Wow, more happened in this episode than in, like, the other four combined. Smaller stuff first: Keith, from last week, and Taylor are new hires at the firm (and on the latter, HA! Suck on it, Patti!) but Eli and Taylor don"t have time to bitch at each other too much (they"re not back together yet, apparently) with all the visions he"s getting of surfers and the beach. Matt"s now-lesbian ex-girlfriend shows up and tells him that her partner, with whom she had a baby, has gone straight and born-again and is trying to take sole custody of the kid. Matt enlists Taylor, whose specialty is family law, to help him. Unfortunately, their hands are tied by a document that surfaces that the ex signed waiving her parental rights. Meanwhile, Eli makes a date with Taylor to talk things out, but when he cancels on her, she has a drink with Matt, who remembers he has a tape of the My Two Mommies Baby Shower, or something, and that convinces the judge to give joint custody to Matt"s ex.
In bigger news, Eli learns that a verdict he won five years ago has been overturned. The case involves a guy who was horribly maimed when his SUV flipped over, but Old Eli, as New Eli refers to his old self, argued on behalf of the evil big-car-company defendant. In court, Eli has an episode during his opening arguments during which a choir sings "One More Try" to him. Also, there"s some mystery whistleblower witness who disappeared before the last trial that could help the plaintiff"s case, and Maggie"s incessant digging reveals that Tom Amandes had a hand in making the witness vanish. But a vision of Patti sends Eli and Maggie to Hawaii, where they find the witness, who tells them the company ignored a safety report he wrote. Eli surreptitiously tapes the conversation and uses it to force the car company to settle, and now he"s really making some powerful enemies -- and they don"t let the grass grow under their feet, as the car company"s CEO, citing Eli"s episode in court, gets disbarment proceedings initiated against him. Also of interest: Tom Amandes and Patti used to be An Item, Eli name-checks Veronica Mars, and I may hate Patti, but girlfriend can sing.