The final episodes of "The Practice" set up this new series about a decidedly different law firm than the one Bobby Donnell headed for so long. Crane, Poole and Schmidt deals in the often high-priced world of civil litigation, where smarmy Alan Shore feels at home. Loose-cannon partner Denny Crane has run of the place, while a new lawyer, just in from the Washington office, is assigned to keep his eye on Denny.

In this week’s episode, Trial of the Century Alan and Denny co-council two brothers accused of murdering their father. But when Alan predicts a losing verdict, Denny concocts a plan to cast reasonable doubt on their guilt. Meanwhile, Shirley is furious when Jerry and Clarence take the case of a woman suing a casino for losing money.