Plot

Mallory defends the nephew of a businessman arrested for taking his car. The boy kills an inmate for trying to sexually abuse him. Mallory must defend the boy, while fighting a corrupt DA's office who want him to lose the case.

This fascinating movie of the week stars Raymond Burr as a once celebrated lawyer (a la Perry Mason) who weathered a false accusation, and now has a struggling practice. He gets his chance at renewal, when he has to defend the nephew of a rich businessman who had his nephew arrested for claiming the boy stole his car after an argument they had, and now wants him to sit in County Jail to "teach him a lesson". After Mallory convinces him to get the boy out of that hell-hole, they discover that the boy is now in maximum security after having killed an inmate who tried to sexually abuse him the night before. Mallory must now defend the boy, having to battle a corrupt DA's office who continue to throw obstacles in his way to prevent an honest trial.—Amanda G

A much heralded Movie of the Week starring Raymond Burr as a quite different lawyer than his legendary Perry Mason. Here, he plays a once celebrated lawyer who was falsely accused of jury tampering and although didn't lose his license, did lose his "luster". He now lives alone, having lost his wife, which he blames on the pressure of his fight. He is able to retain his law license but loses most of his high-level clients, and must downsize his lifestyle. In this story, one of his last "A" list clients who stayed with him, a famous Los Angeles entrepreneur and owner of a LA based basketball team, has had his nephew (played by a pre-"Star Wars" Mark Hamill), arrested for Grand Thief Auto, when the nephew got into an argument with him and took his expensive car out for a joy ride without asking permission. The nephew is arrested, and the entrepreneur wants him to stay in the LA County Jail for a few days to "teach him a lesson". Mallory pleads with his client to bail him out, since the LA County Jail is no place for a pampered sheltered privileged boy. He finally convinces him to bail the boy out after 24 hours, however they discover that he is now remanded to maximum security since the night before he had killed an inmate who he claimed had tried to sexually attack him. Mallory then has to defend the boy for first degree murder. What ensues is a labyrinth of obstacles by the DA's office, who throw everything at him to prevent an honest defense, including preventing him from using a fellow inmate who witnessed the attack and can prove it was self-defense. Mallory is brought back to his old self as he fights back using his genius to thwart the DA's and at the emotionally charged trial brings the his client to a rightful justice. The movie was also made as a possible pilot for a new Raymond Burr series.