So, how does this usually work? Uh well, usually the trial starts and uh there's a judge and then you know, people say things. >> You've never done this before, have you? Well, I never drove a car before the first time I drove one and I'm still here, aren't I? Huh, >> [sighs and gasps] >> this is your first time? I'm your first? Don't worry, I promise not to be gentle. Frank, nice to see you one last time. Um if it pleases the court It pleases the court to decide who speaks and when. Well, sit down. We're talking about $4,000 in withheld rent payments. >> your honor, but we have receipts for repairs, lost clothing, as well as $4,000, yes, your honor. Just talking to me. Why hasn't he paid, counselor? Oh, that one was for you. Uh bed bugs, your honor. I have receipts that show my client's financial outlay to rectify the problem far exceeds the amount. >> Housing department certified the presence of bed bugs. Uh yes, your honor. >> Abatement. Skippy. I'll do Nope. Your honor, this is an eviction hearing. The pertinent question is not habitability, but whether or not rent has been paid. Actually, city code states that rent may be withheld if the warranty of habitability is breached. In that case, we request to see the checks Mr. Ross's client has placed in escrow. >> The the Checks. In escrow, pending the outcome of a rent abatement hearing. That's not in the code. >> It is the accepted practice. >> And therefore binding in this courtroom. Your client did put money in escrow, I assume. I didn't have any money left. I had to pay for everything. >> Eviction upheld. >> But your honor, he Did you see me bang the gavel? That means step aside. Next case. You never forget your first. >> [music] >> The plaintiff would like to call Ms. Donna Paulsen to the stand. You got her to come in. Just stick to the script. [music] Or he will know what hit him. I Ms. Paulsen. Did Harvey Specter order you to shred that document? I decline to answer pursuant to my Fifth Amendment rights. Did you put your date stamp on that document? I decline to answer. I'm I'm not going to ask questions that you're just going to plead the Fifth to, so. Had Harvey Specter asked you to bury something 5 years ago, would you? He wouldn't ask me to do that. >> That's not what I asked. If he did, [music] would you do it? Oh, so you're pausing. Which means you're hiding something. No, I'm not. See, I think you'd [music] do anything for him, and I know why. Is there a question? Do you love Harvey Specter? What? >> Do you love him? That has nothing to do with >> It has everything >> [music] >> to do with. Why'd your last boyfriend break up with you? Ms. Paulsen, why'd he end it with you? >> [music] >> He thought that I prioritized my work over our relationship. Your work. He asked you to choose between him and Harvey, >> [music] >> didn't he? Yes. >> Who'd you choose? Harvey. Because you love him. Louis, stop. It is not that simple. >> Do you love him? Yes or no? Answer the question. Louis. >> You're with him all the time. Your work revolves around him. Your life revolves around him. >> Objection. Badgering. You don't have a boyfriend, but the one you did wouldn't share you with him. >> I just need a Do you love Harvey Specter? Do you love Harvey Specter? >> That's enough. >> [music] >> Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, you're going to be hearing a lot of things over the next several days, but the truth is this case is about nothing more than cold, hard >> innuendo. [music] And the fact is I'm capable of reciting every element of jurisprudence in [music] the state of New York. And yet, despite that, the prosecution is going to try to convince you that I am a fraud who not only didn't pass the bar or go to law school, he didn't even graduate college. [music] >> There isn't one piece of hard evidence proving that I didn't go to Harvard Law. There's no record of tuition being paid. No record of a Boston address. There isn't [music] even a simple picture in the yearbook. Let's talk about the yearbook. As he told you, I'm not in the yearbook. Where is Mike Ross? Now, what he didn't tell you is that 25 other students are also not in this yearbook. Are those other students being charged with [music] fraud? Of course not. Because we don't put people on trial for being sick on picture day. And no matter what he says, the fact [music] is Mike Ross is not a lawyer. He's a fraud, and we will [music] prove that beyond a shadow of a doubt. The defense would like to call its first witness. Right there. He's such a non-lawyer, he doesn't even know the prosecution goes first. >> And you obviously don't know Jarvis v. The State of New York 1937, when calling of the first witnesses of such special nature as to disrupt the flow of the trial once it's started. What the hell special nature are you talking about? >> When the defense wants to call the prosecutor as its first witness. Harvey, unless you have something to overturn this, I'm going to need you to have a seat. Mr. Specter, you said there's no record of me ever having an apartment in Boston. Can you explain to the jury why there's no record of you ever having lived there? I'm not the one on trial here. >> No, you're not. You're the one in that chair, so why don't you answer the question or we can stop this whole thing right now. >> There's no record of me living there because I sublet up there when I had my place down here. >> So, it is possible that a person not have a Boston address without it meaning that they didn't attend Harvard. Great. Thank you so much. This witness is excused. And what exactly is your reason for not having an address up there? Unless you're too afraid to answer my questions. No, I'm not afraid of you at all. My reason is that I chose to live with my friend Trevor during that time. The only problem with that is your friend Trevor has lived in Brooklyn his entire life. >> Exactly a 3-hour and 20-minute drive from Harvard. So, you're saying you made that drive every day? No, I only went up for tests because that's all I had to do. I guess you needed some extra tutoring, huh? You expect these people to believe [music] that you graduated from the most competitive law school in the world without ever going to class? >> [music] >> See, that's funny because you actually expect these people to believe that I never went to law school at all, and yet still somehow managed to convince the smartest [music] lawyers in the world to make me their youngest partner ever. Whose story is looking more far-fetched now? Oh, no answer? Great. No more questions, [music] Your Honor. I don't know if you've noticed this or not, >> [music] >> but he's kicking your ass. And I'm about to kick back. Are you two discussing something that defense should be made aware of? Just talking about the Knicks. Is the prosecution [music] ready to call their first witness? The prosecution's first witness is this affidavit from every single member of the defendant's supposed graduating class. >> Objection, Your Honor. I haven't seen that. >> Well, then let me read it to you. We collectively come forward to swear the following regarding Michael James Ross. We never saw him. We never knew him. We never heard of him. And it makes [music] us sick that he's taking the good name of Harvard Law School and thrown it down the toilet. Please find him guilty on all counts. >> Your Honor, I move to strike that document right now. On what grounds? >> grounds that it's completely [music] fabricated. >> Where's your proof? >> Besides the fact that I actually went to Harvard, there's no way you could have contacted all of those people since [music] last night. >> Then I suggest you call every one of these people and put them on the stand. But when you do, every single one of them is going to look you in the eye and say, "Who the hell are you?" What? No snappy comeback? >> [music] >> You can try to trick these people all you want, but the fact is you didn't go to Harvard >> [music] >> and this proves it. Objection, he's testifying. What I'm doing is winning. All right, [music] that's enough. I think this is a good time to take a break. You son of a This isn't real. I don't give a whether it's real or not. You think Gibbs isn't going to do things like that? >> She is not going to enter false evidence and you know it. >> But she is going to set up traps for you to bungle into like I just did. >> This is such You were just pissed because I was kicking your ass, so now you're cheating. Me? You're the one who testified in your opening statement and every chance you get. >> Because that's exactly what me being my own lawyer gives us. I don't care. If I represent you and it turns out that you need to testify, [music] we can call you up to the stand. >> And if we do that, then Gibbs gets to cross-examine me and make me look like a liar. >> Well, I don't know if you've noticed, but you're looking like a liar right now, and I'm trying to keep you from looking like a fool. You know what? I'm getting pretty tired [music] of you using that word with me. Too bad, because for all your up there, you still can't produce one person who remembers you from Harvard. [music] So, if you want to have a chance of representing yourself, get out of my face and go work on your defense, cuz I got a lot more where that came from. Mr. Evans, is it true that you were living with Mr. Ross in and around the time he claims to have attended Harvard? Yes, we shared an apartment at 5307 Huntington Boulevard in Brooklyn. And how exactly did he pay his rent? He worked as a bike messenger and made money on the side taking the LSATs for people. Oh, wait, I'm I'm confused. Why would he have to resort to that if he were a college graduate? >> Because he wasn't a college graduate. What? You mean he never graduated from college? No, he was kicked out of college for cheating on a test. Oh. Isn't it possible that while he was living with you, he went back to school and completed his degree? Well, I don't see how, since most of his spare time was spent sitting around smoking weed with me. Well, let me get this straight. Before he was employed at Pearson Specter, to the best of your knowledge, he worked as a bike messenger and a part-time LSAT impostor? Yes. One last question, Mr. Evans. Is it at all possible that Mike Ross ever attended Harvard Law School? Not unless they had a satellite campus at 5307 Huntington Boulevard in Brooklyn. No more questions, Your Honor. Given that you smoked all this pot, Mr. Evans, isn't it possible that if Mike Ross commuted 1 day a week to Harvard Law that you might not remember that? I'd remember. Yeah, maybe you would, but you'd lie through your teeth about it anyway, wouldn't you? Objection. [music] Mr. Evans, isn't it true that you're a long-time drug dealer and your testimony today is only happening because you signed a deal with Ms. Gibbs giving you immunity? Doesn't mean I'm lying. Because you wouldn't lie just to get out of going to prison. No, I would not. Well, how about if the other reason was to get back at someone you've been jealous of your entire life? I've never been jealous of Mike Ross in my entire life. >> And I just caught you in a lie. >> Objection, Your Honor. Mr. Evans, my next move is going to be to call Jenny Griffith to the stand and she's going to testify that you lied to her for years about dealing. When she found out about it, she left you for Mike Ross. >> Objection, badgering. >> She's also going to say that you were jealous of his mind your entire life. And when you found out that she left you for him, you were as jealous as a human being can be. Now, is that true or not? Your Honor. Let me rephrase. Is Ms. Griffith going to be perjuring herself or are you? Yeah, I was [music] jealous of him. And if he lied about all of that, what's to make us believe that he [music] wasn't lying about everything else? No further questions, Your Honor. Your Honor, prosecution calls Donna Paulsen to the stand. Don't worry, Donna. She won't ask you point-blank if you knew Mike was a fraud. What if she does? If you lie, he'll never know. >> [music] >> Do you want to talk about it? Talk about what? I don't know. Maybe the fact that Mike [music] is working on a closing to keep himself out of jail, and you're not working on it with him? There's nothing for me to do, Donna. It's in his hands. In his hands? Harvey, that was a trial maneuver. It doesn't mean you can't help him when he needs you. He doesn't need me. He [music] needs you more than ever. No, he doesn't. It's time for him to put the clipboard down and get [music] in the game. Harvey Donna, this wasn't just some move to slip testimony in. This is Mike's life. It's his story, and he needs to be the one to tell it. Everything [music] he's done up until now has prepared him for this, and I'm telling you he's ready for it. Is defense ready for closing statements? Mike. You okay? Mr. Ross. Yes, Your Honor. Um Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I think most of us You guys heard evidence earlier in the trial that I have a photographic memory. And I do. [music] But the way it works, I don't just take a snapshot of something. See, I read it. >> [music] >> And then I understand it, and once I understand it, then I never forget it. I could try to memorize my speech, but I can't. Cuz it's [music] Cuz I I am [music] You see, the truth is is that I am guilty of being a fraud. My whole life I have wanted to be a lawyer so that I could help people like [music] Clifford Danner. People who have no one else to fight for them. No one who believes in them. But instead, all I've done as a lawyer is work night and day to put money into the hands of rich people. I was given a gift and I wasted it and I'm ashamed of myself. And and and as a final insult, I paraded this mourning woman out in front of you just as a way to get you to admire me. >> [music] >> I am so sorry, Gloria. And all I can say is that I [music] promise you whether these people find me innocent or not, I am going to spend the rest of my life fighting for the Clifford Danners of this world. >> [music] >> I will not waste that gift again. You [music] believe it or not, but I am a lawyer. And [music] I always will be. Thank you. >> [music] [music] >> Well, it's an interesting thing really how criminals can play with our emotions. Mike Ross is articulate and persuasive and passionate and listening to his closing argument, I almost want to let him go myself except for one thing. He's a liar. He didn't commute to Harvard one day a week as he so laughably claims. He didn't go to college. [music] There is no paper record of his enrollment. No applications to law school. No picture [music] in the yearbook. No class rankings. no one at all who even remembers him. Except for that one [music] indebted friend with a lot to lose. And if you believe his testimony, I got a bridge over Brooklyn I'd like to sell you. And whether he says it or not, he's >> [music] >> banking on the fact that you are going to think this is a victimless crime. But if you acquit him, you're giving permission to everyone to say, "Hey, I'm going to pretend to be a lawyer. I think I'm going to say I'm a doctor. Hell, you know what? Today, I'm going to pose as a pilot." Imagine one day you woke up on the operating table [music] to discover the man who was about to crack open your chest is not really a doctor. Guilty. Guilty. Guilty. Make no mistake about it. Mike Ross thinks he's better than He thinks he doesn't have to play by the same rules, but we know he does. Yes, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, Mike Ross is a fraud. Mr. Ross, we are prepared to hear your final statement. Before we do, I have one last question. Mr. Ross, you say you're a changed man and you care about the truth, but I want to know if you're capable of telling the truth. So, I'm going to ask you a question, and I suggest that you consider your answer very carefully because as far as I'm concerned, your answer will determine whether or not you become a lawyer. During your time at Pearson Specter Litt, did anyone [music] there have knowledge of the fact that you were a fraud? Mr. Ross, did anyone [music] else know? >> [music] >> I know. And if you're looking for a scalp, you can have mine. But I was under the impression that this hearing was not about my old firm, but whether or not Mr. Ross should be a lawyer. I say he should. It doesn't matter what you say. He's already had someone testify for him. I'm not here to talk about him. I'm here to talk about someone else. Someone else has nothing to do >> I'd like to hear this. 15 years ago, a young woman was arrested for illegally obtaining prescription drugs. Turns out she had chronic pain and didn't want to drop out of med school, possibly never to return. So, she stole a couple of prescription pads from the hospital where she was interning. A crime with a mandatory sentence of 7 years. But instead of throwing the book at her, the prosecuting attorney showed mercy. Had the charges knocked down to a misdemeanor, >> [music] >> recommended probation, and sealed the records. That's a touching story, but I don't see what a random attorney [music] has to do with these proceedings. She's not talking about a random attorney. She's talking about me. Just because I showed compassion once doesn't mean he deserves it now. Maybe he doesn't. But that young woman is now an ER doctor. She saves lives. And the world's a better place because you saved hers. Thank you, Ms. Pearson. Mr. Ross. I don't think I can add anything to that. I've made my [music] case. I'll leave the choice to you. Then this hearing has concluded. We will deliberate and let you know our decision by day's end. Thank you. >> [music] >> So, what do we do now? They said they would let us know by the end of the day. So, we wait. Well, it is the end of the day, which means >> mean anything, Louis. Whatever's going on in there, Sidwell's going to fight like hell. It's not going to make a difference. She's never going to change her mind. I think she will. What do you mean? I mean that story wasn't any old story, and that woman wasn't really a woman, it was a man named Joseph O'Neil, and it was Walter Sampson's godson. So, she did call in a favor. Yeah, she did. Then we need to get her kicked off that board. No, Harvey, we don't. Because I didn't fly all the way down here to strong-arm that woman. And I know the story of the wind and the sun. What the hell are you talking about? She's talking about Aesop's Fable, which basically says that if you want a man to take off his coat, you don't blow it off. You make him feel warm, and he'll take it off on his own. That's not a strategy, it's a prayer. >> Louis, I already admitted that I knew about Mike, and I reminded her of her own compassion. That's the best we're going to do. You know, they could disbar you for that. In New York, they might. In Chicago, nobody's going to care. Thank you, Jessica. Don't thank me. Thank Harvey. He's the one that called me. Sidwell. Hello. I'll tell him. Thanks for calling. You're in. Wait. Oh my god, it happened. >> [laughter] >> And go get us some champagne. Thank you so much. Thank you for flying in. I wouldn't miss this for the world. >> [music]