Ep 3. Desperately Seeking Shirley

Alan Shore takes on a case for a friend of his, Shirley Schmidt, who is seeking custody of her granddaughter. A young girl's parents are both deceased, and Shirley's daughter died in a car accident, leaving the girl with no living relatives. The father's business partner is seeking custody, but he is not a suitable guardian. Alan and Shirley take on the case with fervor, battling it out in a custody hearing that quickly becomes heated.

Meanwhile, Denny Crane is convinced that he is losing his marbles. He is seeing hallucinations of Abraham Lincoln, who is trying to convince him to run for President. Denny confides in Alan, who is hesitant to believe the story until he sees the ghostly apparition with his own eyes.

The lawyers at Crane, Poole & Schmidt also take on a case for a man who believes he is a vampire. He is suing a Halloween store for discrimination after they refuse to sell him a vampire costume. The man claims that he is a member of the vampire community and that the store's refusal to sell him a costume is a form of discrimination. The case becomes a media circus, and the lawyers argue their case in front of a packed courtroom.

Back in the custody case, Alan and Shirley must use all of their legal skills to prove to the judge that the father's business partner is not fit to care for the young girl. The man has a history of drug abuse and has a criminal record. However, he hires a powerful lawyer to defend him, and the case becomes increasingly complex.

Meanwhile, Denny's hallucinations of Abraham Lincoln are becoming more frequent and intense. Denny starts to believe that he is actually a reincarnation of the former President, and he decides to run for President of the United States. Alan tries to talk Denny out of it, but Denny is convinced that it is his calling.

As the various cases come to a head, the lawyers at Crane, Poole & Schmidt work tirelessly to make sure justice is served. The custody case takes a surprising turn, the Halloween store trial ends in a shocking verdict, and Denny's political aspirations take a surprising turn. The episode ends with the lawyers celebrating their victories, but also dealing with the fallout of their various cases.

Overall, Desperately Seeking Shirley is a tense and dramatic episode that showcases the legal prowess of the lawyers at Crane, Poole & Schmidt. With complex cases and intriguing subplots, this episode will keep audiences on the edge of their seats from start to finish.