The Lincoln Lawyer (2022) s04e01 Episode Script
7211956
1
[pensive music playing]
[Mickey] There were 750 murder
cases filed in Los Angeles last year.
750 times the prosecutors filed charges
under Penal Code Section 187,
the biggest, most important charge
they can file.
No matter how different
the facts were in each of those cases,
at the end of the day,
every one of them was the same.
Because at the end of the day,
every murder case is like a tree.
A tall, shady tree.
And it's the prosecutor's job
to feed and water that tree.
They will use every tool they have
to guard and protect that tree.
[indistinct chatter]
[Mickey] Direct evidence,
circumstantial evidence,
forensic science,
motive, means, and opportunity.
The state will spare no expense
to give that tree
everything it needs
to grow big and strong.
Because the bigger and stronger
that tree grows,
the easier it will be
to get a conviction.
And that's what it's all about.
That's the number one rule
of any murder case.
[indistinct chatter]
[Mickey] No matter what,
somebody has to pay.
So if you're accused of murder,
what you need is an axe.
Chop that tree down and burn it to ashes.
And you're the man with the axe?
[Mickey] Huh? Oh, no.
No, Edgar, I don't have an axe for you.
From what I can see,
you're pretty much screwed.
[scoffs]
Man, what the hell do you know,
Haller? Hmm?
If you're so smart,
how come you're in here with me?
- [buzzer sounds]
- [indistinct chatter]
Well, it's a mistake.
One that I intend to rectify quickly.
Yeah, you and every other pendejo
in this place.
Edgar, they've got
the license plate of the car
and got you on camera at Union Station
dumping the car in the parking lot.
No. I was just the pinche driver, okay?
I didn't shoot nobody.
It doesn't matter.
You're the one they caught.
You got, what? Two priors.
- Three strikes, and you know what happens.
- Man, fuck you!
[Mickey sighs]
The way I see it, Edgar,
you've got one shot.
You know why
they got you here in high power
instead of the gang section, right?
Any day now,
they're gonna put you in a room
and ask you the big question.
If you weren't the shooter, then who was?
There's nothing in there
that can help you, Edgar.
The only way you can
help yourself now is
[quietly] is to give up some names.
Bullshit! [slams table]
Are you kidding?
You think I'm gonna do that shit?
Just calm down.
You asked me to look at your file.
You don't like my advice,
then go talk to your own lawyer about it.
I can't talk to him about shit.
Don't you get that?
[tense music playing]
[quietly] Edgar, if you're saying
that your lawyer works for the gang,
I can recommend a public defender.
[Edgar mutters in Spanish]
[Edgar grunts]
- [inmates chatter]
- [bell rings]
Chow time, assholes! Deuce it up!
Let's go!
[Mickey grunts]
[exhales]
[indistinct chatter]
[music fades]
[sighs]
[upbeat rock music playing]
Well, I'm goin' out west
Where I belong ♪
Where the days are short
And the nights are long ♪
You okay?
[sighs softly]
You should tell your dad
about your microplastics report.
Mom, I wanna cheer him up,
not bore him to death.
This is a man who likes to discuss
hearsay exceptions for fun.
Your teacher said you have a future
in environmental law. Trust me.
This will cheer him up.
How much longer is he gonna be in there?
It's been six weeks.
You said he was getting a speedy trial.
No, I said that he didn't
waive his right to a speedy trial.
All that means is they can't delay it.
It took two weeks to bring charges.
After that, they have 60 court days
before they have to bring him to trial.
There's nothing speedy
about this process, honey.
Hayley, if I know one thing
about your dad,
it's that he wouldn't want you
to worry about him.
He knows the system
like the back of his hand. He's got this.
[music continues]
Well, I'm going out west
Down on the coast ♪
Where the California girls
Are really the most ♪
[Lorna] Penal Code 487.
That is the section
that covers grand theft.
Now you're usually
only looking at a year in jail.
Unless you have multiple priors,
which, oh, unfortunately, you do.
Oh, uh I've given all that up.
Uh-huh.
No. No, this was a gift.
I've gone straight, Lorna. Honest.
Well, there's still the matter of the
seven outstanding charges, all of which
we are fully prepared to fight.
Except that Mickey's,
you know, in jail [scoffs]
which is where I'd
like to avoid going.
Well, that and the trunk of his car.
[chuckles awkwardly]
Yeah. Yeah,
that is an unfortunate speed bump.
But I can assure you,
you are in very good hands.
I'm the firm's most senior associate.
You mean you're the
firm's only associate.
Either way,
I'll be taking over Mickey's clients.
So while he deals with his little
murder thingy, why don't you sign here?
Look, I think I have
to consider my options.
I appreciate your hustle and all,
but I just can't afford to get mixed up
with, you know, criminals.
You understand, right?
You give Mickey my love.
Well, the air is crisp in old 'Frisco ♪
California cool wherever we go ♪
Whoa, and I walk, and they walk ♪
And I twist, and they twist ♪
And I shimmy, and they shimmy ♪
And I fly, and they'll fly ♪
Well, we're out there having fun ♪
In the warm California sun ♪
Well, we're out there having fun ♪
In the warm California sun ♪
[music ends]
[brakes squeak]
[distant siren wailing]
Raul Estrada.
Depends who's asking.
Dennis Wojciechowski.
I'm an investigator
for your former lawyer, Mickey Haller.
Haller. Huh.
- Haven't heard that name in a while.
- Nine years, to be exact.
That's how long ago you were sent up
on a manslaughter charge,
and you blamed Mickey
for not getting you a better deal.
At least that's what you wrote in those
angry letters you sent from Pelican Bay.
A lot of free time on your hands
when you're inside.
Gotta do something
to keep yourself occupied.
Come to think of it,
I remember hearing Haller's name recently.
He arrested for murder or something?
Yeah, or something.
So I'm just visiting his former clients
who might have had a beef with him.
This place was listed
as your work address.
So let me get this straight.
You think I killed some total stranger
and tried to set up Haller for it?
Well, I'm just trying
to rule out possibilities, Raul.
Tell me where you were
the night of Thursday, September 16th,
and maybe I can rule out this one.
Well,
if it was Thursday,
then I'm sure I was conducting a class.
At the liquor store?
The liquor store belongs to my cousin.
He's kind enough to let me use
the space next door.
We have Bible study every Thursday night.
Like I said, when you're inside,
gotta find a way
to keep yourself occupied.
[pensive music playing]
Tell Mickey we'll be praying for him.
Oh, hey.
God bless.
[opening theme music playing]
[woman] Another development in the case
of well-known LA defense attorney
Michael Haller,
who's currently awaiting trial
for his suspected involvement
in the murder of a former client.
It's been a month
since the grand jury returned charges,
and the DA's decision
to seek a secret indictment
instead of filing a complaint
has effectively tied the defense's hands
as they attempt to prepare for trial.
But there were signs of movement today
as a judge was finally assigned
to the case.
Judge Lionel Stone,
a former prosecutor
[phone ringing]
who's known for
his tough sentencing
Haller and Associates.
[on TV] court will be in session today
for the first
Sorry, we have no comment
on the charges at this time. Thank you.
Stay tuned for updates.
I'm Kacey Montoya, KTLA 5 News.
You find any security footage?
Not yet. It's pretty desolate
where Mickey got pulled over.
No cameras or anything around there.
Ooh, is that cold brew?
I got my paralegal class
in a couple hours.
- Yeah. There's more in the fridge.
- Blue Bottle? Stumptown?
More like Costco's finest.
Until Julian's settlement comes in,
we have to save for Mickey's defense.
I thought Julian's settlement was done.
The negotiation is done.
It could take up to a year
to draw up the paperwork
and cut the check.
[scoffs] Lawyers.
[mysterious music playing]
Hey, any luck?
Depends on your definition of luck.
What
[Cisco] So far, every disgruntled client
currently not in prison
has an alibi for the night of the murder.
[Lorna] And all of our current clients
keep dumping us.
It's a catch-22.
Nobody wants us
when Mickey's on trial for murder,
but without the income,
how are we gonna get him out?
What about the Sam Scales angle?
It would take decades
to run down everyone who hated Sam.
I'm looking for overlaps.
Somebody who wanted Sam dead
and had a reason to pin it on Mickey.
Sure you didn't get anything from the DA
that would help narrow it down?
Are you kidding? It would take
an order from the governor's office
to get them to hand over discovery.
[Izzy sighs] Yeah.
I think I'm gonna need
one of those cold brews after all.
[Cisco sighs]
[indistinct chatter echoes]
[Mickey] Bamba.
What's up, Counselor?
You sure got Quesada all worked up
in the day room back there.
Yeah, where the hell were you? I thought
you were supposed to protect me in here.
[Bamba] Don't worry. I got you.
I was watching the whole time.
From where? From up here?
Hey, you're not paying me enough
to follow you everywhere.
If there was a problem, I'd handle it.
[Mickey] That's what I get
for trying to help.
Next time somebody asks
if there's a lawyer in the house,
gonna keep my mouth shut.
It might be smarter.
You always tie your files up
like you wiring a car?
This way, I know if somebody's
been snooping where they shouldn't be.
You think I trust the deputies in here?
I trust Edgar Quesada more.
I've got my hearing today.
Gotta make sure I've got everything.
Well, hey, look. If you wanna practice
your speech on me again,
that's gonna cost you extra.
No need, Bamba. Thank you.
Hey, well, look.
Remember what I told you.
When you get on that bus,
make sure you sit towards the front.
That way, if shit goes down,
the guards are right on top of it.
Okay, but what if they
put me in the back?
[Bamba sighs]
[Mickey] Right.
Hey, good luck!
Don't forget to give the man
the finger for me.
[pensive music playing]
[indistinct chatter]
[men] Fuck you!
[animated chatter]
[man 1] Fuck you!
[man 2] You suck!
[music continues]
[guard] 7211956.
Um, here.
[scanner beeps]
Let's go.
- [scanner bleeps]
- [buzzer sounds]
- [keypad bleeps]
- [buzzer sounds]
- Hey.
- There he is.
Started to think you wouldn't make it
before the hearing.
Sheriff's department
runs on their own schedule.
We brought the motions and your suit.
I was thinking red tie
'cause it projects power and confidence.
[Mickey] No, red's too confrontational.
Let's, uh
Let's go with blue.
Right? Blue just projects calm.
Even need the suit?
We don't even have a jury.
But we'll pick one soon, and I don't want
them seeing photos of me in jail scrubs.
Also don't want them to see you
looking like a hobo riding the rails.
No offense. It completely works on you.
Yeah, good point.
[Lorna] And before anything else,
I want you to eat
these carnitas tacos we brought.
The last thing you want
is to spill salsa on a clean shirt.
Thank you.
Mm.
You have no idea
how bad the food is inside.
I'm starting to get
a pretty good picture, actually.
So how's everybody feeling? Good?
Well, uh, under the circumstances,
we are
[Mickey] Listen,
just like Legal always says,
act like a winner,
and you will be a winner.
We're gonna win this thing.
No doubt in my mind.
Let's talk about the motion to suppress.
You found some precedent, probable cause?
Sure. Plenty, but getting a judge
to throw out the discovery of a body
in a murder case is a pretty tall order.
Which reminds me
Oh, right,
the, uh, judge you're assigned. Stone.
In addition to being a former prosecutor,
apparently, he's got a reputation
for being prickly.
Which means we all need to be
on our best behavior.
Let's not give him any excuses.
I don't know him, but sometimes,
former prosecutors are good.
They don't wanna look biased,
so they try to rule in favor
of the defense as much as possible.
Plus, this deputy DA we got, Richard
He's green.
He won't know how to fight back. Oh
I'm taking Officer Collins.
I don't buy his story for a second.
Mickey, you questioning the officer
that pulled you over
might come across a little vindictive.
I should do it.
You take the discovery motion.
It should be straightforward.
They haven't given us anything yet.
Oh, and as for the bail argument
- That's not a priority today.
- What?
I don't know how much time we'll get.
We need to focus on important things.
If there's time, we can argue bail.
If not,
we'll just save it for another day.
Uh, Mick, don't you want out of jail?
Of course I do, but not at any price.
They set bail at five million.
That's 500 grand to a bail bondsman
we don't have,
and we're never gonna get back.
Which is why we're arguing to reduce it.
Even if we get it down, that's Hayley's
college fund we're talking about.
Not to mention law school.
Mick, you know we'll defer our salaries.
No, I'm not asking anyone to do that.
Look, we're almost halfway
into my speedy trial timeline.
I've got two more months
until they have to put up or shut up.
I can do two more months if I have to.
Okay, Mickey, I'm gonna ask you this
one last time.
Do you want me to call Andrea Freemann?
Maybe she can help.
No, I I'm not dragging Andy into this.
She's got enough problems
in the DA's office.
We got this, all right? Trust me.
Now come on. Let's go win this thing.
[knocking on door]
- [buzzer sounds]
- [lock clicks]
[music fades]
The homework and
reading is posted online.
Shepardize the cases, and tell me
if there's still good law or not.
Have a good rest of the day, everybody.
[indistinct chatter]
[Izzy sighs]
You okay?
What?
Oh
Yeah, I was just hoping
for an update from work.
[woman] Hmm. Very conscientious.
The majority of us are actively trying
to avoid updates from work.
- Izzy, right?
- That's me.
Izzy with the masterful command
of the California Penal Code.
I don't know about that. I just hear
about it all day long at the office.
And you're
Don't tell me. It starts with a G?
Grace.
Right. Grace.
Sorry, I'm still learning
everyone's names.
I obviously do not have
a masterful command of the contact list.
Well, if you wanna
clear your head a little bit,
a few of us are gonna head
to Tabletop in Echo Park after work.
Is that the place
with all the old arcade games?
Yes, and the killer hot wings.
Damn. Hot wings and Pac-Man.
It's a tough combination to beat.
Thank you. That's what I'm saying.
You should come. It'll be fun.
Uh
I don't know. I
I'd like to. Just a lot going on
at my office right now.
Yeah. So, okay.
I have a confession to make. Um
My boss kind of knows your boss a little.
Yeah, it's the whole
defense attorney circle stuff,
but he says really nice things about him.
I'm sorry that you guys
have to deal with this.
Thanks. Actually, this class has been good
for me to get my mind off it a little bit.
Yeah, that's exactly why
you should come out tonight.
My phone number is in that contact list
that you didn't read.
[Izzy chuckles]
Or you can just show up.
You can just come by.
I think we're gonna get there
at, like, 6:00?
Uh
Yeah. Okay. I'll try.
Yeah?
Can I take that as a definite maybe?
You can take that as a definite maybe.
All right. Great.
Okay. Well, I will maybe
see you later, then, Izzy.
[gentle music playing]
[music fades]
All rise.
Case number BA59972.
People versus Michael Haller.
The Honorable Lionel Stone presiding.
Have you noticed who's not here?
- [phone vibrating]
- Officer Collins. Still playing games.
[Stone] Counsel may be seated.
- Before we begin, are there any issues
- What? I'm in court.
I'm so sorry, Mr. Richards.
Is this court keeping you?
No, Your Honor.
[phone clatters]
[Richards] Uh It's just
Sorry. Hey, I'm in
What?
Are you kidding Hey, wait a minute.
I've been preparing this for
Your Honor, uh,
if I could request two minutes.
My sincere apologies to the court.
Outside, please.
[quirky music playing]
- [Richards] I don't believe this.
- Just when you think you've seen it all.
[Richards] I dropped three cases for this.
One was a gang murder. This is completely
Dana Berg for the People, Your Honor.
My apologies on behalf of our office,
but there has been a personnel change,
and I will be taking over this case
moving forward.
Who the hell is that?
"Death Row" Dana.
They call her Death Row Dana?
- [Stone] So noted, Ms. Berg.
- Yep.
As is the irregular manner
of your appearance.
Can we please get on with this?
I do have other hearings today.
[music fades]
Absolutely, Your Honor.
Lorna Crane for the defense,
along with pro se counsel Michael Haller.
We're here on a number of motions.
Firstly, a motion to suppress
any evidence obtained
during the illegal traffic stop
of my client.
The defense contends that Mr. Haller
was set up and framed for this murder,
and it began
with a warrantless search of his car.
Set up?
By whom?
I'm sorry?
You just said Mr. Haller was set up
and framed. By whom, Ms. Crane?
Um
Your Honor, I believe that's irrelevant
for the purpose of this hearing.
Irrelevant? Is that so?
- No. I'm sorry
- Your Honor, if I may?
And thank you again to the court
for allowing me to appear pro se
alongside my cocounsel, Ms. Crane.
Go ahead, Mr. Haller.
Now, in terms of relevance,
we agree that once we go to trial,
the identity of the party
who framed me will be very relevant.
But at this time, respectfully,
we feel it would be manifestly unjust
to have to reveal every detail
of our case to the prosecution.
We're merely challenging the validity
of a traffic stop. Nothing more.
Fine. Let's just move on, then.
[Mickey] Thank you.
Now, as Ms. Crane said,
we filed a motion challenging
the traffic stop
and the search of my trunk
by Officer Collins.
A hearing is required on this motion,
and yet
Officer Collins is nowhere to be seen.
My investigator has been trying
to contact him for six weeks,
also with no success.
It seems by hiding Officer Collins
until it's too late,
the prosecution is doing everything
they can to prevent a fair trial.
Your Honor, as the court
and the defendant both know,
I'm new to this case,
but I fail to see how anyone
from our side has been hiding anything,
let alone trying to prevent a fair trial.
On the contrary, we look forward to one.
- What
- Your Honor, may I be heard again?
Will you two make up your minds already?
Go ahead, Ms. Crane.
The prosecution clearly doesn't want us
to talk to Officer Collins before trial.
This goes back to the decision
to seek a grand jury indictment,
where he could testify in secret
instead of holding a preliminary hearing
where we'd be able to question him.
Which is a perfectly valid option
for the prosecution to choose.
And one that prevented Mr. Haller
from confronting his accuser,
not to mention the missing video footage.
There's video footage?
Yes, Your Honor. Officer Collins
was wearing a body camera that night,
and there's also a dashboard camera
in his cruiser.
We've been given
none of that footage yet.
I'm confused, Your Honor.
Is this a motion to suppress evidence
or a request for evidence?
- It's both.
- Both.
Which is why we filed motions on both.
The prosecution has the burden
of justifying the search.
So far, they haven't justified anything.
All they've done
is violate rules of discovery.
Ms. Berg, where are we
with this video footage?
Your Honor, my apologies.
I'm told there were technical
difficulties with the transferring
Technical difficulties?
My freedom is on the line here,
and the best they can do
is technical difficulties?
If the defendant would stop interrupting,
Your Honor, I can explain.
Hold your powder, Mr. Haller.
Go ahead, Ms. Berg.
[Dana] Thank you.
As I was saying, I'm new to the case,
so any tardiness
with the discovery is news to me.
That said, I can have Officer Collins
here at the court's convenience.
And as far as the video footage, yes.
Our office
had some technical difficulties.
Emphasis on had.
We have rectified the situation
and are delivering the footage
to the defendant immediately,
along with the rest
of the discovery they requested.
I assume that arrangement
would be satisfactory, Mr. Haller?
It's fine, Your Honor,
but point of order, please.
[sighs] What is it now?
Your Honor, Ms. Berg has now referred
to me three times as the defendant.
Now, it is true.
I am the accused in this case.
But when I am arguing before the court,
I am counsel for the defense.
I would ask the court to direct Ms. Berg
to refer to me as such.
Come on. That's just semantics.
You are the defendant.
You are also the defense counsel.
Same difference in this case.
Members of the jury
might see the difference.
No response necessary, Ms. Berg.
Request is denied.
I'd advise you
not to press your luck, Mr. Haller.
Now,
I'm gonna continue this hearing
until tomorrow morning,
at which time,
I'll expect to see Officer Collins
in this courtroom ready to go.
Any matters we didn't get to today
can be taken up then.
But first, I wanna have a word
with both sides about discovery.
Let me be clear.
In this courtroom,
discovery is a two-way street.
What comes in must go out.
No review, no arguments.
What the people get, the defense gets,
and vice versa, without delay.
The penalty for violation
is the disallowance of the evidence.
Ms. Berg, that means if Officer Collins
fails to appear tomorrow,
I will be granting the motion
to suppress. Is that clear?
Yes, Your Honor.
Good.
In that case,
I will see counsel and the defendant
at 10:00 a.m. tomorrow.
Court is adjourned.
[Mickey sighs heavily]
[Cisco sighs]
- Well, at least we got discovery.
- [phone vibrating]
As soon as I have it,
I'll bring it to county.
As fast as you can.
Maggie and Hayley are coming to see me
during visiting hours. I can't miss that.
I am going to get going.
Where?
I have to meet with another client.
I'm busy. So I will see you tomorrow,
and we can talk discovery
when we get back to the office.
[quirky music playing]
[music continues]
- Maggie.
- Hey.
- Hi.
- [music fades]
Wow! This place is beautiful.
Yeah, when you work down here
for as long as I did,
you find a few secret spots.
I got you a latte.
Oh my God. Thank you.
Mm.
I have never needed coffee
as much as I need it right now.
They should hook me up
to an IV drip and cut out the middleman.
You've been dealing with a lot.
I know I usually text you
for Mickey updates,
but Hayley wanted to see a friend
from USC, so I had some time.
- Thanks for taking a minute.
- Of course.
Believe it or not, talking to you
is the one thing that's kept me sane.
I don't mean, like, believe it or not.
I just mean
No, Lorna. It's fine.
Honestly, me too.
Mickey said that you're gonna bring
Hayley to see him.
That's great. That'll mean a lot to him.
That's why I wanted to see you, actually.
I I need to know
what I'm gonna be dealing with.
How's he doing today?
Today? He is psychotically optimistic,
and I kind of wanna choke him.
Oh, I know that guy.
I know the other guy
who thinks everything is doomed,
so right now, this is the guy we want.
He's in jail, Maggie.
It's affecting the firm,
and it's affecting our reputation.
I am burning the candle at every end,
trying to keep the lights on.
But honestly,
the case doesn't seem like
it's going that well.
They just assigned
this new prosecutor, Dana Berg.
"Iceberg"?
Seriously? She has two nicknames?
[Maggie] She has a lot more than that.
[somber music playing]
I'm not gonna lie. She is really tough.
And if they put her on the case,
it means they're serious about it.
But Mickey, he's beaten her before.
Great, so add payback
to her list of motivations.
Have you had any issue with discovery?
Oh my God, it's like pulling teeth
from an angry walrus.
But the judge did read her
the riot act today,
so maybe it's gonna be okay?
If she gives you more trouble,
just tell her she's not gonna want
another Rodriguez situation.
She'll know what it means.
Okay.
Thank you.
Why do I feel this is the type of thing
you wouldn't have told Mickey?
Mickey's never been on trial before.
That's a good point.
Lorna, he's beaten her before.
He can do it again.
You both can.
I hope you're right.
[music continues]
[Mickey, in Spanish] She's just
another prosecutor. I can handle her.
[Elena] They can't keep playing games.
You're missing out on your life.
You are missing out on your daughter
and the possibility
of finding a future wife!
Mama, don't be so dramatic.
[Elena] The one who should be
more dramatic in your situation is you.
- Tell me what they're feeding you.
- Yes. I'm eating well, Mama.
Ramen from the commissary store.
Your sodium will go through the roof.
You remember Señora Ramirez,
who lived next door?
- Had a stroke from high blood pressure.
- I'm not going to
[in English] No, enough.
It has to have some bounce to it.
It's not a helmet.
[in Spanish]
Are you getting your hair done?
I'm just shooting a commercial.
Now listen. You have to get out of there.
What am I going to do if you don't
come to my wedding?
Who will give away the bride?
You're getting married?
Again?
To who?
Well, Rick, naturally.
Rick, your new agent?
I know it's kind of
a conflict of interest, but
but he came to visit me in Calgary.
We fell in love
during an ice fishing excursion.
It was very romantic,
and very cold.
Okay, well,
I'm happy if you're happy, Mama.
I have to go talk to Cisco.
- I'll call you tomorrow.
- Yes, but please be safe.
And remember,
you need to walk me down the aisle.
I love you, son.
I love you too.
[in English] Okay. Bye.
- [music fades]
- [siren bleeps]
[dashboard alarm beeping]
- [man sighs]
- [indistinct radio chatter]
[audio continues over laptop]
Wait. Stop there.
[audio stops]
Is this all they sent?
What do you mean?
This video only starts when Collins
gets out of the car to come talk to me.
They sent the dashboard camera footage,
but it starts and ends
in the exact same place.
Ah, this is bullshit.
Dana Berg knows it.
I wanna know what prompted Collins
to pull me over in the first place.
I wanna see what he was doing
before he decided to follow me.
- You want Lorna to file another motion?
- If she has to.
We need a full hour of body cam footage
prior to the start time they gave us.
Dashboard camera too.
Mick, Lorna's really swamped
trying to keep all the balls in the air.
I know. I'm hoping Izzy
can get up to speed on legal filings,
take some things off Lorna's plate.
Now come on. Keep playing.
[Collins] See your license,
registration, insurance?
[Mickey] Certainly can, Officer Collins,
but can I ask why you pulled me over?
I mean, I wasn't speeding,
and all the lights were green.
[Collins] License,
registration, insurance.
Skip to where he shows me
the missing license plate?
- [audio stops]
- [keyboard clicking]
[Collins] See why I pulled you over?
You have no license plate, sir.
[Mickey] Ah, damn it.
So Look, uh, I parked downtown,
and somebody must have stolen it.
See, that's the thing.
I don't think anybody stole it.
- Why would they?
- [audio continues on laptop]
I think somebody put Sam in my trunk
and then took the plate,
hoping it would give some cop
an excuse to pull me over.
Well, I would say the plan worked, then.
[Mickey] You know
you can't open that trunk.
You don't know if that's blood
or if it's coming from the car.
Whatever it is, maybe I drove through it.
Hey! You can't do that!
[tense music playing]
[Collins] Come on.
- [keyboard clicks]
- [audio stops]
You okay, Mick?
[sighs]
Sam was a con artist and a crook, but
he didn't deserve this.
Who the hell would do this to him,
and why try to put it on me?
[Mickey breathes deeply]
All right, well, what else
did we get in discovery?
Uh, police reports,
preliminary forensics.
The ME is estimating Sam was killed
the night before your arrest.
We're still missing
the tox reports though.
Oh, that could take months. You
know how backed up the state labs are.
I may have a way to speed it up.
There's also a witness statement
from one of your neighbors,
a Margaret Shogren,
who says she heard two men
arguing at your place that night.
Ah, I don't think that'll hold up.
She's almost 90.
I didn't think she could hear at all.
We, uh
[Cisco inhales deeply]
also have the ballistics report, Mick,
and it's not good news.
Bullet that went through Sam's stomach
was found embedded in your garage floor.
Are you saying that whoever did this
shot Sam in my garage?
How? I
I have security cameras everywhere.
Yeah, we installed cameras
after the rattlesnake incident, sure,
but the front two were on the fritz.
Someone cut the connection.
They cut
[hesitates] I was home that night.
Why didn't I hear the shots?
They probably used a silencer.
[Mickey sighs]
So what's the prosecution's theory?
That I kidnapped Sam,
shot him in my garage,
and then left his body
in my trunk for 24 hours
until I left for Palm Springs?
[scoffs] That's insane.
Well, I don't disagree with you, Mick.
My guess is they'll say you were taking
the body out to the desert to dump it,
and you cut the feed on your own cameras
to avoid being caught on tape.
And now they have the bullet
to sprinkle on top.
- [buzzer]
- [lock clicks]
You have visitors.
That's Maggie and Hayley. I gotta go.
Cisco, we have to get
the rest of that footage.
[Cisco] I'm on it. And, Mick,
don't sweat it.
We'll figure it out.
[music fades]
[Lorna] Mrs. Chugani.
I know that losing your lead attorney
so close to trial on
[quirky music playing]
embezzlement charges
is a tough pill to swallow,
but I can assure you we are going
to work day and night on your defense.
And the good news is
narcotics cases are my specialty,
Mr. Rhedus.
Mickey trained me for years.
I learned from the best.
And I am ready to take on
the toughest cases,
even money laundering.
Especially money laundering.
I will be consulting with Mickey
every step along the way.
So what do you say, Mr. Bieber?
Listen, kid, I hired the Lincoln Lawyer,
not Legally Blonde.
Let me know
when your law degree hits puberty.
[music ends]
[indistinct chatter]
- [buzzer sounds]
- [lock clicks]
[Maggie] Oh, here he is.
Hey! I'm so happy to see you, honey.
Me too.
[Mickey] How are those college courses?
I'm sure there's new restaurants
around USC I need to know about.
Tell me everything. Come on.
Classes are fine. I don't really care.
But are you okay?
Honey, I I'm totally fine.
I don't want you to worry about me, okay?
- How can you say that? You're in jail.
- I'll be out of here before you know it.
They've got nothing. Their case is weak.
How weak?
Well, I just saw the discovery,
and there's plenty I can do with it.
Tomorrow,
I finally get to question that cop.
He's hiding something. I know he is.
Hey, you know
what a case like this is like, right?
It's like a tree.
I know, Dad.
A tall tree, and the state does
everything they can to feed and water it.
Right. So what am I?
What am I, Hayley?
You're the man with the axe.
Right. I'm the man with the axe.
I'm gonna cut that tree
down to the ground.
- [buzzer sounds]
- [lock clicks]
[guard] Roll call.
[inmate 1] Here.
- What's going on?
- They're making sure no one's escaped.
Just like school attendance.
[inmate 2] Yeah.
[scanner beeps]
[guard] 7122485.
[inmate 3] Here.
- What are the numbers?
- It's just their booking numbers.
The way they keep track of everybody.
It's nothing, honey. It's just, um
[guard] 7211956.
721
Here.
[pensive music playing]
[scanner beeps]
[guard] 7043559.
[inmate 4] Here.
[scanner beeps]
Why don't you tell him about the class
you're taking on the history of Mexico?
I have to go to the bathroom.
Love you, Dad.
- [buzzer sounds]
- [lock clicks]
[Mickey sighs deeply]
I don't want you to bring
Hayley here anymore.
Mickey.
If she wants to come to court,
that's fine.
I don't want her to see me like this.
[Mickey sighs]
I had clients ask me that before.
I never understood.
Now I do.
Okay.
[music fades]
[knocking at door]
[door opens]
If you have a delivery,
leave it at the reception desk.
Oh, um
I'm actually looking for a lawyer.
Am I in the right place?
[Lorna] Yeah, I'm sorry.
Mickey's not here right now.
Oh, um,
I'm actually looking for
Lorna Crane.
Oh.
I'm Lorna Crane. How can I help you?
[woman] My friend,
Jessica Schwartz, recommended you.
She said you helped her
with her divorce and that, uh,
you got
her ex-husband's Lambo repossessed.
I did do that.
Yeah, well,
I have my own shitty ex situation.
That's horrible. I'm so sorry.
I tried calling,
but I couldn't get through,
and I was meeting a friend downtown,
so I thought I'd just stop by.
But are you even taking new clients?
Um, as you can see [sighs]
we are so busy right now.
But I am happy to provide you
with a free consultation
and see where we can fit you in.
Why don't you step into my office?
- [woman] Thank you.
- You're welcome.
[upbeat music playing]
[dinging]
[pinball machine clicking, clanking]
- [bell dings]
- [Grace grunts]
- Hey, Grace.
- Damn it!
Hey, you came.
Yeah, where's everybody else?
Oh, they, uh They took
off to a karaoke bar I think.
And you stayed?
Yeah. I mean,
I couldn't leave you high and dry
if you actually decided to show up.
Do you wanna get a drink?
Should we get a drink?
I actually don't drink,
and full disclosure,
I gotta be at work really early.
That's cool. That's
fine. Um That's fine.
How about one mocktail
and a game of Centipede?
Okay.
I should warn you. I do currently hold
the high score in that game.
- But I will take it easy on you.
- Oh, yeah. Uh-huh. Centipede.
- Hmm? Centipede.
- Mm-hmm.
I mean, we could go Pac-Man
if that's more your jam.
No, no. Centipede's good.
- All I need is one game.
- Okay.
Maybe two.
- Okay, now we're talking.
- [Izzy chuckles]
Over here.
[music continues]
[indistinct chatter]
[music fades]
[Lorna] So send me all of those emails,
and I can take care of all the paperwork.
We are going to get
that lying sack of shit.
[chuckles] I am so glad I made
the decision to come by here today.
- Thank you, Lorna.
- Oh, you're welcome.
- Okay, we'll talk later.
- Okay, bye-bye.
- [door opens]
- [Lorna gasps excitedly]
I did it!
[singsong] I got a new client! Bam!
See, you can single-handedly
keep this place up and running.
Mm, I really can't, Cisco.
I snagged one client, but I lost five.
We need Mickey back.
Maybe this can help.
Did the DA send it over?
Yes, in between getting fired by clients,
I called Dana Berg's office.
And you didn't have to file a motion?
Look at that.
Well, she grumbled until I mentioned
this trial that Maggie told me about.
Turns out, Dana had a whole case
thrown out due to discovery shenanigans.
And Maggie told you this?
It's kind of an ex-wives thing
that you wouldn't really understand.
[suspenseful music playing]
[Cisco] So this is
the dashboard camera footage,
and this
is the body camera footage
synced together.
Right now,
Collins is sitting in his squad car.
[phone vibrates on video]
- [remote clicks]
- Did you hear that?
Sounds like he got a text message?
Right, and then he moved
like he was picking up a phone.
Now, here comes Mickey.
[suspenseful music continues]
[video stops]
So how does any of this help us?
He saw the missing plates,
he pulled out, and he pulled Mickey over.
Seems cut-and-dried.
Were you looking
at the body camera footage
or just the dashboard camera?
You can't see anything
on the body camera footage
until Collins gets out of the car.
You can see one thing.
[suspenseful music continues]
[Cisco] Look.
He put the car in drive.
Before he ever saw
that Mickey's rear plate was missing.
Holy shit. He didn't just randomly
pull Mickey over. He was waiting for him.
And he got a text message
right beforehand,
which means somebody
might've tipped him off
that Mickey was about to come out.
The question is, who?
And why?
- [buzzer sounds]
- [lock clicks]
[distant, indistinct chatter]
[guard] 8724535.
[inmate 1] Here.
[scanner beeps]
[guard] 7445269.
[inmate 2] Here.
- [scanner beeps]
- [pensive music playing]
[guard] 6834485.
[inmate 3] Here.
[scanner beeps]
[guard] 6162904.
[inmate 4] Yo.
[scanner beeps]
[inmate 5] Here.
[scanner beeps]
[guard] 7211956.
Here.
[scanner beeps]
[guard] 7841651.
[inmate 6] Here.
[scanner beeps]
[guard] 6280254.
[inmate 7] Here.
[Mickey sighs]
[guard] 7301455.
[inmate 8] Here.
[chatter grows louder]
[guard] 6432558.
[chatter becomes muffled]
I'm the man with the axe.
I'm the man with the axe.
I'm the man with the axe.
I'm the man with the axe.
I'm the man with the axe.
I'm the man with the axe.
[quiet, tense music playing]
[music fades]
[pensive music playing]
[Mickey] There were 750 murder
cases filed in Los Angeles last year.
750 times the prosecutors filed charges
under Penal Code Section 187,
the biggest, most important charge
they can file.
No matter how different
the facts were in each of those cases,
at the end of the day,
every one of them was the same.
Because at the end of the day,
every murder case is like a tree.
A tall, shady tree.
And it's the prosecutor's job
to feed and water that tree.
They will use every tool they have
to guard and protect that tree.
[indistinct chatter]
[Mickey] Direct evidence,
circumstantial evidence,
forensic science,
motive, means, and opportunity.
The state will spare no expense
to give that tree
everything it needs
to grow big and strong.
Because the bigger and stronger
that tree grows,
the easier it will be
to get a conviction.
And that's what it's all about.
That's the number one rule
of any murder case.
[indistinct chatter]
[Mickey] No matter what,
somebody has to pay.
So if you're accused of murder,
what you need is an axe.
Chop that tree down and burn it to ashes.
And you're the man with the axe?
[Mickey] Huh? Oh, no.
No, Edgar, I don't have an axe for you.
From what I can see,
you're pretty much screwed.
[scoffs]
Man, what the hell do you know,
Haller? Hmm?
If you're so smart,
how come you're in here with me?
- [buzzer sounds]
- [indistinct chatter]
Well, it's a mistake.
One that I intend to rectify quickly.
Yeah, you and every other pendejo
in this place.
Edgar, they've got
the license plate of the car
and got you on camera at Union Station
dumping the car in the parking lot.
No. I was just the pinche driver, okay?
I didn't shoot nobody.
It doesn't matter.
You're the one they caught.
You got, what? Two priors.
- Three strikes, and you know what happens.
- Man, fuck you!
[Mickey sighs]
The way I see it, Edgar,
you've got one shot.
You know why
they got you here in high power
instead of the gang section, right?
Any day now,
they're gonna put you in a room
and ask you the big question.
If you weren't the shooter, then who was?
There's nothing in there
that can help you, Edgar.
The only way you can
help yourself now is
[quietly] is to give up some names.
Bullshit! [slams table]
Are you kidding?
You think I'm gonna do that shit?
Just calm down.
You asked me to look at your file.
You don't like my advice,
then go talk to your own lawyer about it.
I can't talk to him about shit.
Don't you get that?
[tense music playing]
[quietly] Edgar, if you're saying
that your lawyer works for the gang,
I can recommend a public defender.
[Edgar mutters in Spanish]
[Edgar grunts]
- [inmates chatter]
- [bell rings]
Chow time, assholes! Deuce it up!
Let's go!
[Mickey grunts]
[exhales]
[indistinct chatter]
[music fades]
[sighs]
[upbeat rock music playing]
Well, I'm goin' out west
Where I belong ♪
Where the days are short
And the nights are long ♪
You okay?
[sighs softly]
You should tell your dad
about your microplastics report.
Mom, I wanna cheer him up,
not bore him to death.
This is a man who likes to discuss
hearsay exceptions for fun.
Your teacher said you have a future
in environmental law. Trust me.
This will cheer him up.
How much longer is he gonna be in there?
It's been six weeks.
You said he was getting a speedy trial.
No, I said that he didn't
waive his right to a speedy trial.
All that means is they can't delay it.
It took two weeks to bring charges.
After that, they have 60 court days
before they have to bring him to trial.
There's nothing speedy
about this process, honey.
Hayley, if I know one thing
about your dad,
it's that he wouldn't want you
to worry about him.
He knows the system
like the back of his hand. He's got this.
[music continues]
Well, I'm going out west
Down on the coast ♪
Where the California girls
Are really the most ♪
[Lorna] Penal Code 487.
That is the section
that covers grand theft.
Now you're usually
only looking at a year in jail.
Unless you have multiple priors,
which, oh, unfortunately, you do.
Oh, uh I've given all that up.
Uh-huh.
No. No, this was a gift.
I've gone straight, Lorna. Honest.
Well, there's still the matter of the
seven outstanding charges, all of which
we are fully prepared to fight.
Except that Mickey's,
you know, in jail [scoffs]
which is where I'd
like to avoid going.
Well, that and the trunk of his car.
[chuckles awkwardly]
Yeah. Yeah,
that is an unfortunate speed bump.
But I can assure you,
you are in very good hands.
I'm the firm's most senior associate.
You mean you're the
firm's only associate.
Either way,
I'll be taking over Mickey's clients.
So while he deals with his little
murder thingy, why don't you sign here?
Look, I think I have
to consider my options.
I appreciate your hustle and all,
but I just can't afford to get mixed up
with, you know, criminals.
You understand, right?
You give Mickey my love.
Well, the air is crisp in old 'Frisco ♪
California cool wherever we go ♪
Whoa, and I walk, and they walk ♪
And I twist, and they twist ♪
And I shimmy, and they shimmy ♪
And I fly, and they'll fly ♪
Well, we're out there having fun ♪
In the warm California sun ♪
Well, we're out there having fun ♪
In the warm California sun ♪
[music ends]
[brakes squeak]
[distant siren wailing]
Raul Estrada.
Depends who's asking.
Dennis Wojciechowski.
I'm an investigator
for your former lawyer, Mickey Haller.
Haller. Huh.
- Haven't heard that name in a while.
- Nine years, to be exact.
That's how long ago you were sent up
on a manslaughter charge,
and you blamed Mickey
for not getting you a better deal.
At least that's what you wrote in those
angry letters you sent from Pelican Bay.
A lot of free time on your hands
when you're inside.
Gotta do something
to keep yourself occupied.
Come to think of it,
I remember hearing Haller's name recently.
He arrested for murder or something?
Yeah, or something.
So I'm just visiting his former clients
who might have had a beef with him.
This place was listed
as your work address.
So let me get this straight.
You think I killed some total stranger
and tried to set up Haller for it?
Well, I'm just trying
to rule out possibilities, Raul.
Tell me where you were
the night of Thursday, September 16th,
and maybe I can rule out this one.
Well,
if it was Thursday,
then I'm sure I was conducting a class.
At the liquor store?
The liquor store belongs to my cousin.
He's kind enough to let me use
the space next door.
We have Bible study every Thursday night.
Like I said, when you're inside,
gotta find a way
to keep yourself occupied.
[pensive music playing]
Tell Mickey we'll be praying for him.
Oh, hey.
God bless.
[opening theme music playing]
[woman] Another development in the case
of well-known LA defense attorney
Michael Haller,
who's currently awaiting trial
for his suspected involvement
in the murder of a former client.
It's been a month
since the grand jury returned charges,
and the DA's decision
to seek a secret indictment
instead of filing a complaint
has effectively tied the defense's hands
as they attempt to prepare for trial.
But there were signs of movement today
as a judge was finally assigned
to the case.
Judge Lionel Stone,
a former prosecutor
[phone ringing]
who's known for
his tough sentencing
Haller and Associates.
[on TV] court will be in session today
for the first
Sorry, we have no comment
on the charges at this time. Thank you.
Stay tuned for updates.
I'm Kacey Montoya, KTLA 5 News.
You find any security footage?
Not yet. It's pretty desolate
where Mickey got pulled over.
No cameras or anything around there.
Ooh, is that cold brew?
I got my paralegal class
in a couple hours.
- Yeah. There's more in the fridge.
- Blue Bottle? Stumptown?
More like Costco's finest.
Until Julian's settlement comes in,
we have to save for Mickey's defense.
I thought Julian's settlement was done.
The negotiation is done.
It could take up to a year
to draw up the paperwork
and cut the check.
[scoffs] Lawyers.
[mysterious music playing]
Hey, any luck?
Depends on your definition of luck.
What
[Cisco] So far, every disgruntled client
currently not in prison
has an alibi for the night of the murder.
[Lorna] And all of our current clients
keep dumping us.
It's a catch-22.
Nobody wants us
when Mickey's on trial for murder,
but without the income,
how are we gonna get him out?
What about the Sam Scales angle?
It would take decades
to run down everyone who hated Sam.
I'm looking for overlaps.
Somebody who wanted Sam dead
and had a reason to pin it on Mickey.
Sure you didn't get anything from the DA
that would help narrow it down?
Are you kidding? It would take
an order from the governor's office
to get them to hand over discovery.
[Izzy sighs] Yeah.
I think I'm gonna need
one of those cold brews after all.
[Cisco sighs]
[indistinct chatter echoes]
[Mickey] Bamba.
What's up, Counselor?
You sure got Quesada all worked up
in the day room back there.
Yeah, where the hell were you? I thought
you were supposed to protect me in here.
[Bamba] Don't worry. I got you.
I was watching the whole time.
From where? From up here?
Hey, you're not paying me enough
to follow you everywhere.
If there was a problem, I'd handle it.
[Mickey] That's what I get
for trying to help.
Next time somebody asks
if there's a lawyer in the house,
gonna keep my mouth shut.
It might be smarter.
You always tie your files up
like you wiring a car?
This way, I know if somebody's
been snooping where they shouldn't be.
You think I trust the deputies in here?
I trust Edgar Quesada more.
I've got my hearing today.
Gotta make sure I've got everything.
Well, hey, look. If you wanna practice
your speech on me again,
that's gonna cost you extra.
No need, Bamba. Thank you.
Hey, well, look.
Remember what I told you.
When you get on that bus,
make sure you sit towards the front.
That way, if shit goes down,
the guards are right on top of it.
Okay, but what if they
put me in the back?
[Bamba sighs]
[Mickey] Right.
Hey, good luck!
Don't forget to give the man
the finger for me.
[pensive music playing]
[indistinct chatter]
[men] Fuck you!
[animated chatter]
[man 1] Fuck you!
[man 2] You suck!
[music continues]
[guard] 7211956.
Um, here.
[scanner beeps]
Let's go.
- [scanner bleeps]
- [buzzer sounds]
- [keypad bleeps]
- [buzzer sounds]
- Hey.
- There he is.
Started to think you wouldn't make it
before the hearing.
Sheriff's department
runs on their own schedule.
We brought the motions and your suit.
I was thinking red tie
'cause it projects power and confidence.
[Mickey] No, red's too confrontational.
Let's, uh
Let's go with blue.
Right? Blue just projects calm.
Even need the suit?
We don't even have a jury.
But we'll pick one soon, and I don't want
them seeing photos of me in jail scrubs.
Also don't want them to see you
looking like a hobo riding the rails.
No offense. It completely works on you.
Yeah, good point.
[Lorna] And before anything else,
I want you to eat
these carnitas tacos we brought.
The last thing you want
is to spill salsa on a clean shirt.
Thank you.
Mm.
You have no idea
how bad the food is inside.
I'm starting to get
a pretty good picture, actually.
So how's everybody feeling? Good?
Well, uh, under the circumstances,
we are
[Mickey] Listen,
just like Legal always says,
act like a winner,
and you will be a winner.
We're gonna win this thing.
No doubt in my mind.
Let's talk about the motion to suppress.
You found some precedent, probable cause?
Sure. Plenty, but getting a judge
to throw out the discovery of a body
in a murder case is a pretty tall order.
Which reminds me
Oh, right,
the, uh, judge you're assigned. Stone.
In addition to being a former prosecutor,
apparently, he's got a reputation
for being prickly.
Which means we all need to be
on our best behavior.
Let's not give him any excuses.
I don't know him, but sometimes,
former prosecutors are good.
They don't wanna look biased,
so they try to rule in favor
of the defense as much as possible.
Plus, this deputy DA we got, Richard
He's green.
He won't know how to fight back. Oh
I'm taking Officer Collins.
I don't buy his story for a second.
Mickey, you questioning the officer
that pulled you over
might come across a little vindictive.
I should do it.
You take the discovery motion.
It should be straightforward.
They haven't given us anything yet.
Oh, and as for the bail argument
- That's not a priority today.
- What?
I don't know how much time we'll get.
We need to focus on important things.
If there's time, we can argue bail.
If not,
we'll just save it for another day.
Uh, Mick, don't you want out of jail?
Of course I do, but not at any price.
They set bail at five million.
That's 500 grand to a bail bondsman
we don't have,
and we're never gonna get back.
Which is why we're arguing to reduce it.
Even if we get it down, that's Hayley's
college fund we're talking about.
Not to mention law school.
Mick, you know we'll defer our salaries.
No, I'm not asking anyone to do that.
Look, we're almost halfway
into my speedy trial timeline.
I've got two more months
until they have to put up or shut up.
I can do two more months if I have to.
Okay, Mickey, I'm gonna ask you this
one last time.
Do you want me to call Andrea Freemann?
Maybe she can help.
No, I I'm not dragging Andy into this.
She's got enough problems
in the DA's office.
We got this, all right? Trust me.
Now come on. Let's go win this thing.
[knocking on door]
- [buzzer sounds]
- [lock clicks]
[music fades]
The homework and
reading is posted online.
Shepardize the cases, and tell me
if there's still good law or not.
Have a good rest of the day, everybody.
[indistinct chatter]
[Izzy sighs]
You okay?
What?
Oh
Yeah, I was just hoping
for an update from work.
[woman] Hmm. Very conscientious.
The majority of us are actively trying
to avoid updates from work.
- Izzy, right?
- That's me.
Izzy with the masterful command
of the California Penal Code.
I don't know about that. I just hear
about it all day long at the office.
And you're
Don't tell me. It starts with a G?
Grace.
Right. Grace.
Sorry, I'm still learning
everyone's names.
I obviously do not have
a masterful command of the contact list.
Well, if you wanna
clear your head a little bit,
a few of us are gonna head
to Tabletop in Echo Park after work.
Is that the place
with all the old arcade games?
Yes, and the killer hot wings.
Damn. Hot wings and Pac-Man.
It's a tough combination to beat.
Thank you. That's what I'm saying.
You should come. It'll be fun.
Uh
I don't know. I
I'd like to. Just a lot going on
at my office right now.
Yeah. So, okay.
I have a confession to make. Um
My boss kind of knows your boss a little.
Yeah, it's the whole
defense attorney circle stuff,
but he says really nice things about him.
I'm sorry that you guys
have to deal with this.
Thanks. Actually, this class has been good
for me to get my mind off it a little bit.
Yeah, that's exactly why
you should come out tonight.
My phone number is in that contact list
that you didn't read.
[Izzy chuckles]
Or you can just show up.
You can just come by.
I think we're gonna get there
at, like, 6:00?
Uh
Yeah. Okay. I'll try.
Yeah?
Can I take that as a definite maybe?
You can take that as a definite maybe.
All right. Great.
Okay. Well, I will maybe
see you later, then, Izzy.
[gentle music playing]
[music fades]
All rise.
Case number BA59972.
People versus Michael Haller.
The Honorable Lionel Stone presiding.
Have you noticed who's not here?
- [phone vibrating]
- Officer Collins. Still playing games.
[Stone] Counsel may be seated.
- Before we begin, are there any issues
- What? I'm in court.
I'm so sorry, Mr. Richards.
Is this court keeping you?
No, Your Honor.
[phone clatters]
[Richards] Uh It's just
Sorry. Hey, I'm in
What?
Are you kidding Hey, wait a minute.
I've been preparing this for
Your Honor, uh,
if I could request two minutes.
My sincere apologies to the court.
Outside, please.
[quirky music playing]
- [Richards] I don't believe this.
- Just when you think you've seen it all.
[Richards] I dropped three cases for this.
One was a gang murder. This is completely
Dana Berg for the People, Your Honor.
My apologies on behalf of our office,
but there has been a personnel change,
and I will be taking over this case
moving forward.
Who the hell is that?
"Death Row" Dana.
They call her Death Row Dana?
- [Stone] So noted, Ms. Berg.
- Yep.
As is the irregular manner
of your appearance.
Can we please get on with this?
I do have other hearings today.
[music fades]
Absolutely, Your Honor.
Lorna Crane for the defense,
along with pro se counsel Michael Haller.
We're here on a number of motions.
Firstly, a motion to suppress
any evidence obtained
during the illegal traffic stop
of my client.
The defense contends that Mr. Haller
was set up and framed for this murder,
and it began
with a warrantless search of his car.
Set up?
By whom?
I'm sorry?
You just said Mr. Haller was set up
and framed. By whom, Ms. Crane?
Um
Your Honor, I believe that's irrelevant
for the purpose of this hearing.
Irrelevant? Is that so?
- No. I'm sorry
- Your Honor, if I may?
And thank you again to the court
for allowing me to appear pro se
alongside my cocounsel, Ms. Crane.
Go ahead, Mr. Haller.
Now, in terms of relevance,
we agree that once we go to trial,
the identity of the party
who framed me will be very relevant.
But at this time, respectfully,
we feel it would be manifestly unjust
to have to reveal every detail
of our case to the prosecution.
We're merely challenging the validity
of a traffic stop. Nothing more.
Fine. Let's just move on, then.
[Mickey] Thank you.
Now, as Ms. Crane said,
we filed a motion challenging
the traffic stop
and the search of my trunk
by Officer Collins.
A hearing is required on this motion,
and yet
Officer Collins is nowhere to be seen.
My investigator has been trying
to contact him for six weeks,
also with no success.
It seems by hiding Officer Collins
until it's too late,
the prosecution is doing everything
they can to prevent a fair trial.
Your Honor, as the court
and the defendant both know,
I'm new to this case,
but I fail to see how anyone
from our side has been hiding anything,
let alone trying to prevent a fair trial.
On the contrary, we look forward to one.
- What
- Your Honor, may I be heard again?
Will you two make up your minds already?
Go ahead, Ms. Crane.
The prosecution clearly doesn't want us
to talk to Officer Collins before trial.
This goes back to the decision
to seek a grand jury indictment,
where he could testify in secret
instead of holding a preliminary hearing
where we'd be able to question him.
Which is a perfectly valid option
for the prosecution to choose.
And one that prevented Mr. Haller
from confronting his accuser,
not to mention the missing video footage.
There's video footage?
Yes, Your Honor. Officer Collins
was wearing a body camera that night,
and there's also a dashboard camera
in his cruiser.
We've been given
none of that footage yet.
I'm confused, Your Honor.
Is this a motion to suppress evidence
or a request for evidence?
- It's both.
- Both.
Which is why we filed motions on both.
The prosecution has the burden
of justifying the search.
So far, they haven't justified anything.
All they've done
is violate rules of discovery.
Ms. Berg, where are we
with this video footage?
Your Honor, my apologies.
I'm told there were technical
difficulties with the transferring
Technical difficulties?
My freedom is on the line here,
and the best they can do
is technical difficulties?
If the defendant would stop interrupting,
Your Honor, I can explain.
Hold your powder, Mr. Haller.
Go ahead, Ms. Berg.
[Dana] Thank you.
As I was saying, I'm new to the case,
so any tardiness
with the discovery is news to me.
That said, I can have Officer Collins
here at the court's convenience.
And as far as the video footage, yes.
Our office
had some technical difficulties.
Emphasis on had.
We have rectified the situation
and are delivering the footage
to the defendant immediately,
along with the rest
of the discovery they requested.
I assume that arrangement
would be satisfactory, Mr. Haller?
It's fine, Your Honor,
but point of order, please.
[sighs] What is it now?
Your Honor, Ms. Berg has now referred
to me three times as the defendant.
Now, it is true.
I am the accused in this case.
But when I am arguing before the court,
I am counsel for the defense.
I would ask the court to direct Ms. Berg
to refer to me as such.
Come on. That's just semantics.
You are the defendant.
You are also the defense counsel.
Same difference in this case.
Members of the jury
might see the difference.
No response necessary, Ms. Berg.
Request is denied.
I'd advise you
not to press your luck, Mr. Haller.
Now,
I'm gonna continue this hearing
until tomorrow morning,
at which time,
I'll expect to see Officer Collins
in this courtroom ready to go.
Any matters we didn't get to today
can be taken up then.
But first, I wanna have a word
with both sides about discovery.
Let me be clear.
In this courtroom,
discovery is a two-way street.
What comes in must go out.
No review, no arguments.
What the people get, the defense gets,
and vice versa, without delay.
The penalty for violation
is the disallowance of the evidence.
Ms. Berg, that means if Officer Collins
fails to appear tomorrow,
I will be granting the motion
to suppress. Is that clear?
Yes, Your Honor.
Good.
In that case,
I will see counsel and the defendant
at 10:00 a.m. tomorrow.
Court is adjourned.
[Mickey sighs heavily]
[Cisco sighs]
- Well, at least we got discovery.
- [phone vibrating]
As soon as I have it,
I'll bring it to county.
As fast as you can.
Maggie and Hayley are coming to see me
during visiting hours. I can't miss that.
I am going to get going.
Where?
I have to meet with another client.
I'm busy. So I will see you tomorrow,
and we can talk discovery
when we get back to the office.
[quirky music playing]
[music continues]
- Maggie.
- Hey.
- Hi.
- [music fades]
Wow! This place is beautiful.
Yeah, when you work down here
for as long as I did,
you find a few secret spots.
I got you a latte.
Oh my God. Thank you.
Mm.
I have never needed coffee
as much as I need it right now.
They should hook me up
to an IV drip and cut out the middleman.
You've been dealing with a lot.
I know I usually text you
for Mickey updates,
but Hayley wanted to see a friend
from USC, so I had some time.
- Thanks for taking a minute.
- Of course.
Believe it or not, talking to you
is the one thing that's kept me sane.
I don't mean, like, believe it or not.
I just mean
No, Lorna. It's fine.
Honestly, me too.
Mickey said that you're gonna bring
Hayley to see him.
That's great. That'll mean a lot to him.
That's why I wanted to see you, actually.
I I need to know
what I'm gonna be dealing with.
How's he doing today?
Today? He is psychotically optimistic,
and I kind of wanna choke him.
Oh, I know that guy.
I know the other guy
who thinks everything is doomed,
so right now, this is the guy we want.
He's in jail, Maggie.
It's affecting the firm,
and it's affecting our reputation.
I am burning the candle at every end,
trying to keep the lights on.
But honestly,
the case doesn't seem like
it's going that well.
They just assigned
this new prosecutor, Dana Berg.
"Iceberg"?
Seriously? She has two nicknames?
[Maggie] She has a lot more than that.
[somber music playing]
I'm not gonna lie. She is really tough.
And if they put her on the case,
it means they're serious about it.
But Mickey, he's beaten her before.
Great, so add payback
to her list of motivations.
Have you had any issue with discovery?
Oh my God, it's like pulling teeth
from an angry walrus.
But the judge did read her
the riot act today,
so maybe it's gonna be okay?
If she gives you more trouble,
just tell her she's not gonna want
another Rodriguez situation.
She'll know what it means.
Okay.
Thank you.
Why do I feel this is the type of thing
you wouldn't have told Mickey?
Mickey's never been on trial before.
That's a good point.
Lorna, he's beaten her before.
He can do it again.
You both can.
I hope you're right.
[music continues]
[Mickey, in Spanish] She's just
another prosecutor. I can handle her.
[Elena] They can't keep playing games.
You're missing out on your life.
You are missing out on your daughter
and the possibility
of finding a future wife!
Mama, don't be so dramatic.
[Elena] The one who should be
more dramatic in your situation is you.
- Tell me what they're feeding you.
- Yes. I'm eating well, Mama.
Ramen from the commissary store.
Your sodium will go through the roof.
You remember Señora Ramirez,
who lived next door?
- Had a stroke from high blood pressure.
- I'm not going to
[in English] No, enough.
It has to have some bounce to it.
It's not a helmet.
[in Spanish]
Are you getting your hair done?
I'm just shooting a commercial.
Now listen. You have to get out of there.
What am I going to do if you don't
come to my wedding?
Who will give away the bride?
You're getting married?
Again?
To who?
Well, Rick, naturally.
Rick, your new agent?
I know it's kind of
a conflict of interest, but
but he came to visit me in Calgary.
We fell in love
during an ice fishing excursion.
It was very romantic,
and very cold.
Okay, well,
I'm happy if you're happy, Mama.
I have to go talk to Cisco.
- I'll call you tomorrow.
- Yes, but please be safe.
And remember,
you need to walk me down the aisle.
I love you, son.
I love you too.
[in English] Okay. Bye.
- [music fades]
- [siren bleeps]
[dashboard alarm beeping]
- [man sighs]
- [indistinct radio chatter]
[audio continues over laptop]
Wait. Stop there.
[audio stops]
Is this all they sent?
What do you mean?
This video only starts when Collins
gets out of the car to come talk to me.
They sent the dashboard camera footage,
but it starts and ends
in the exact same place.
Ah, this is bullshit.
Dana Berg knows it.
I wanna know what prompted Collins
to pull me over in the first place.
I wanna see what he was doing
before he decided to follow me.
- You want Lorna to file another motion?
- If she has to.
We need a full hour of body cam footage
prior to the start time they gave us.
Dashboard camera too.
Mick, Lorna's really swamped
trying to keep all the balls in the air.
I know. I'm hoping Izzy
can get up to speed on legal filings,
take some things off Lorna's plate.
Now come on. Keep playing.
[Collins] See your license,
registration, insurance?
[Mickey] Certainly can, Officer Collins,
but can I ask why you pulled me over?
I mean, I wasn't speeding,
and all the lights were green.
[Collins] License,
registration, insurance.
Skip to where he shows me
the missing license plate?
- [audio stops]
- [keyboard clicking]
[Collins] See why I pulled you over?
You have no license plate, sir.
[Mickey] Ah, damn it.
So Look, uh, I parked downtown,
and somebody must have stolen it.
See, that's the thing.
I don't think anybody stole it.
- Why would they?
- [audio continues on laptop]
I think somebody put Sam in my trunk
and then took the plate,
hoping it would give some cop
an excuse to pull me over.
Well, I would say the plan worked, then.
[Mickey] You know
you can't open that trunk.
You don't know if that's blood
or if it's coming from the car.
Whatever it is, maybe I drove through it.
Hey! You can't do that!
[tense music playing]
[Collins] Come on.
- [keyboard clicks]
- [audio stops]
You okay, Mick?
[sighs]
Sam was a con artist and a crook, but
he didn't deserve this.
Who the hell would do this to him,
and why try to put it on me?
[Mickey breathes deeply]
All right, well, what else
did we get in discovery?
Uh, police reports,
preliminary forensics.
The ME is estimating Sam was killed
the night before your arrest.
We're still missing
the tox reports though.
Oh, that could take months. You
know how backed up the state labs are.
I may have a way to speed it up.
There's also a witness statement
from one of your neighbors,
a Margaret Shogren,
who says she heard two men
arguing at your place that night.
Ah, I don't think that'll hold up.
She's almost 90.
I didn't think she could hear at all.
We, uh
[Cisco inhales deeply]
also have the ballistics report, Mick,
and it's not good news.
Bullet that went through Sam's stomach
was found embedded in your garage floor.
Are you saying that whoever did this
shot Sam in my garage?
How? I
I have security cameras everywhere.
Yeah, we installed cameras
after the rattlesnake incident, sure,
but the front two were on the fritz.
Someone cut the connection.
They cut
[hesitates] I was home that night.
Why didn't I hear the shots?
They probably used a silencer.
[Mickey sighs]
So what's the prosecution's theory?
That I kidnapped Sam,
shot him in my garage,
and then left his body
in my trunk for 24 hours
until I left for Palm Springs?
[scoffs] That's insane.
Well, I don't disagree with you, Mick.
My guess is they'll say you were taking
the body out to the desert to dump it,
and you cut the feed on your own cameras
to avoid being caught on tape.
And now they have the bullet
to sprinkle on top.
- [buzzer]
- [lock clicks]
You have visitors.
That's Maggie and Hayley. I gotta go.
Cisco, we have to get
the rest of that footage.
[Cisco] I'm on it. And, Mick,
don't sweat it.
We'll figure it out.
[music fades]
[Lorna] Mrs. Chugani.
I know that losing your lead attorney
so close to trial on
[quirky music playing]
embezzlement charges
is a tough pill to swallow,
but I can assure you we are going
to work day and night on your defense.
And the good news is
narcotics cases are my specialty,
Mr. Rhedus.
Mickey trained me for years.
I learned from the best.
And I am ready to take on
the toughest cases,
even money laundering.
Especially money laundering.
I will be consulting with Mickey
every step along the way.
So what do you say, Mr. Bieber?
Listen, kid, I hired the Lincoln Lawyer,
not Legally Blonde.
Let me know
when your law degree hits puberty.
[music ends]
[indistinct chatter]
- [buzzer sounds]
- [lock clicks]
[Maggie] Oh, here he is.
Hey! I'm so happy to see you, honey.
Me too.
[Mickey] How are those college courses?
I'm sure there's new restaurants
around USC I need to know about.
Tell me everything. Come on.
Classes are fine. I don't really care.
But are you okay?
Honey, I I'm totally fine.
I don't want you to worry about me, okay?
- How can you say that? You're in jail.
- I'll be out of here before you know it.
They've got nothing. Their case is weak.
How weak?
Well, I just saw the discovery,
and there's plenty I can do with it.
Tomorrow,
I finally get to question that cop.
He's hiding something. I know he is.
Hey, you know
what a case like this is like, right?
It's like a tree.
I know, Dad.
A tall tree, and the state does
everything they can to feed and water it.
Right. So what am I?
What am I, Hayley?
You're the man with the axe.
Right. I'm the man with the axe.
I'm gonna cut that tree
down to the ground.
- [buzzer sounds]
- [lock clicks]
[guard] Roll call.
[inmate 1] Here.
- What's going on?
- They're making sure no one's escaped.
Just like school attendance.
[inmate 2] Yeah.
[scanner beeps]
[guard] 7122485.
[inmate 3] Here.
- What are the numbers?
- It's just their booking numbers.
The way they keep track of everybody.
It's nothing, honey. It's just, um
[guard] 7211956.
721
Here.
[pensive music playing]
[scanner beeps]
[guard] 7043559.
[inmate 4] Here.
[scanner beeps]
Why don't you tell him about the class
you're taking on the history of Mexico?
I have to go to the bathroom.
Love you, Dad.
- [buzzer sounds]
- [lock clicks]
[Mickey sighs deeply]
I don't want you to bring
Hayley here anymore.
Mickey.
If she wants to come to court,
that's fine.
I don't want her to see me like this.
[Mickey sighs]
I had clients ask me that before.
I never understood.
Now I do.
Okay.
[music fades]
[knocking at door]
[door opens]
If you have a delivery,
leave it at the reception desk.
Oh, um
I'm actually looking for a lawyer.
Am I in the right place?
[Lorna] Yeah, I'm sorry.
Mickey's not here right now.
Oh, um,
I'm actually looking for
Lorna Crane.
Oh.
I'm Lorna Crane. How can I help you?
[woman] My friend,
Jessica Schwartz, recommended you.
She said you helped her
with her divorce and that, uh,
you got
her ex-husband's Lambo repossessed.
I did do that.
Yeah, well,
I have my own shitty ex situation.
That's horrible. I'm so sorry.
I tried calling,
but I couldn't get through,
and I was meeting a friend downtown,
so I thought I'd just stop by.
But are you even taking new clients?
Um, as you can see [sighs]
we are so busy right now.
But I am happy to provide you
with a free consultation
and see where we can fit you in.
Why don't you step into my office?
- [woman] Thank you.
- You're welcome.
[upbeat music playing]
[dinging]
[pinball machine clicking, clanking]
- [bell dings]
- [Grace grunts]
- Hey, Grace.
- Damn it!
Hey, you came.
Yeah, where's everybody else?
Oh, they, uh They took
off to a karaoke bar I think.
And you stayed?
Yeah. I mean,
I couldn't leave you high and dry
if you actually decided to show up.
Do you wanna get a drink?
Should we get a drink?
I actually don't drink,
and full disclosure,
I gotta be at work really early.
That's cool. That's
fine. Um That's fine.
How about one mocktail
and a game of Centipede?
Okay.
I should warn you. I do currently hold
the high score in that game.
- But I will take it easy on you.
- Oh, yeah. Uh-huh. Centipede.
- Hmm? Centipede.
- Mm-hmm.
I mean, we could go Pac-Man
if that's more your jam.
No, no. Centipede's good.
- All I need is one game.
- Okay.
Maybe two.
- Okay, now we're talking.
- [Izzy chuckles]
Over here.
[music continues]
[indistinct chatter]
[music fades]
[Lorna] So send me all of those emails,
and I can take care of all the paperwork.
We are going to get
that lying sack of shit.
[chuckles] I am so glad I made
the decision to come by here today.
- Thank you, Lorna.
- Oh, you're welcome.
- Okay, we'll talk later.
- Okay, bye-bye.
- [door opens]
- [Lorna gasps excitedly]
I did it!
[singsong] I got a new client! Bam!
See, you can single-handedly
keep this place up and running.
Mm, I really can't, Cisco.
I snagged one client, but I lost five.
We need Mickey back.
Maybe this can help.
Did the DA send it over?
Yes, in between getting fired by clients,
I called Dana Berg's office.
And you didn't have to file a motion?
Look at that.
Well, she grumbled until I mentioned
this trial that Maggie told me about.
Turns out, Dana had a whole case
thrown out due to discovery shenanigans.
And Maggie told you this?
It's kind of an ex-wives thing
that you wouldn't really understand.
[suspenseful music playing]
[Cisco] So this is
the dashboard camera footage,
and this
is the body camera footage
synced together.
Right now,
Collins is sitting in his squad car.
[phone vibrates on video]
- [remote clicks]
- Did you hear that?
Sounds like he got a text message?
Right, and then he moved
like he was picking up a phone.
Now, here comes Mickey.
[suspenseful music continues]
[video stops]
So how does any of this help us?
He saw the missing plates,
he pulled out, and he pulled Mickey over.
Seems cut-and-dried.
Were you looking
at the body camera footage
or just the dashboard camera?
You can't see anything
on the body camera footage
until Collins gets out of the car.
You can see one thing.
[suspenseful music continues]
[Cisco] Look.
He put the car in drive.
Before he ever saw
that Mickey's rear plate was missing.
Holy shit. He didn't just randomly
pull Mickey over. He was waiting for him.
And he got a text message
right beforehand,
which means somebody
might've tipped him off
that Mickey was about to come out.
The question is, who?
And why?
- [buzzer sounds]
- [lock clicks]
[distant, indistinct chatter]
[guard] 8724535.
[inmate 1] Here.
[scanner beeps]
[guard] 7445269.
[inmate 2] Here.
- [scanner beeps]
- [pensive music playing]
[guard] 6834485.
[inmate 3] Here.
[scanner beeps]
[guard] 6162904.
[inmate 4] Yo.
[scanner beeps]
[inmate 5] Here.
[scanner beeps]
[guard] 7211956.
Here.
[scanner beeps]
[guard] 7841651.
[inmate 6] Here.
[scanner beeps]
[guard] 6280254.
[inmate 7] Here.
[Mickey sighs]
[guard] 7301455.
[inmate 8] Here.
[chatter grows louder]
[guard] 6432558.
[chatter becomes muffled]
I'm the man with the axe.
I'm the man with the axe.
I'm the man with the axe.
I'm the man with the axe.
I'm the man with the axe.
I'm the man with the axe.
[quiet, tense music playing]
[music fades]