In this episode, we find out more more of Claire Kincaid's backstory - namely that she worked for, and had an affair with, a judge before joining the DA's office. This isn't the only previous job they mention in various episodes - an earlier episode revealed that she clerked for a different judge - and BTW these judicial clerkships are generally at least year long gigs.
The problem is that Jill Hennessy was just barely 25 when this episode was filmed, and Claire Kincaid certainly doesn't look any older than that. Generally one graduates from law school at age 25. How did she get all of this judicial clerking experience AND then subsequently spend anough time in the DA's office to rise to an ADA sitting second chair on 1st degree murder trials at her age? Not possible. Even being generous, she would have had to have been at least four or five years older.
I can get past her romantic affair here with a judge who was nearly 30 years her senior, and her subsequent romantic relationship in seasons 5 and 6 with Jack McCoy who was also nearly 30 years her senior. Maybe that's just how she rolled. But she is just way too young to have the position she has, and especially if she had two or more judicial clerkships before ever even joining the DA's office, as this episode indicates.
As for the episode . . . It's OK, nothing more than that, especially because the unconvincing ending just seems to come out of nowhere since they're running out of time.