Lionel Hutz

Lionel Hutz, voiced by Phil Hartman, is a fictional secondary character from The Simpsons. Although he is known for being an attorney, he is also a babysitter, agent, bodyguard, unauthorized biographer, realtor, cobbler, and possibly a drug dealer. Hutz's first appearance was the second-season episode "Bart Gets Hit by a Car", and his final speaking role was in the ninth season's "Realty Bites."

He is an inept ambulance chaser and as quoted by Lisa as a "shyster" whom the Simpsons nonetheless repeatedly hired as their lawyer (a fact remarked on by Marge in a typically self-aware aside). His legal practice, located in a mall, was named "I Can't Believe It's A Law Firm!" He often tried to entice potential clients with free gifts, including a "smoking monkey" doll and a business card that "turns into a sponge when you put it in water". In The Simpsons Hit & Run, a sign advertising his law firm offered an "Out-of-court settlement in 30 minutes or your pizza is FREE!".

Hutz was characterized as both an incompetent lawyer with little to no knowledge of the actual law

and an unethical individual in general; for instance, in the season 4 episode Marge in Chains he described the following as his auto accident:
 * . . . I kinda ran over his dog. Well, replace the word "kinda" with "repeatedly" and the word "dog" with the word "son".

Hutz was a recovering addict; also in Marge in Chains, he hastily left the courtroom after handling a bottle of bourbon in order to consult his sponsor, musician David Crosby.

It should be noted, however, that Hutz did win at least one case for the Simpsons, representing Homer Simpson in his case against Captain Horatio McAllister and the Frying Dutchman restaurant over its "All You Can Eat" offer. While the Blue Haired Lawyer tried to show that Homer's eating was far beyond what could reasonably be expected out of an all-you-can-eat offer, Hutz won by putting Marge on the stand and having her reveal the desperate actions she and Homer took after they were kicked out of the restaurant. Captain McAllister was then forced to settle out of court with Homer.

Beyond the law, he also tried his hand at selling real estate in "Realty Bites." Hutz was briefly married to Selma Bouvier Terwilliger Hutz McClure Stu. When Homer hired him to babysit the Simpson children, he had renamed himself Miguel Sanchez following some trouble that prompted him to change his identity. At some point, he apparently went by the alias Dr. Nguyen Van Thoc.

The character was retired after Hartman's murder in 1998, as well as his other main character Troy McClure. Since the Simpson family frequently appears in court, other characters have represented the Simpsons in legal matters since the retirement. For example, in "Sweets and Sour Marge", the equally-incompetent Gil stepped in (in a twist of irony, Gil was introduced in "Realty Bites", Hartman's last appearence as Hutz). Blue Haired Lawyer has also served as the family's attorney. Lionel Hutz still appears in clip shows and flashbacks, as well as crowd scenes, but only in non-speaking roles.

Appearances
Season 2
 * Bart Gets Hit By a Car
 * Old Money

Season 3
 * Bart the Murderer
 * Flaming Moe's

Season 4
 * A Streetcar Named Marge
 * Marge Gets a Job
 * New Kid on the Block
 * Selma's Choice
 * Duffless
 * Marge in Chains

Season 5
 * Treehouse of Horror IV
 * Marge in Chains
 * The Last Temptation of Homer
 * Burns' Heir
 * The Boy Who Knew Too Much
 * Secrets of a Successful Marriage

Season 6
 * Sideshow Bob Roberts
 * 'Round Springfield
 * The Springfield Connection

Season 7
 * Radioactive Man
 * The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular
 * The Day the Violence Died
 * 22 Short Films About Springfield

Season 9
 * Lisa the Skeptic
 * Realty Bites