Companies
History
"The Wolf, The Ram, and The Hart" is the name of an ancient group of demons. The group is relatively weak at its inception, and was not regarded as a threat by the Old Ones. Over time, they gained power and influence, eventually leaving this dimension altogether. From this point onward they are known on Earth as the Senior Partners to their employees, and enact their will through various puppet organizations. One of the groups they command on Earth is the law firm of Wolfram & Hart.
While the Senior Partners have left Earth's dimension, the source of Wolfram & Hart's power, the Home Office, exists on Earth itself. Without the evil that resides within every living person, the firm would not exist.
The firm maintains offices in every major city in the world.
Operations
As a law firm, Wolfram & Hart typically defends unscrupulous and detestable clients, including stalkers, mobsters, murderers, corrupt senators, and a number of demonic individuals and groups. While many of these clients are rich or powerful, the firm is also known to work some cases pro bono, especially when it has a secondary interest in the client. The firm also maintains departments of Real Estate; Entertainment; Science; Research and Intelligence; and Internment Acquisitions (the firm's term for grave robbery).
Special Projects
In addition to the many legal functions the firm performs, Wolfram & Hart also maintains a Special Projects Division.Special Projects is responsible for a wide range of activities, from sponsoring high-profile charity events with the intention of stealing upwards of 95% of the funds raised, to hiring assassins to kill individuals deemed threatening to the Senior Partners. Among the resources at the division's disposal is a heavily-armed special ops team, which carries out operations such as kidnapping at the firm's behest. Marcus Hamilton claims that the patent holder of cancer is a client of Wolfram & Hart.
Human resources
Wolfram & Hart is known for its unforgiving treatment of its employees. The firm conducts random sweeps of employees, using telepaths to find workers who are disloyal to the company they pledged to work for. When discovered, these individuals are often executed on the spot. It has been reported that the Senior Partners have forced employees to eat their own liver if unhappy with their performance.In another instance, it was reported that when several employees were sacked, actual sacks were used. They have also permitted employees to execute and replace their superiors in light of poor performance.
Every 75 years, the firm conducts a review of its employees. During the Review, a Senior Partner takes corporeal form to punish employees who have shown unfavorable performance. Many employees live in fear of the Review, and in the days preceding it do whatever they can to endear themselves to the Senior Partners, including animal and human sacrifices.
However, departmental heads at Wolfram & Hart can use discretion when dealing with insubordination. If a manager thinks highly enough of an employee, he or she may decide to forego punishment in favor of a second chance.
Wolfram & Hart's employees often have a "perpetuity clause" in their contracts, meaning they remain with the firm even after their deaths.
As mentioned by Harmony Kendall, there are also non-Human resources.
In 2004, after being double crossed by Angel, the firm sends the L.A. branch (along with L.A. in its entirety) to a Hell dimension.
The white room
Within the Wolfram & Hart solicitor's building, one can enter 'The White Room'. This is an interdimensional space that serves as a "Conduit" to the Senior Partners - it is the most direct line to them, but it requires speaking through an intermediary. The 'Room' is accessed by pressing a certain sequence of buttons on an elevator panel. If conditions are met, the elevator doors open and a blinding light transports the occupants to the White Room.
The Conduit's form is determined by the viewer. During his tenure with Wolfram & Hart, Gunn makes use of the Conduit when he has exhausted all other resources. When Gunn visits in search of a way to save Fred's life, he encounters a mirror image of himself, who viciously beats him for his insolence in using the Room for his own convenience.
Other realms
In addition to its operations on Earth, Wolfram & Hart maintains a presence in a number of other dimensions.
The region of the extradimensional world of Pylea visited by Angel Investigations is ruled by priests known as the Covenant of Trombli. This group possesses a trio of holy texts emblazoned with a wolf, a ram, and a hart (red male deer) respectively. The Covenant has since been overthrown, and the full extent of Wolfram & Hart's influence on Pylea or in other dimensions is unknown.
The begining
Angel Investigations is the name of a detective agency run by none other then Angel. First opening in LA long ago It started off as a small business with 2 employees. Angel and Doyle. That was until Cordelia came along and designated herself part of Team Angel. Printing up business cards and helping to come up with a catchy slogan. "We help the helpless" Time passed the team lost a beloved member (Doyle) before it grew in size as some familiar faces (Wesley) and some not so familiar ones (Gunn) came along and found their calling. Together they did what they did best, helping Angel on his quest for redemption. No sooner did business pick up then it was all coming to an end. Wolfram and Hart thought Angel Investigations was bad for business, so they blew up the Angel Investigations building.
Having no place to go Angel retreated to a place that he knew would be abandoned. The Hyperion Hotel. A luxury hotel where Angel had stayed in 1952. The Hyperion was abandoned due to a demon that drove the occupants to insanity. Team Angel kills the demon and takes control of the building for use as their headquarters. The manager's office in the lobby is used by Angel (and later Wesley) and several of the empty rooms are used as a residence for various members.
Coming to an end
After escalating disagreements about his growing moral corruption, Angel fires his three colleagues. Instead of disbanding while Angel deals with his private issues, Gunn, Cordelia, and Wesley continue running Angel Investigations without him in a rented office. They opt to keep the name "Angel Investigations" because they feel they are continuing the "mission" that Angel started out with. Eventually, Angel rejoins them and their base of operations returns to the Hyperion Hotel. As part of his amends, he agrees to work for them and Wesley is selected as the leader of the team.
Angel Investigations solves crime even if it takes you to a demon-dimension like Pylea, home to friend Lorne. There they rescue Winifred Burkle, a stranded former physics student, who joins the agency. After returning to this dimension, a fallout occurs. Wesley leaves the group and sets up his own group which is run more as a paramilitary mercenary group than a detective agency. Angel resumes his function as leader with the departure of Wesley.
Later, the agency is dissolved when Angel assumes control over the L. A. branch of their former enemy Wolfram & Hart. (see Wolfram & Hart section for more info)
A Fresh Start
After Team Angels escape from the L. A hell dimension they settle in Rome and get back to the basics. Angel Investigations. With some new friends (Spike, Illiyeria) to help they set up shop in yet another abandoned hotel. After some renovations the old school business cards were printed up in Italian and English and spread out. Now all they have to do is wait for the helpless to ask for help. And being as they are on The most active hell mouth, and in the same town as the Wolfram & Hart Main Headquarters the wait should not be a very long one....
