Age: minimum age is 35 years old [implied "The Divide"]
Marital status:Single--implied in "Feeding Frenzy"
Children: ?
Family Background:- Mother: Maureen Straka, 63 years old, competes in pie baking contests (makes Jake go to every contest)["The Divide"]
- Father: Ed Straka*from Ambridge, PA where he attended vocational school and became a plumber by trade. 35 years ago when Jake was a "kid", he opened Straka Supply and Repair in Aliquippa, PA. Ed worked two jobs to put Jake through school and has a gambling problem (horse races)["The Divide"]
- Siblings: ? (Vague implication that Jake is an only child, as the only photo on his father's desk is of him…with a rather '70-ish 'do.["The Divide"]~~Milz)
- Cousin Rudy, worked as a summer office boy at F&F[“No Good Deed”]
Education:- High School: Keystone ______ (or “K.O.”) graduated in 1984. Jake took some vocational tech courses because his father wanted him to work in the plumbing supply business after he graduated. [“Know Your Man”]
- Undergraduate: University of Pittsburgh [ implied in "The Divide"]
- Law School: University of Pittsburgh [implied in "The Divide"]
Employment:- Fallin & Associates: Has been an Associate for 7 years ["Loyalities"]Quit F & A after it became "Caldwell & Associates" ["The Beginning"]
- Fallin & Straka: Formed this short=lived law firm with Nick. The firm employed James Mooney and was dissolved after Burton resigned the federal bench. ["Testimony", "Monster", "The Dead"]
- Fallin & Fallin: Jake works once again with the Fallins at their old office. ["The Next Life"]
Misc.:- Killed a lawyer in auto-related accident ["Feeding Frenzy"]
- has Pittsburgh Pirates (baseball) season tickets. Bruce Bono has the seats behind him. ["Feeding Frenzy"]
- plays in a hockey league; the goalie works in the DA's office["Privilege"]
- Attended to U2 concert with Barbara. Jake set up a date with a girl who works at a cosmetics counter by telling her he had tickets to the U2 concert (which he didn't). After learning from Nick that Barbara won a pair of tickets, Jake tries to buy them from her. During the course of those negotiations, Nick tells her Jake's motive. Barbara, in her usual wisdom, tells Jake that he's better off ditching the girl and going to the concert with her "as friends". They have a wonderful time. ["Solidarity"]
- Due to market competition and bad business practices, Jake's father takes a $40, 000 loan from local loan shark, Mike Fritas. The interest is 23% and Fritas calls in the loan. Unfortunately, Ed Straka can't afford to pay $62, 000. Jake's mom, Maureen, finds out about the loan and goes to Legal Services for help. When Barbara finds out that Maureen is Jake's mother, she brings her to F & A to see Jake. Jake tries to help his parents but realizes he doesn't have the capital to bail them out. After unsuccessfully asking Burton for a salary advance, Jake tips his mom off to corporate merger, that will almost double the value of the stock. The SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) finds out and informs Burton. Burton covers for Jake. Burton and the SEC agent, Robbie Gersh, strike a deal: the money (about $50,000 +) must be returned and Jake is banned from doing mergers and acquisition work at F & A. Burton agrees to the terms. Jake is not fired from F & A, but has to find enough cases to cover his over-head. Burton also gives Jake an envelope which presumably holds a check for $50, 000. With that money, Jake is able to save his parent's house but not his father's business. (Jake owns the title to the house. ["The Divide"]
- Sign on the Straka van reads in part:
Straka Supply & Repair
Residential & Commercial (Parts?) Sorry my VCR tape quality is rather poor~~Milz
Licensed, Bonded, Insured
(412) 043-6583
- Gets involved with Amy Hecht. Amy is the winner of a Legal Services achievement award because she kicked her drug habit. After their “encounter” at her apartment, Jake witnesses her snorting cocaine and drinking alcohol, while her infant son cries. Jake confides in Nick who tells him to not get anymore involved with Amy. Concerned for the child’s welfare, Jake tells Alvin. Since Alvin is Amy’s lawyer, he can’t do anything about it. However Jake calls Social Services. The child is removed from Amy’s home. Amy, then, accuses Jake of drugging her and sexually assaulting her. Jake denies the charges to Alvin, who seems to find Jake more credible. Alvin tells him he can solve the matter the hard way, which is to stick by what’s true, or the easy way, which is to say it was all a mistake. Jake opts for the easy way. [“Know Your Man”]
- Is a member of Keystone Athletic Club. He invites James to the club for a game of squash and attempts to get James to join. [“Where are you”]
- Smokes Cuban cigars [“Where are you”]
*: Totally micro-miscellaneous point: Ed Straka is played by Bruce Weitz, AKA Mike Belker on "Hill Street Blues". In one scene, Ed is eating chinese food and watching a cop show on TV. The show is "T.J. Hooker" which was another popular cop drama in the 1980s, starring William Shatner.
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Age: ?
Marital status: Single [implied in various episodes]
Children:?
Family Background:?
Education:- Undergraduate: ?
- Law School:
Employment:- Fallin & Associates: has been an Associate for 1 year ["Loyalities"]
Misc.:- Really wants to do pro bono legal work. ["Pilot" "Loyalities"], however she needs to pay off her student loans, so she works in corporate law.
- First experience in being the first chair case was when she defended Franklin Derwit in a sexual harassment case. The jury found for the plaintiff, awarding her $5000 for compensation.
- Barbara interviewed for a job as her assistant ["Indian Summer"]
Character turning point:F & A associates are required to perform pro bono work, which is assigned to them by the Firm. Amanda volunteers 10 hours/week at Legal Services, to Burton's disapproval. She is assigned Mrs. Stern an 80-something year old widow being sued for $34, 000 of unpaid medical bills. Mrs. Stern began seeing Dr. Ettinger, for back-pain. During the trial, it is revealed that Mrs. Stern is essentially stalking the doctor and that the doctor would drop the suit in return for a promise for her to leave him alone. She confides in Amanda that she is just a lonely woman with no family nor friends.
Back at F & A, Amanda apologizes to Burton for volunteering at Legal Services. She snaps due to his perceived indifference. Amanda snaps and tells Burton in front of the firm that Burton favors Nick, who left and took all his clients with him, yet she is the one being treated poorly for volunteering. Furthermore, she tells Burton that she doesn't like being a "glorified para legal". Burton tells her that first year associates are glorified para legals. Amanda quits and walks out of F & A. ["Privilege"] (Dan Hollander said in a recent interview that the Amanda character is being written out because he couldn't "find a voice" for it~~~Milz |
