The BEST episodes of L.A. Law
Every episode of L.A. Law ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of L.A. Law!
On this critically acclaimed drama about a top Los Angeles law firm, some of the best battles take place outside of the courtroom. In the bedroom, in the courtroom, or at McKenzie, Brackman, Chaney & Kuzak's staff meetings, the firm's ambitious, competitive attorneys confront conflict between their own desires, their obligations as attorneys, and their principles as human beings.
#1 - Rhyme and Punishment
Season 8 - Episode 9 - Aired 12/16/1993
Mamie Van Doren is a guest at the firm's Christmas party; the son of an aging comic believes his father is being exploited by a mistress; Roxanne asks Mullaney to surrender parental rights.
#2 - Come Rain or Come Schein
Season 7 - Episode 18 - Aired 4/22/1993
Kelsey represents a TV weatherman suing for wrongful termination; Morales represents a laborer suing a racist couple who cheated him out of payment for work he did on their patio; Becker represents an agent who uses his ex-wife's desire for a religious divorce as leverage in their property settlement negotiations.
#3 - Testing, Testing, 1...2...3...4
Season 7 - Episode 20 - Aired 5/6/1993
A teacher is fired after refusing to take a test that would prove he is not sexually aroused by children; a fan claims that a baseball player assaulted him in the stands; and Gwen's fears about passing the bar exam put a strain on her relationship with Morales.
Watch Now:Amazon#6 - Bourbon Cowboy
Season 7 - Episode 21 - Aired 5/13/1993
A teenage prostitute claims her boyfriend forced her to rob a man; Becker represents a country music star whose wife's career is better than his; and Gwen's teacher makes another sexual advance.
#7 - God is My Co-Counsel
Season 8 - Episode 14 - Aired 3/10/1994
A few days before his wedding, Stulwicz is shocked to discover that his bride-to-be is already married, and enlists Becker's help in getting annulment papers signed by her reluctant husband; when Halliday's father arrives for a visit, Becker wastes no time trying to win him over, but father and daughter clash over his interference in her representation of a biology teacher fired for teaching creationism; at the Hendrickson-Stulwicz nuptials, a little romance is in the air for Kelsey and Markowitz, Ianello and Levinson, and Halliday and Becker, despite their truly terrifying bridesmaid outfits.
#8 - Tunnel of Love
Season 8 - Episode 19 - Aired 4/28/1994
Patrick pulls another fast one; a rumor about Belinda troubles Becker; the owner of a show dog with a litter of mongrels sues her neighbor
#10 - The Accidental Jurist
Season 3 - Episode 12 - Aired 2/23/1989
Kuzak decides that a private trial with a closeted judge is the best way to win to retain his gay client's multi-million dollar endorsement contract with a cereal manufacturer, but when the verdict goes against him, his client is unwilling to seek another trial based on an ex parte statement revealing the judge's bias because it will force the judge out of the closet; Perkins confronts Ringstrom after Kelsey tells her he's married, and ends the relationship after she fakes a reason to visit his house and meet his wife; Meyer and Melman separate after they arrive at directly opposite solutions to their marital problems, but reconcile after Melman is forced to acknowledge some hard truths during a therapy session; the lack of a good nanny brings Kelsey and Markowitz troubles, and their daughter to the office.
#12 - Prince Kuzak in a Can
Season 1 - Episode 13 - Aired 1/8/1987
Overburdened with Hershberg's caseload, and haunted with guilt over his death, Kuzak snaps at his colleagues, pays a heavy price for the way he handles a manslaughter case, and ruins Van Owen's plans for the weekend; Sifuentes's whiz kid client develops a crush on Melman as he fixes the firm's malfunctioning telephone system; Kelsey wins a major account for the firm and faces a jealous Markowitz, who correctly guesses that the client has more than a professional interest in his new attorney; after initially spurning Sifuentes's offer to help with Hershberg's caseload, Kuzak finally enlists his aid, allowing Sifuentes to talk the judge and prosecutor into a sweetheart deal for the client.
#13 - Cannon of Ethics
Season 2 - Episode 3 - Aired 10/29/1987
Kelsey seeks the advice of outside counsel, Kuzak's former mentor Wendell Gleason, in resolving her ethical dilemma about Dr. Warren's guilt, but is none too appreciative when Gleason's terminal illness allows him to accomplish what she cannot; Becker's ardor for Hollander turns to ice when she starts discussing marriage; after the jury hands Sifuentes a defeat in the product liability case, the judge threatens to reverse the finding, prompting the attorneys to reach a settlement, as well as a new-found respect for each other's abilities; Perkins solves a problem for a dying Mrs. Stulwicz as well as the firm when she convinces Brackman to hire Benny Stulwicz as the firm's messenger; Kelsey and Markowitz come into conflict after she takes Brackman on for suggesting that Markowitz resign before the wedding; in commiserating with Gianelli when he feels compelled to join his family's business after failing the bar exam, Perkins jumps to a completely erroneous conclusion about the exact nat
#14 - Izzy Ackerman or Is He Not?
Season 3 - Episode 11 - Aired 2/16/1989
Perkins and Ringstrom continue their romance and their afternoon trysts; Melman gets arrested and sued after the strains of her diet and her marriage lead her to punch out an obnoxious loud-mouth in her weight loss group; Kuzak is crushed when his failure to perform proper discovery costs his widower client a settlement from the hospital that caused the death of his wife by failing to treat her adequately due to her inability to pay; McKenzie helps a widow retrieve the remains of her late husband after his misidentified body is dissected for research purposes and shipped out to medical facilities across the country; Melman and Meyer visit a marriage counselor; as they leave a restaurant, Kuzak and Van Owen run into Ringstrom -- and his wife.
#15 - America the Beautiful
Season 3 - Episode 17 - Aired 5/4/1989
Van Owen prosecutes a homeowner who killed a homeless man going through his garbage; against Kuzak's advice, Perkins decides to testify before the grand jury, where she hands Flaherty yet another stunning defeat; Meyer hires a high powered attorney who successfully argues a motion that prevents Becker from representing Melman if the divorce goes to trial; Stulwicz plays a pivotal role in winning new business for the firm and gains a new friend in the process; McKenzie asks Perkins to return to the firm.
#16 - The Good Human Bar
Season 4 - Episode 8 - Aired 1/4/1990
Rollins's friend asks for his help in petitioning the court to allow her to end her life and be cryogenically preserved until a cure for her incurable brain tumor is found; Kuzak meets an attractive dancer; Becker decides to leave the firm and form a partnership with Ganz; Allison is sexually assaulted by a member of her film crew; Roxanne gets a little help from her friends when she experiences a little stage fright during her singing lesson recital.
#17 - True Brit
Season 4 - Episode 11 - Aired 1/25/1990
Kuzak suspects a barrister is exaggerating his ignorance of American courtroom procedure to influence the jury; Becker yearns for more fanfare from his co-workers; a friend's confession to Diana tests the limits of lawyer-client privilege; Rosalind invades Kelsey's space.
#18 - He's a Crowd
Season 5 - Episode 12 - Aired 2/7/1991
Rosalind promises to help McKenzie save an account; a case of multiple personalities confounds Kuzak; Abby collaborates with C.J. to build her practice; Roxanne is subpoenaed in the case of Becker vs. Becker.
#19 - Sidney, the Dead-Nosed Reindeer
Season 1 - Episode 12 - Aired 12/18/1986
La Rosa digs up the ammunition Kelsey needs to succeed in representing an inventor in a contract dispute over patent royalties; Kuzak is horrified as he witnesses a severely depressed Hershberg commit suicide in court; Becker gets caught in a compromising position when he's propositioned by a client's soon-to-be ex-wife; Perkins spends Christmas with her son; when his pre-trial depositions reveal that the Emmons case is a winner, Kuzak is able to negotiate a favorable settlement for his client.
#20 - Three on a Patch
Season 8 - Episode 15 - Aired 3/17/1994
Brackman represents senior citizens threatened with eviction from their retirement community for rambunctious behavior arising from their participation in a clinical study of testosterone patches; Rollins takes on the State Department of Corrections on behalf of an inmate who claims that the conditions in the super maximum security facility in which he is incarcerated violate the constitutional prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment; Becker learns that a kiss is just a kiss, and nothing more, where Halliday is concerned; the partners's choice of a new associate prompts Morales to resign.
#21 - Silence is Golden
Season 8 - Episode 17 - Aired 4/14/1994
Becker and Mullaney suspect, but cannot prove, that Flannigan committed a felony in settling a civil damages suit in a child molestation case; Rollins successfully pleads with an over-controlling father to drop a law suit against his fashion model daughter; Flannigan wins the undying gratitude of the Brackmans when he uses his influence to get their son accepted into a prestigious prep school.
#22 - How Much Is That Bentley in the Window?
Season 8 - Episode 3 - Aired 10/21/1993
The Sandy Morris murder trial begins where Eli acts on his suspicions and calls the murder victim's husband, Jonah, to the stand. Meanwhile, Becker longs to buy a classic $275,000 Bentley Convertible, a dream that could come true pending the outcome of a messy divorce case involving his latest client, Jessie Wilks, and her wealthy CEO husband. Also, Morales' artistic eye puts him in charge of the office renovation and meets with the attractive renovator, Lauren Chase, to discus the costs.
Watch Now:Amazon#23 - God Rest Ye Little Gentleman
Season 5 - Episode 8 - Aired 12/13/1990
A disfigured doctor charges a clinic with discrimination; Benny anticipates the holidays with his new roommate; Van Owen defends a former colleague.
#24 - The Douglas Fur Ball
Season 1 - Episode 14 - Aired 1/15/1987
McKenzie gets Kuzak sprung from jail; after Brackman's wife discovers his infidelity and serves him with divorce papers, he begs her to take him back when he discovers that she's represented by Lisa Weston, who intends to go after a share of the partnership's profits in the settlement; Sifuentes confronts a judge after Putnam's computer analysis uncovers a racist bent to the jurist's sentencing determinations; Markowitz's jealousy prompts him to keep too close an eye on Kelsey's relationship with Cromwell, which creates friction between the attorneys; McKenzie represents a jurist friend who is arrested after taking desperate measures to resolve a deteriorating financial situation when the firm declines to offer him the partnership he seeks; Melman goes out to dinner with Putnam; Weston has it out with Becker over his mistreatment of her and discovers to her discomfort how much they have in common.
#25 - Princess and the Pee
Season 3 - Episode 5 - Aired 12/8/1988
Kuzak faces disciplinary action for not revealing that his opponent in a negligence trial is not a member of the bar; Brackman hires a new associate; still overwhelmed by Holland's death, Perkins reaches out to Van Owen and Ringstrom for help; the Brackmans grieve the end of their marriage as they agree to a financial settlement and prepare to file final divorce papers; Kelsey and Markowicz agree to consider adoption after desperate measures to conceive lead to an embarrassing encounter with an amused Rollins and Sifuentes.