harriet and her lawyer left, for God's sake.
I'm sorry. Look, we can
-
- we can do it tomorrow
-
-
Oh, damn it, Arnie, I want this divorce over with.
-ARNIE: Okay.
-I want to stop thinking about it,
-do you hear me?
-Okay.
How about... : tomorrow?
-I'll call Pat Phillips
-
-
-Yeah, yeah, just be here.
Or the next time, I won't be.
Great.
Where were you?
[sighs] I don't have to report to you, Gwen.
You also had a : court date.
Don't worry, Abby got you a continuance.
Arnie, this is not the first time
someone's had to cover for you.
You were supposed to have the Morheim pre
-nup
drawn up last week,
and I've been deflecting them for three days.
Pat Phillips and the Ordovers sat in this office
and waited for you to show up for an hour.
I know, I know. I know you've been covering for me,
and I
-
- I know that I don't deserve it,
and I
-
- I'm sorry.
I
-
- I've been
-
-
I've been distracted. Lately.
I
-
- I got a letter from Chloe the other day.
She, um
-
-
She told me that she'd been looking after her mother.
She said that I shouldn't worry.
I'm sorry.
Yeah.
So, have you, um
-
-
Have you talked with Corinne lately?
Uh, Corinne and I don't seem to be speaking.
I leave her messages, but, um...
I'm a reminder of something she'd rather forget.
I guess I can understand that.
I'm sorry, you were friends and
-
-
Gwen, I
-
- I want you to know that when we
-
-
When
-
- When we made love that time,
it wasn't just my fear of marriage
that made me do it.
I mean, I wasn't using you.
At least, I
-
- I
-
-
I hope that I wasn't.
Thank you.
The truth of the matter is that I, uh
-
-
I found you and I
-
-
I still find you to be...
the most amazing woman that I've ever met.
You pustulant little puke.
-What
-
- What did I do?
-Using your divorce,
using Chloe as just another set up for a seduction.
Gwen, I swear I wasn't...
BOTH: ...thinking of that at all, no.
Uh
-uh.
Arnie, believe it or not, I don't hate you.
For any of this.
I feel sorry for you.
[door closes]
Hi. What's goin' on?
Oh, not much.
Just getting set up for that meeting.
-Yeah.
-God, I hope it's not too awful.
Yeah, well, it probably will be.
Did you want something?
No, no, I
-
-
Grace, I
-
- I just wanted to tell you that I
-
-
I do love you.
I do.
I'm sorry.
-Victor.
-What?
I like the sound of that.
[door closes]
What's this about?
The partners, excluding Douglas,
have a proposal that we'd like to offer formally
pursuant to article , section three,
of the partnership agreement.
I wasn't aware that you'd even read
the partnership agreement, Michael.
-Stuart.
-STUART: Yeah.
"Nine weeks ago, the partners of this firm
"convened to address you, Leland McKenzie,
"with our concerns regarding your leadership of this law firm.
"You responded to these concerns by
"appointing Douglas Brackman
"as pro tem senior partner for a six week period
"while you attended to expanding our client base.
"No such expansion occurred.
"Now, after nine weeks, you have unilaterally extended
"Douglas's senior partner tenure to an open
-ended term.
"Again, without consulting the other partners,
"you've made a designation which affects all of our interests.
"We feel we have no choice now
"but to call on you and the executive committee
"to schedule a new vote,
"which vote would serve to either confirm your position
"or, in turn, elect a new senior partner.
"Signed, Michael Kuzak, Arnold Becker,
Stuart Markowitz, Ann Kelsey, and Grace Van Owen."
Well, you've obviously all gotten together here.
Who do you plan to vote in?
Michael.
KUZAK: Douglas would remain as administrative partner,
Leland, you would go to being of counsel.
You think you can just push me out?
This isn't a push, Leland, it's a proposal.
KUZAK: This is your firm.
The decision is yours, we'll abide by it.
-We just want you to know
-
-
-This is an ambush.
It's not an ambush, we are all on the same side.
We all want what's best for the firm.
Do any of you think you really know how to run a firm?
It isn't all just trying cases and
-
- and collecting fees.
There's a hell of a lot more involved here than
-
-
Again, Leland, we're not pushing you out.
To the contrary, we would be counting on your guidance
in making the transition to the new leadership.
You go straight to hell, Michael.
I'd take that as a no.
[door opens]
-KUZAK: Leland
-
-
-That was a betrayal.
To go to the others behind my back,
that was a betrayal, you son of a bitch!
I got two choices here.
Either I can walk away from this firm,
or I can stay here and fight for it.
-I chose the latter.
-You chose to screw me.
You chose to step down, you chose to put Douglas in charge.
It's that we're rebelling against.
It's a rebellion against me.
This is spit in my face to be summoned like that,
and given an ultimatum.
It's not an ultimatum, for God's sake, Leland, don't you listen?
All you had to do was say no.
You said it so it's done, it's over.
You're not the one being pushed out here.
Yeah.
[door opens]
Mr. Nakajima,
when your firm bought out Microlink,
did you want to keep the American management?
Of course. But they never understood,
or I should say, they refused to understand
our way of doing business.
Well, they claim they weren't given a chance to really work with you.
NAKAJIMA: They didn't care to work with us.
We felt their distrust from the onset of the buy out.
Mr. Fairchild, in six months,
refused to learn even basic Japanese,
which means he could not conference with Tokyo;
which also made it impossible for him to
expand sales in the Pacific Rim.
He says you froze him out.
NAKAJIMA: We needed him.
Whenever we acquire companies in American markets,
we depend on American executives.
But from the beginning,
they resisted our management style,
and they resisted us personally.
The situation finally became unworkable.
So you replaced the American executives
with Japanese executives.
All the changes were made on merit,
and since those changes,
productivity and the company value has doubled.
SPITZER: Thank you, sir. I have nothing further.
How many American companies
has the Katsu parent company acquired?
Microlink makes four.
How many presidents in these four companies
have been replaced by Japanese executives?
Four.
JONATHAN: And how many women in the parent Katsu company in Japan
work in the elite management team?
In Japan, the culture is such
-
-
Uh, sir, just answer my question.
Give me a number. As a matter of fact, round it off.
How many of the , upper management
Katsu executives in Japan are women?
Zero. Because in Japan
-
-
Do you have something against women, Mr. Nakajima?
We respect that the culture is different here.
We have women executives in the United States.
In fact, we kept on Miss Lockhart.
She was fired because of performance,
and because she exhibited no trust or confidence in us.
True or false, Mr. Nakajima:
You believe Americans to be inferior.
That is false.
I simply believe the executive skills of your clients
are inferior to their replacements.
Who just happen to be Japanese.
I am from Japan.
Most of my contacts and my sources are Japanese people.
So that gives you the right to just clean house like this
because you're from Japan?
What gives me the right to clean house...
is because I bought the company.
I own it.
Nothing further.
♪♪
SPITZER: Okay, here it is.
, each,
sealed, no admission.
-JONATHAN: No way.
-That's a joke!
-. million.
-Forget it.
$,, take it or leave it.
-Don't insult us.
-You insult us.
You see, now, this is typical.
Nothing is ever their fault.
-And nothing is ever yours.
-You tried to intimidate us.
As soon as you came in, you made us afraid for our jobs.
We tried to teach you, but you were too arrogant to learn.
You cannot hide behind your inefficiency.
Lying, arrogant son of a bitch.
[overlapping dialog]
I don't want to make a deal with this man.
I don't want to even be in the same room with him.
You never wanted to be in the same room as us.
All you wanted was money!
-You wanna get him out of here?
-Okay,
but you can't say we didn't try.
I'm sorry. I thought they were serious.
Yeah, so did we.
Look, I don't want to cry about this anymore.
I just want to bury them.
I don't know exactly what we've got on our hands, Douglas,
but this is bad.
I've been a good senior partner, Leland.
-Yeah.
-Revenue and case loads are up, overhead is down.
They have no right to reject me like this.
They're rejecting both of us, my friend.
No. If you'd stayed in command,
this wouldn't have happened.
Yeah, maybe so, but it's too late now.
No, I've lost their trust.
You see, we're the old guard,
and they're ready for the new guard.
So what do we do?
Well, Michael may be the only person who could
hold this place together right now,
but if he goes, it could all crumble like a stale cr*cker.
You want to just surrender?
No, no, but I don't want to disintegrate, either.
Boy, could we use Rosalind now.
Damn it, Leland, I want to fight them.
Let 'em all leave if they want to.
But how the hell could we face ourselves
if we just suck up to what they're doing?
That's my father on the wall there.
He built this place from the ground with you,
and they're trying to snatch it away.
We're not old.
You're , I'm , that's not old, damn it.
I want to fight them. I want to fight.
I'm with you, Douglas.
But we have to be prepared.
I mean, they can all walk.
We could have an office with no lawyers.
-Roxanne.
-Yes?
Have you been eavesdropping?
No.
Yes.
Why? Are you spying for them?
Oh, no. I'm with you.
And if my opinion counts for anything,
I'm glad you're not gonna take this.
I think they're spoiled, selfish, overgrown brats.
And I hope you wipe the floor with every one of them.
Get a hold of Rod Osborne Placements.
He's the top head hunter in town.
We're gonna find some new lawyers.
Good.
-Am I senior partner?
-Absolutely.
Then I'm gonna take action.
What I need from you is percent backing.
-Don't worry.
-They think they can just
flick us to the side,
they have no idea what they're in for.
MAN: Now, as for the cars, we propose Mr. Ordover
retain ownership of the Mercedes,
Mrs. Ordover the Thunderbird,
and the Jetta wagon to be sold as previously agreed,
proceeds to be split between the parties.
That's a ' Thunderbird in pristine condition.
I put in hundreds of hours of work on it
-
-
Fine. You want the Thunderbird,
you give me back your half of the timeshare in Boulder.
What? That's outrageous. Arnie.
Arnie.
Just give her the timeshare, John.
-What?
-The values are roughly comparable.
You don't even use the condo that much.
Just give her the stupid timeshare. Let's move on.
Item number , limited edition serigraph, Thomas Dougherty,
number in an edition of ,
this was Mr. Ordover's separate private property
prior to his marriage.
Which was converted to Mrs. Ordover's property
when he presented it to her as a gift.
I'd like to see you prove that.
-Oh, come on, people, we can work this out.
-HARRIET: It was a gift.
Doesn't that mean anything to you?
You never even liked the damn picture.
[overlapping dialog]
It's just a damn picture!
See? It doesn't bleed when you cut it!
They don't cry when you drop them!
They are things! They are just property!
No matter how expensive it is, no matter how much you love it,
they will never love you back!
Is this what it all comes down to?
Just a
-
- Just a division of property?
Itemizing silverware and furniture!
GWEN: Arnie.
Calm down, take it easy.
[panting]
Is that all there is to it?
Is that all we ever get out of it?
Arnie.
GWEN: Arnie, come outside with me.
Come on, come on. Come on.
Come on outside with me.
Come on. It's okay.
♪♪
-[chuckles]
-What are you doing?
Oh, I'm just kinda sittin' here in my foxhole.
The place has gone crazy, Jonathan.
Partners walking around with bayonets stickin' each other,
Arnie's flipped out.
I just figured I'd sit in here and, uh,
duck the scuds.
You think the firm's gonna break apart?
I don't know.
It's awful noisy out there.
I think I'm gonna talk to Leland.
No. You should just let the elephants fight it out.
Us little people should just stay out of it.
You seem pretty sanguine about all this.
Yeah.
Well, it's just a place of work,
you know, I mean...
more important things to worry about than work, right?
Yeah.
Like what?
[chuckles]
How's your case going?
Man, lousy.
Well, it started off okay,
but they've made a pretty good business defense.
I don't even think the jury even sees Katsu as r*cist now,
just good Japanese business men.
Well, they are Japanese.
Meaning what?
Meaning maybe the way to winning
isn't their racism, maybe it's ours.
Nah, I can't stick to that as a tactic.
They hired you to win a lawsuit, Jonathan.
Gotta try to win it.
Having a nice day so far?
Yeah. What's this?
Oh, this is security.
Never know when you might need it.
By the way, you're fired.
What?
By meeting secretly with your little group
and orchestrating that proposal,
you breached your fiduciary duty
to both Leland and me.
Accordingly, I, as senior partner,
am authorized to summarily discharge you
pursuant to article four, section two.
-You can't do that.
-I can and I have.
You have the right to an a*t*matic appeal
before the entire firm partnership,
said appeal to be scheduled by the senior partner
not later than days after the discharge.
I hereby schedule your appeal for April , .
Until then, you're fired. Get out.
No, I'm not going anywhere.
DOUGLAS: Then I'll have you arrested as a trespasser.
It's up to you, Michael. You either walk out,
or these men drag you out and take you to the police.
Well, congratulations, Douglas.
You just guaranteed the end of this firm.
You make your moves, I make mine.
See you in a month. Get him out of here.
-This is unbelievable.
-Come on, let's go.
Roxanne, have his parking permit revoked.
I don't even want him in the building.
-Everybody in there?
-All except Arnold,
who we can't seem to track down.
-But this can't wait.
-Okay, let's get 'em.
ANN: What the hell have you done, Douglas?
What I've done is to take appropriate action
against a thr*at to this firm.
-Oh, come on, Douglas.
-There is nothing appropriate about what you did.
Michael Kuzak is a valued member of this partnership,
and you fired him without consulting us.
And having him removed by security?
That's a disgrace, Douglas, an insult to everybody here.
-I had my reasons
-
-
-There is no legitimate reason
for treating anyone like that, much less a partner.
Do you want to hear me out or do you all want to just scream?
[overlapping dialog]
-LELAND: All right!
-You ought to be ashamed of yourself, Leland.
Why don't you let us talk for a change, Grace.
Go ahead, Douglas.
Michael Kuzak was undoubtedly planning to leave this firm.
He most likely would have cultivated his clients to go with him.
And as a precautionary safeguard,
I fired a preemptive strike.
By cutting his access off to clients and files,
we stand a much better chance of holding on to those clients.
You don't treat people like that.
No, the better way, I suppose,
is to covertly meet and plan a backstabbing coup.
-That is not what we did.
-We didn't s*ab you in the back, Leland.
-The hell you didn't!
-DOUGLAS: All right.
Michael's termination is scheduled for an appeal
before the partnership in one month,
at which time you can override my decision
in accordance with the partnership agreement.
Until then, his case load will be reassigned,
and he will have no access to this office.
[overlapping dialog]
Hey! The decision's been made.
And if any of you don't like it, I suggest you quit.
This is my firm. This will always be my firm.
And don't you forge that for a second.
You people started this fight.
And if I have to, I'll finish it.
Come along, Douglas.
The Japanese are taking over this country.
They own percent of the banks here in California.
And almost percent of all U.S. banks.
The control percent of the U.S. car market,
and percent of the commercial real estate in downtown Los Angeles.
They're colonizing us, ladies and gentlemen.
See, this may be more subtle than Pearl Harbor,
but the thr*at is much worse.
Today, California and New York,
tomorrow Montana and Maine, and make no mistake,
every time they take over an American company,
they'll be replacing the American management with Japanese,
because not only do they consider themselves to be superior,
they believe in racial purity.
See, they didn't even let westerners within
the bounds of Japan until years ago.
Before that, Japan was considered too pure,
to sacred to be polluted by foreigners.
Today, they're still worried about
diluting the superiority of their race.
The difference is, instead of staying home in Japan,
they're branching out.
And here they come.
Ladies and gentlemen, we have to stop them.
Because if we just give them the opportunity
to march over us, they will.
They will.
Bruce Fairchild, Paige Lockhart,
and Donald Schwartz were not incompetent,
but Katsu Electronics fired them anyway.
And we all know why.
What you need to do here today
is show them that here in our country
-
-
and it's still our country
-
-
that is not our way of doing business.
Oh, yes.
The little red ants are marching over here to colonize us.
Isn't it just awful?
Pearl Harbor?
That kind of Japan bashing is disgraceful.
The fact is, Japan bashing is a convenient way
for us to avoid responsibility.
Is it their fault
their kids spend more days year in school than ours do?
That their blue collar workers can do algebra
while some of ours can't even read.
We like to blame the Japanese for our problems,
but the truth is we've made 'em ourselves
right here at home.
We've forgotten all the good old American values
like excellence and hard work.
The Japanese remember them.
Katsu's used them to bring Microlink into the global market.
Bruce Fairchild, Paige Lockhart,
and Donald Schwartz couldn't do that.
When Katsu fired them
and replaced them with more gifted executives,
the company became bigger, more profitable.
It flourished.
Merit, ladies and gentlemen,
that's what we call this.
That used to be the American way.
You can prove it still is.
MAN [on TV]: They're always in the way, always coming between us.
[knocking]
-MAN:...we have a chance
-
-
-WOMAN:Jeff, don't. Please.
It's hard enough. As angry as I am
-
-
[knocking]
-Hi.
-Hi.
I like it.
It's got that... lived in feel.
Haven't had a chance to unpack yet.
Uh
-huh.
Really did it to myself this time, didn't I, Rox?
Everybody loses their temper.
It's no big deal.
I don't mean the office, I mean my life.
Yeah.
You really did it this time, Arnie.
I really loved her, you know that.
I loved her.
And Chloe.
I know.
So why'd you do it, Arnie?
I felt old.
I
-
-
I feel afraid.
Nobody's ever gonna really love me
if they know the real me.
You just have to keep making them prove it.
Sometimes out here on the boardwalk,
the beach, and I see these little old men
walking up and down and I know that they're just marking time,
'cause they have no place to go and nobody to be with.
I don't want to die alone, Roxanne,
and I know that I'm going to.
You need help, Arnie.
Please, let me get you help.
[sobbing]
Has the jury reached a verdict?
-We have, your honor.
-JUDGE: How say you?
WOMAN: In the matter of Fairchild et al.
vs. Katsu Electronics,
we find in favor of the plaintiffs
and order the defendants to pay compensatory damages
in the amount of $, to Mr. Fairchild,
$, to Miss Lockhart and Mr. Schwartz.
We further order the defendant to pay punitive damages
in the amount of . million
to be split equally between the plaintiffs.
Members of the jury, your service is ended,
this matter is adjourned.
Mr. Rollins, approach.
That was probably
the most r*cist closing argument I've ever heard
in years on the bench.
I just hope to God you realize
that this verdict does not legitimize
the crap you've been saying.
It only means there's a market for it.
-Is that all?
-Yeah.
That's all.
You don't think it'd be easier just to come back?
I mean, the partners are gonna override this,
you know they are.
I'm not sure I even want to go back.
The truth is, Victor, the time is right
for me to move on.
The Rikki Davis trial has given me a tremendous profile.
It's time for new challenges,
and I want you to come with me.
I don't know about that.
Mike, Grace and I are
-
-
She's pregnant.
Really?
Wow, congratulations. That's great.
Yeah, uh, there's been a whole lot of things
racing through my mind because of it.
I gotta tell you,
opening up a law practice with you hasn't been one of them.
Victor, I can deal with you and Grace.
This is business.
You and I have a tremendous record,
incredible capital experience.
We can build a hell of a practice.
And we'll have fun.
What do you say, you interested?
-Maybe.
-Then let's do it.
I need some help with the files, though.
You can be my inside man.
I want to take as many clients as possible.
I also want to talk to Jonathan, Abby, and Tommy.
I'll bet you anything we can get them to come with us.
What about Grace?
What about her, you'd want her, too?
An ex judge? Hell, yes.
Victor, we can be an elite litigation shop,
plus which, we will decimate
the litigation department at McKenzie Brackman.
We won't even have to woo clients,
they will come running to us.
Mike, you really want to take down the firm?
[sighs] Douglas and Leland
declared this w*r, Victor, not me.
I'm just gonna be the one who wins it.
♪♪ [theme]
05x17 - Mutinies On The Banzai
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High-powered law firm of McKenzie, Brackman, Chaney and Kuzak handles both criminal and civil cases, but the office politics and romance often distract them from the courtroom.
High-powered law firm of McKenzie, Brackman, Chaney and Kuzak handles both criminal and civil cases, but the office politics and romance often distract them from the courtroom.