Your draft is very engaging, and the dynamic between Judy, Ellie, and Monica is well-written. I've refined it slightly for flow, grammar, and tone while keeping your style intact. Here's the polished version:
"Hello, I'm your lawyer, Judith Myers, but you can call me Judy," she said briskly as she entered the interrogation room. Dropping her bag on the metal table, she slid into the seat across from her client. It had been a chaotic morning rushing from court to the station with barely enough time to think.
"An endless cycle," she'd muttered earlier, exhausted by the monotony of her high-stakes cases.
"I didn't do it," came the quiet mutter from the man seated across from her. His head was bowed, his hands clasped tightly on the table as though trying to keep them from trembling. Judy's sharp eyes caught the shimmer of unshed tears. Was he remorseful? Or just trying to gain sympathy?
"Sir," she said calmly, "I'm your lawyer. If I'm going to help you, I need you to be honest with me."
His head snapped up, his eyes cold and piercing. "I said I didn't do it," he spat, his tone chilling enough to make her spine stiffen. For a moment, Judy felt a flicker of unease.
"Why don't we start from the beginning?" she suggested, carefully averting her gaze to her notepad.
***
Judy had been on cloud nine earlier that morning, fresh out of her judgeship interview. Becoming a lawyer had always been her dream, but the real goal was the bench a place where she could wield real power against the corruption that had plagued the justice system since she was a child.
Walking out of the interview, she felt invincible. She'd graduated top of her class, earned her stripes at one of the best law firms in the city, and built a reputation as the star lawyer with an unmatched winning streak. They couldn't possibly reject her.
Her best friend, Ellie Harper, honked from her car at the curb.
"Move your ass, Judy!" Ellie called out, grinning ear to ear.
Judy strutted toward the car, flipping her hair dramatically. "Guess who's going to be the next Judge Judy?" she teased, rapping on the car window before sliding into the passenger seat.
"They haven't even approved your application yet," Ellie snorted as she started the car. "Your head is already in the clouds. God help us when they do."
Judy stuck her tongue out, and the two friends laughed as they sped off.
Her life seemed perfect...well, almost. She was a rising star in her field, worked alongside her best friend, and had a promising future ahead of her. If only her love life wasn't a series of spectacular disasters.
"So... how's Thomas?" Ellie asked, trying not to smirk. Judy rolled her eyes.
"Very funny. Just because you're dating your high school sweetheart doesn't mean you can pick on me. He's out there somewhere. I just need to keep looking."
"For a lawyer, soon-to-be judge, you're the worst judge of character. You give every dimwit a chance," Ellie teased.
"I am not! I just believe everyone deserves a second chance. It's not my fault I'm a helpless romantic."
"Boo-hoo," Ellie mocked. "I've been with Adrian for years, and you're still busy finding excuses for losers."
Before Judy could retort, Ellie flashed her hand, a sparkling ring catching the sunlight.
"No..." Judy's eyes widened with excitement.
"Yes, bitch! Your girl is getting married!"
The car erupted with their screams of excitement.
"Eyes on the road!" Judy reminded her.
Ellie grinned. "I've got a job opening for a maid of honor. Know anyone?"
"Let me check my schedule..." Judy pretended to check her watch before laughing. Of course, she'd be Ellie's maid of honor.
As the excitement settled, Judy's phone buzzed repeatedly in her bag. She sighed and pulled it out, already dreading the interruption.
"Hello, Judy speaking," she answered, making exaggerated death faces at Ellie.
"Judy, hi! So sorry to bother you, but it's an emergency," came the familiar voice of Monica, her boss.
"This is my day off," Judy grumbled under her breath.
"Hope I'm not intruding," Monica added, her French accent both amusing and frustrating.
"Of course not," Judy sighed.
"Perfect! Please come to the office," Monica said quickly before hanging up.
"There goes my day," Judy muttered, tossing her phone back into her bag.
"I'll pick up your cake," Ellie offered.
"You're the best," Judy replied, stepping out of the car and turning to face the towering structure of Hawthorne & Blackwood LLP.
The slight knock on Monica's office door silenced the heated argument inside. As Judy entered, she immediately sensed something was wrong.
Monica stood by her desk, visibly tense, a stark contrast to her usual commanding presence. Beside her was Jordan Miller, CEO of Dunham & Associates. Seeing their firm's archrival in the office was jarring.
Monica gave a sigh of relief at Judy's arrival. She walked over and hugged her.
"Am I in trouble?" Judy asked, puzzled by the uncharacteristic greeting.
Monica, always the epitome of authority, rarely let her guard down. But today, she looked shaken.
"Everyone out!" Monica barked, and her team of lawyers scurried from the office, leaving her, Judy, and the ever-cold Jordan Miller.
"Judith Myers," Jordan said with an air of icy formality. "I assume you've heard of me."
Judy bristled but nodded. "Hard not to."
"There's a crisis," Monica began. "The state has assigned us a client, Ethan Carter, a key member of the TIC political party. He's suspected of murdering his colleague, Ryan Cole."
"Sounds like an everyday case," Judy said cautiously. "Why not assign it to someone else?"
"This case is complicated," Monica admitted, her eyes darting toward Jordan.
"And by 'complicated,' she means the party wants to ensure Ethan doesn't get out of this trial alive," Jordan added bluntly.
Judy frowned. "What does this have to do with me?"
"The state assigned our firm to represent Ethan," Monica explained. " but given the political stakes, there's immense pressure on this case. For the sake of both firms, assigning it to you ensures no one suspects anything. You're the best lawyer we've got, everyone will believe it was just the strength of the evidence."
Judy's confusion deepened. "What do you mean, 'for the sake of both firms?'"
Jordan stepped closer, his tone cold and final. "We want you to lose this case."