Portia on Trial (1937)

"Portia on Trial" is a 1937 Crime movie directed by George Nichols Jr. and starring by Walter Abel, Frieda Inescort. Lady lawyer Portia Merryman defends woebegone Elizabeth Manners, who is on trial for shooting her lover Earle Condon. Ironically, Portia herself had once had a relationship with Earle Condon, but Earle's father, powerful publisher John Condon, forced them apart. She has a pretty good idea of what is going on in Elizabeth's head, since she herself was on the verge of killing Earle Condon when his father ruthlessly took custody of her illegitimate son. As Portia toils and strains to free her client, she carries on a romance with Dan Foster -- the attorney for the prosecution. LA Law and The Practice have nothing on this one!