S01E21 - Counsel

"Counsel" is the twenty-first episode of Season 1 of We Can Fix Pawbert and the first part of a two-part Suits crossover.

Synopsis

On the first day of the Lynxley RICO trial, the pack watches as prosecutor Grazella is inexplicably passive while defense attorney Ryshard Vale aggressively frames Pawbert as a violent criminal. Luther calls in a favor to Mike Ross, bringing Pearson Specter Litt into the case to uncover prosecutorial corruption.

Plot

A ZPD transport van carries Pawbert through the morning streets toward Zootopia Central Courthouse. He is muzzled, cuffed, and wearing a borrowed navy suit—the kind a mammal wears when trying to look respectable. His mother's green sweater is hidden underneath, his only armor. Luther rides beside him as escort, with Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps on the bench opposite. Outside, media camps and crowds have gathered since dawn for the trial of the century.

The courthouse rises from Savanna Central like a monument to judgment. Pawbert is processed through secure corridors and deposited in a witness holding room—small, windowless, institutional beige. Nikki Bramble arrives to brief him: he will not testify today. Today is opening statements, preliminary witnesses, establishing the framework. His job is to exist, to let them see him, and to not react to anything the defense says. She names the key players: Judge Abigail Stone, a rhinoceros known for strictness and fairness; prosecutor Louis Grazella of the Special Prosecution Unit; and Ryshard Vale, the silver fox representing the Lynxley family.

The courtroom is packed. Every seat filled, press in designated rows, the weight of public attention pressing down like a physical force. The Lynxley family enters: Milton first, patrician and composed; Cattrick looking bored; Kitty scanning the room with practiced disdain. None of them look at Pawbert. The absence is its own statement.

Grazella's opening statement is competent but flat. He establishes the facts—a hundred years of stolen wealth, fraud, and murder built on a stolen patent—but something feels wrong. He gestures vaguely toward Pawbert without naming him specifically. When Vale rises for the defense, the contrast is devastating. Vale points directly at Pawbert and methodically lists every violent act he personally committed: injecting Judy with venom, stabbing Nibbles, leaving Gary to freeze, the arson. Each accusation lands like a hammer blow. The family, Vale argues, knew nothing. Pawbert is a violent criminal trading false testimony for a lighter sentence.

As the trial proceeds through preliminary witnesses and evidence technicians, the pattern becomes unmistakable. Grazella backs down from objections too quickly. He accepts stipulations without argument. When Vale's cross-examination veers into territory that should be challenged, Grazella sits silent. During a recess, Nick voices what everyone is thinking: Grazella appears to be phoning it in. Judy counts fourteen objection opportunities that went unused. This is not incompetence—his conviction rate is 87%—which means he is deliberately not trying.

That evening at Site Two, Luther pulls out an unlisted phone and calls in a favor. The voice on the other end belongs to Mike Ross, a raccoon attorney who owes Luther a debt. Within hours, the lawyers of Pearson Specter Litt arrive at the safehouse: Jessica Pearson, the black panther managing partner who arrives in rooms rather than walks into them; Harvey Specter, the lion senior partner who knows exactly how dangerous he is; Donna Paulsen, the red panda executive assistant who is actually running everything; Louis Litt, the beaver senior partner clutching his briefcase like a lifeline; and Mike himself.

Jessica sets the ground rules immediately. Pearson Specter Litt will not appear in the case. Their name stays off every document, out of every courtroom. Nikki Bramble remains counsel of record; whatever PSL finds flows through her office. The Lynxley family once tried to buy the firm and retaliated when they declined—if the family sees PSL's name on any filing, they will make the case about the firm instead of about the crimes. Harvey will run moot court sessions to prepare the witnesses for Vale's cross-examination. Louis drills Nikki on objection timing. Mike works with Pawbert on likely cross-examination questions.

Donna commandeers the dining table and begins investigating Grazella's digital records with terrifying efficiency. The work continues through the night. When Jessica asks Pawbert directly why he is testifying against his family, his answer is simple: because he finally saw what he was becoming, and he does not want to be that anymore. Jessica tells him that is the answer he gives on the stand—nothing added, nothing subtracted.

In the hours before dawn, Donna approaches Luther with her tablet. She has found the evidence: e-filing access logs show Grazella accessed three defense documents before they were officially served, timestamps proving coordination. A shell nonprofit funded by a Lynxley Holdings subsidiary made consulting payments to a company registered to Grazella's brother-in-law. The prosecutor has been bought through three layers of insulation. Pawbert sleeps on the couch, green sweater pulled tight around him, while the pack finally has something more than hope—they have evidence.

Key Moments

• Pawbert transported to courthouse—muzzled, green sweater under navy suit
• Trial Day 1 in Courtroom 4A before Judge Abigail Stone
• Prosecutor Grazella is inexplicably passive; Judy counts 14 missed objection opportunities
• Defense attorney Ryshard Vale is devastating, framing Pawbert as sole perpetrator
• Luther calls Mike Ross for help
• Pearson Specter Litt arrives at Site Two to assist off the books
• Jessica Pearson sets ground rules for PSL's involvement
• Harvey Specter will play Vale in moot court preparation
• Donna investigates Grazella's records and discovers evidence of corruption
• E-filing logs and shell nonprofit payments prove Grazella has been bought

Key Lines

Characters Introduced

Locations

Items

Notes

• The Suits crossover adds a legal thriller dimension to the trial arc.
• PSL operates off the books through Nikki Bramble's office to avoid conflicts.
• Grazella's corruption adds a final obstacle before the Lynxley family can be convicted.