Crane, Poole & Schmidt

Crane, Poole & Schmidt is a fictional law firm based in Boston, Massachusetts, which is the setting of the ABC TV show "Boston Legal", created by David E. Kelley (although it was first introduced in the final episodes of "The Practice").

Employees

Founding Partners

*Denny Crane (William Shatner) (The Practice 1+)
*Shirley Schmidt (Candice Bergen) (Season 1+)
*Edwin M. Poole (Larry Miller) (Season 1+)

Managing Partners

*Paul Lewiston (René Auberjonois) (Season 1-3)
*Barry Goal (Robert Wagner) (Season 2) - LA Office
*Carl Sack (John Larroquette) (Season 4) - Formerly New York Office

Partners

*Brad Chase (Mark Valley) (Season 1-3) - Now Assistant DA,
*Jeffrey Coho (Craig Bierko) (Season 3) - Resigned
*Marlene Stanger (Parker Posey) (Season 2-3) - Transferred to NY Office
*Lori Colson (Monica Potter) (Season 1-2) - Resigned/Fired
*Matthew Billings (Vince Colosimo) (The Practice)
*Sheldon Modry (Currie Graham) (The Practice)

enior Associates

*Alan Shore (James Spader) (The Practice 1+)
*Denise Bauer (Julie Bowen) (Season 2-3) (Now On Leave)
*Claire Simms (Constance Zimmer) (Season 3)
*Vanessa Walker (Nia Long) (Season 3)
*Jerry Espenson (Christian Clemenson) (Season 2+) - Fired, then rehired
*Chelina Hall (Kerry Washington) (Season 1) - Resigned

Junior Associates

*Garrett Wells (Justin Mentell) (Season 2)
*Sara Holt (Ryan Michelle Bathe) (Season 2)
*Tara Wilson (Rhona Mitra) (Season 1-2) - Resigned
*Sally Heep (Lake Bell) (Season 1) - Fired
*Katie Lloyd (Tara Summers) (Season 4)
*Lorraine Weller (Saffron Burrows) (Season 4)
*Whitney Rome (Taraji P. Henson) (Season 4)

Assistants

* Clarence Bell (Gary Anthony Williams) (Season 3+) - Assistant to Claire and later Alan
* Catherine Piper (Betty White) (The Practice +) - Assistant to Alan - fired/rehired as Sandwich Lady
* Melissa Hughes (Marisa Coughlan) (Season 2-3) - Assistant to Alan - transferred to work for Jeffrey Coho

Attorney Roles

Denny Crane primarily serves as a figurehead for the firm, taking advantage of every opportunity to further his own public presence in the media. He has given many memorable interviews, including two on CNN's Larry King Live. Crane occasionally argues cases in court, but is past his prime and is prone to forgetfulness, which he often attributes to Mad Cow Disease. When his authority is questioned he often reminds characters that his name is first on the door. Despite his growing senility, he is shown to have his moments of brilliance.

Paul Lewiston and Shirley Schmidt spend much of their time trying to maintain the firm's integrity and financial security. Lewiston brought Shirley back when Denny began to get further out of control, and they both considered forcing Denny out. While Shirley often tries cases, Paul's role at the firm seems to be mostly administrative. Although he is very rarely shown working on any legal cases, his authority on every practical level is seen as equal to that of the other senior partners (in fact he was offered to become a named partner, which he turned down)

Edwin Poole was shown to have a mental breakdown at the beginning of the show. He has returned twice since, once when he escaped and took a court appointment and another where he was released (but ultimately decided he was still not completely healthy)

Throughout the show's history junior associates have been shown to get little practical work, often being assigned research or sitting in second chair to other attorneys. In season 1, Sally Heep handled one trial on-screen (and one other offscreen, her poor performance in which got her fired), Tara's legal role was somewhat less. In season 2, neither Sara or Garrett got to handle their own cases.

Crane, Poole & Schmidt office locations

Crane, Poole & Schmidt is known to have offices in these locations, at least one other office does exist.
*Boston (500 Boylston Street Boston, Massachusetts)
*Los Angeles (corner of Arizona Avenue and Ocean Avenue, Santa Monica)
*New York
*Washington D.C.
*Chicago
*London
*Tokyo
*Hong Kong