House Counsel (4 Jan. 1995)

Briscoe and Logan learn that the murder of an unassuming Parks Department accountant may have actually been a mob hit when they discover that he was a juror in the trial of a crime boss.

Director:

James Quinn

Writers:

Dick Wolf (creator), Michael S. Chernuchin,

Stars:

Jerry Orbach, Chris Noth, S. Epatha Merkerson

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Jerry Orbach	...	Detective Lennie Briscoe
Chris Noth	...	Detective Mike Logan
S. Epatha Merkerson	...	Lt. Anita Van Buren
Sam Waterston	...	Jack McCoy
Jill Hennessy	...	A.D.A. Claire Kincaid
Steven Hill	...	D.A. Adam Schiff
Ron Leibman	...	Mark Paul Kopell
Vincent Pastore	...	John Furini
Leslie Ayvazian	...	Priscilla Lempert
Anthony Fusco	...	Murphy
Jessica Walter	...	Anna Kopell
Claiborne Cary	...	Judge Carol Bonelli
Fil Formicola	...	Vincent Dosso
Lauren K. Woods	...	Mitch Rosenblum
Michael Willis	...	Joe Williams

Storyline

Detectives Briscoe and Logan investigate the shooting death of David Lempert, a city parks employee who was gunned down just as he was leaving his health club. They find little in Lempert's background to suggest he was targeted. He's divorced from his wife but that all seems amicable. He was paying hefty university tuition fees for his daughter and all in all lived a modest lifestyle. They get a break when they learn that he had been a member of a hung jury in the prosecution of mobster Vincent Dosso. The police arrest Dosso and the hit man, John Furini but ADA McCoy comes up against his old college classmate Mark Kopell who seems to out-lawyer him at every turn. When he learns that his old friend was present when the mobsters discussed hits, he charges him.

---

Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

---

Details

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 January 1995 (USA)

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Wolf Films, Universal TV

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Guest stars Ron Leibman and Jessica Walter (who play the Kopells) are married in real life.

---

Quotes

Jack McCoy: Justice is a by-product of winning.

User Reviews

Mr. Parks

Some poor cost accountant working for the NYC Parks Department is the target of a rather obvious mob hit. That was the first mistake, the mob made, they should have gotten creative in killing this guy otherwise Jerry Orbach and Chris Noth might never have been looking in that direction.

With this as a given, Orbach and Noth come up with the fact that he was on a jury against one of the big organized crime bosses up for murder and he was the one who hung said jury. The boss is arrested and the lawyer for the mob is Ron Leibman who with his wife Jessica Walter socialize with Sam Waterston. Leibman in fact went to law school with Waterston and their's a rivalry going back to then.

The jury was supposed to be anonymous as such a case might warrant and yet the evidence shows that Mr. Parks as he's identified was gotten to. And evidence on the tapes the Organized Crime Bureau has points that Leibman may have participated in the getting.

Leibman's is one of two great guest star performances in this episode. The man has totally lost a moral compass and he's completely convinced himself that Waterston is working off a vendetta and off personal jealousy. It's absolutely fascinating as you see how his mind has come around to think the way he does.

Secondly John Furini who was the actual triggerman is just great in the role. It's a part he plays over and over again, making a career out of playing mobsters. This is one of four appearance on Law And Order he's done, not to mention the Sopranos and other films and TV roles. This man will never be out of work as long as Mafia stories interest the movie and TV audiences.

Very well crafted episode from Law And Order.