Season 5

Alan answers a call for help from Bethany Horowitz in a suit against a tobacco giant, but he suffers a crisis of confidence when the opposing counsel turns out to be an old girlfriend. Meanwhile, Denny is plagued by a case of performance anxiety.

A close call for Denny involving prescription drugs inspires Alan to go after a pharmaceutical company for its unscrupulous advertising tactics. Meanwhile, Carl defends Shirley's 17-year-old granddaughter after she's caught voting illegally, and Jerry and Katie help a girl who was sexually assaulted in a private detention facility.

Denny is arrested on concealed-weapon charges after shooting a man who tried to rob him and Jerry. Meanwhile, a case gets personal for Alan when he tries to help a sex surrogate in a custody battle for her daughter.

After an old girlfriend hires Alan to help her husband beat a murder charge, he faces a moral and professional dilemma when his lingering feelings for her elicit a secret desire for a conviction.

Alan and Shirley prepare for a fight with the military on behalf of a man whose brother died under suspicious circumstances. Meanwhile, Jerry helps his sister in her search for the identity of the father of her son, who was conceived through an anonymous donor.

Shirley defends the notorious Catherine Piper after she accidentally blows up her doctor. Meanwhile, Alan and Denny take a break from the office, but they are out of their element at a dude ranch in Utah.

Alan and Denny sue the USDA on behalf of a cattle rancher who wants to test her entire herd for mad cow disease; Jerry's consideration to make partner hinges on an up-or-down vote by the firm's panel, which includes Paul Lewiston.

Alan and Shirley help a minor in a legal battle over her pregnancy, and Jerry takes up his own defense when he faces aggravated-assault charges after an encounter with a bully.

Carl and Denny go to Virginia to defend a prison guard who shot a death-row inmate when a lethal-injection execution was botched. Meanwhile, Alan and Shirley help a woman who says she lost her job after voting for John McCain.

Shirley's quiet Thanksgiving with Carl becomes considerably louder when she opens her door to other members of the firm, including Alan, Denny, Jerry, Katie and emotionally unstable partner Edwin Poole, who brings his 6-year-old foster son.

When Denny receives bad news about the state of his Alzheimer's, Alan goes before the Massachusetts Supreme Court to plead for access to an experimental drug that could help his condition. Meanwhile, Jerry and Katie try to help a girl get into Harvard after her SAT scores arouse suspicion, and Catherine Piper returns.

Financial problems may force Crane, Poole & Schmidt to be put up for sale. Meanwhile, Alan petitions the Supreme Court for Denny's access to a non-FDA approved medicine; and Shirley and Carl plan their wedding.

Financial problems may force Crane Poole & Schmidt to be put up for sale in the series finale, which also finds Alan petitioning the Supreme Court for Denny's access to a non-FDA approved medicine, and Shirley and Carl planning their wedding.