Al Sharpton: [Keep going] Let the bells of tolerance ring this Christmas. Let people open their minds by opening their gifts under the tree. We need your mind today, judges. Let the gay man be my brother, let you be your brother, let him be the teacher, let him be the construction worker. Give the world a gay Santa Claus, God, the Almighty, the Almighty, the Almighty! Leave the cookies and milk this Christmas Eve for a holly, funny homosexuals, Almighty God! Also known as Clarice, Clevant and „Oprah”. In his standard character, Clarence is desperately shy and introverted, and often struggles to maintain eye contact. To cope with this disadvantage, he plays like other people who embody the qualities he cannot. He originally continued his employment for discrimination on the basis of sex. He is hired by CP&S as an assistant to Claire Simms, and after it turns out that he is a law graduate who has been called to the bar, he becomes a partner. For a while, he and Claire are an object. When he joined the Litigation Division, he and Jerry Espenson became friends and enjoyed a kind of mentoring relationship with Carl Sack.
He disappeared at the end of season 4 without explanation. A lawyer diagnosed with Asperger`s syndrome, whose quirks include purring when he feels anxious and upset; constantly proclaim „Bingo!” as an affirmation; jump when excited; and clumsy with his hands pressed against his thighs (earning him the nickname „Hands Espenson” among other CP&S lawyers). Since his diagnosis, Jerry has received mental and behavioral modification therapy that has boosted his confidence in treating people. Before his disorder was diagnosed, he was arrested for holding a knife to Shirley`s throat after being denied a partnership in the company for the third time. Shirley dropped the charges against him after Alan promised to provide Jerry with the therapy he needed. After the therapy, he founded his own successful law firm and clashed with Alan Shore in several cases, beating him in court, although Alan used various tricks that shook him. Jerry was able to use his law firm and client list as leverage to return to CP&S and move from corporate law to litigation, where he enjoyed surprising success to the delight of Alan and Shirley. Alan even admitted that he thinks Jerry is one of the best lawyers he`s ever known. He became a partner in the final season, after a statement of support from Denny Crane and an eloquent speech from him to the partners.
Carl Sack, who had initially been skeptical of him, was proud to offer Jerry the offer of a partnership within the firm. Jerry attended Harvard University, where he earned a Juris Doctor and an MBA. Denny Crane: They are criminals. Yesterday it`s a tree, today it`s a salmon, tomorrow it`s like, „Let`s not dig Alaska for oil because it`s too pretty.” Let me tell you something, I came here to enjoy nature, don`t tell me about the environment. Alan Shore: Do you know what I miss most about our country, Denny? Not so much the loss of our civil rights, but our compassion, our soul, our humanity. Joe: Oh, my God, I`m sorry, I took my wallet. Alan Shore: Shirley? What about senior partners? There would be nothing wrong with me wanting, let`s say, from that. you? Would there be any? Garrett Wells was introduced in the premiere of the second season as a cheeky young lawyer who is obviously attracted to Denise. He goes over her head with some clients, but helps her by blackmailing her ex-husband`s lawyer/pastor to get her to abstain from her requests for money. He is not as effective in the courtroom and has been humiliated more than once by sober judges.
He is also intimidated by Catherine Piper, Alan Shore`s caterer and former assistant, who actually drives him out of his own office. We will not see him again after the end of season 2. It is not clear if he is still with the company or if he was fired by the partners without any explanation. During the second season, he begins a relationship with a paralegal and initially shames the company for his misaligned sexual encounters. In Boston Legal, he talks about his wife Mary Shore and how she could guess exactly what he would think and do. However, Alan speaks lovingly about his wife and expresses the otherwise invisible emotion of regret for her death. It is noteworthy that he was irritated by his strange ability to guess every thought he thought, even when he tried to be unpredictable. Often, many of Alan`s behaviors support this claim. Alan states many times that he is sure that his first fate will be murder. He worries, if only to Denny Crane, that he fears waking up alone, because he is sure to have been murdered in his sleep in a previous life. Alan considers Denny his best friend, and every night he drinks scotch and smokes cigars with Denny on the balcony of his office, often thinking about the events of the day and confessing his most intimate fears and desires, while showing his many curiosities and eccentricities and often confessing his platonic love for each other.
When Denny`s Alzheimer`s disease worsened, Alan and Denny decided to get married so alan could have a power of attorney over Denny`s medical care as well as spousal privilege in a future criminal case. It would also allow Denny to transfer his considerable wealth to Alan tax-free. They were married at the Nimmo Bay Fishing Lodge in Canada by Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. As a young employee from England and a graduate of Harvard Law University, she was taken under the wing of Shirley Schmidt and assigned to share an office with Jerry Espenson, with whom she often tries cases and develops a platonic friendship and later a romantic relationship. Shore and Hall spend the next day doing everything in their power to convince the prosecutor and governor to help without success. Shore`s arguments before the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals are passionate and extremely well-founded, but they also fail. Bonus Feature: The episode includes an informative explanation of the Texas Court of Appeals system. Beginning in the second season, Alan has a semi-confrontational relationship with Melvin Palmer, a high-priced Texas lawyer who relies on a friendly Southern attitude to seduce clients and other lawyers. Alan and Melvin have been on opposite sides of a deal three times, and although Alan won each of them, Melvin remains fearless. Alan once compared it to a swollen clown doll – „he always jumps back”. (Nation Boulevard.) Alan barely hides his contempt for Melvin, while Melvin seems amused by Alan`s personality. While Alan, Denny and Melvin were on vacation in Utah, Alan and Denny were arrested when Denny sneaked into a woman`s tent to visit her, and Melvin convinced the judge to release her on the pretext that Alan would politicize the trial.
Alan was horrified at the thought of thanking Melvin, although he seemed grateful. Sally Heep first appeared as a partner at Crane, Poole & Schmidt.