I can’t believe Ben has a wood carve of his first name on his own desk. Self-absolved much?
At the time, I assumed the wood carve was something his daughter made for him in grade school (it was a common artsy craft project in the 70s IIRC) and actually humanized him a bit.
And why is he so uncomfortable dealing with Leland? I would think having a daughter himself, Ben would be more sympathetic to Leland’s loss of Laura.
Because Ben was emotionally distant in general and Leland was acting batshit insane. Furthermore, wasn't Leland Ben's lawyer? People want their attorney to be the calm one who makes them feel better, not the other way around.
(Disclaimer: I haven't rewatched the show since 1995 so my memory might be a little off in some areas)