Known for Acting
Captain Furrer asks Thomas Borchert for help in hunting down a serial killer.
Borchert hates it when people lie to him. From his very first meeting with murder suspect Xavier Schliemann, he has doubts about the man's sincerity. The smart diamond dealer is accused of shooting his ex-business partner. Instead of testifying to Captain Furrer as agreed, Xavier goes into hiding. Then, contrary to expectations, the enraged Borchert stumbles upon evidence that exonerates his client.
Hans Siegenthaler is firmly convinced that Bernadette Schanz stabbed his daughter to death out of jealousy. However, the woman was acquitted in a criminal trial. When Schanz and her husband Beat are shot with Siegenthaler's rifle, the man comes under suspicion. Instead of trusting the justice system, he goes into hiding, making himself even more suspicious. Borchert and Dominique believe in his innocence and want to help him.
Borchert and his office manager Dominique know little about Regula Gabrielli's past. The youthful indiscretions of his highly esteemed legal assistant come to light when she becomes involved in a murder case.
Youth psychologist Julia Egger causes a traffic accident, seriously injuring a man, and drives away in panic. Her explanation that she was deliberately forced off the road by an SUV initially sounds unconvincing to Borchert and Dominique, especially since Julia has a history of drunk driving.
At the opening of photographer Corinna Riemer's exhibition, Borchert finds a dead body outside the door. Suspicion falls on caterer Giovanni Lazzari, who had previously had a heated argument with the murdered art patron Jürg Altweger. Although Borchert does not completely trust Lazzari's assurances, he agrees to defend him at the request of his wife Cristina. Once again, the "unlicensed lawyer's" instincts prove correct: Lazzari not only possesses an illegal weapon, he also harbors another incredible secret. But is he really Altweger's murderer? Together with his boss Dominique, Borchert attempts to unravel the complex case.
Thomas Borchert stands by his conviction as an "unlicensed lawyer" never to neglect humanity when representing a client. This distinguishes him from his friend and colleague Reto, who, as a victim, witness, and legal counsel, is accused of always being "more lawyer than human being." What begins with a robbery at a pharmacy develops into an unusual case of drug crime: the trafficking of high-priced medicines.
What begins as a routine assignment develops into a dramatic kidnapping case involving difficult detective work for the "lawyer without a license." The title character finds himself caught between his loyalty to the family of an old friend, his relentless pursuit of the truth, and his lifelong trauma of having failed as a father himself.
Thomas Borchert, the unlicensed lawyer, and his colleague Dominique Kuster take on the case of Anna Sutter, who wants to contest the will of her father, watchmaker Ludwig Sutter, following his unexpected death. Shortly thereafter, Anna Sutter's half-brother René is found murdered in his office, and the young woman becomes a suspect in the murder. The evidence points to her guilt, particularly the fact that her fingerprints are found on the murder weapon and that, according to a witness statement, she was the last person to be with him before his death. Dominique Kuster attempts to represent her as a lawyer in the murder trial and prove her innocence.
Borchert and Dominique Kuster take over the defense of the taxi driver Jrg Zollinger. Captain Furrer suspects him of the murder of a passenger, the African investigative journalist Nuka Baluba. All the evidence incriminates the uncontrolled suspect, whose testimony initially seems unreliable. Borchert is suspicious of the fact that public prosecutor Dietrich is quick to commit to Zollinger. The "lawyer without a license" suspects that Baluba's research into child labor in cobalt mines in the Congo has something to do with the murder.
When Borchert receives an anonymous message that a certain Franz Brosi is innocent, law firm boss Dominique can hardly believe it. After all, Brosi was her first client as a public defender a few years ago and had actually confessed. The two are investigating the case.
