McKenzie takes a dim view of future lawyers after his guest lecture at a law school which is filled by questions from the students dominated by self-interest. McKenzie's secretary, Iris, takes a dim view of her future with the firm and of the new law clerk, Jeffrey Sullivan, whom McKenzie hires. Meanwhile, Irving Lewis follows Becker's advice concerning his divorce, then blames him when his young wife won't return to him. Victor goes to bat for a young girl facing charges after she shot her brother who tried to rape her. Kuzak meets with Grace's fiancé while continuing to try to win her affections, and Markowitz wows Kelsey with his private life. Abby tries to continue working despite not knowing the whereabouts of her son.

Kuzak wants to take his relationship with Grace public, then reporters drag her through the mud during a press conference when her former fiancé tells them that she left him at their wedding with an unknown man (Kuzak) in a gorilla suit. Meanwhile, Kelsey pushes the trustees of a fund intended to benefit the poor and homeless of Beverly Hills into doing something. Victor tries to defend the spoiled Jeffrey Sullivan on drug dealing charges, who is convinced he can buy his way out of the drug rap. Also, Abby's stress over her missing son comes out while she is helping Becker in a divorce case between a couple using their child as a bargaining chip.

Victor's love for Lauren is tested when she's arrested after she shoots and kills her ex-husband and it appears to have been premeditated. Although Victor gets the murder charges against Lauren dropped, he's still skeptical about her story of self-defense and breaks up with her. Meanwhile, Abby discovers Erroll in Brackman's office and learns of his arrangement with him while Sheila seduces Erroll as payback after learning of Brackman' affair, in which he suffers an anxiety attack. Grace prosecutes Reuben Mendez, a teenager who has been accused of killing his own father after years of abuse. Benny plays Santa at the annual Christmas party, where Becker persuades Roxanne to go with him to visit his parents for the holidays.

Victor begins a complicated case concerning the undo influence of a younger woman over a much older man. Grace's return to the D.A.'s office is marked by dark humor over her prosecuting a man who clubbed a swan to death on a golf course. Meanwhile, Kuzak defends Megan Penny, a woman who killed a foreign diplomat Wilfred Arguayo who raped her and walked away because of his diplomatic immunity. Meanwhile, Benny fears for his job when he accidentally shreds an important file. Also, Brackman continues his secret affair with Rusty, until Erroll finds out.

Grace once again faces off against Lee Atkins, the conniving and racist black lawyer, who again uses the issue of race in which he is defending a middle-aged black man who shot and killed a white man in his apartment whom he thought was an intruder, whereas Grace's argument is that it was a drug deal gone wrong. Seeing that the odds are against him this time, Atkins resorts to low and underhanded means against Grace to get a mistrial declared rather than lose. Meanwhile, Abby unwisely advices a client of hers to accept a settlement because her own practice is in financial difficulty. Markowitz and Kelsey are contacted by their baby broker who has information on a possible baby girl that they can adopt. Allison Gottlieb rejects Becker, but she goes out on a date with Victor and they immediately engage in a passionate affair.

Victor represents the owner of a maligned Mexican brewery suing their American competitor who allegedly spread rumors of urine in their product. Meanwhile, Kuzak represents The Sensations, an old blues singing group, suing their younger counterparts, The New Sensations, over a new version of their music. Rollins allows his desire for Diana get in the way of representing her during her divorce. Dave Meyer, resenting his divorce, takes his anger out on Becker as the depositions get increasingly nasty, but ends on a positive note. Also, Abby makes a list of demands to McKenzie and Brackman when she's asked to return to the firm.

Rosalind Shays returns with an equally ruthless and manipulative lawyer, Jack Sollers, to sue the firm for sexual discrimination. Markowitz suffers a heart attack during the trial and is put on leave. Meanwhile, Kuzak faces Darron Holloway, an angry, civil-rights black activist inciting the press and the public while he takes the case of defending Brian Chisolm, a white policeman accused of shooting a black youth. Also, Roxanne has more problems with her father, Murray, when she tells him that he has Alzheimer's Disease.

The Rosalind Shays lawsuit continues with Grace and Victor springing a surprise witness against Rosalind when her own daughter Susan Raab testifies against her, embarrassing Rosalind. But the case continues to go badly when Kelsey, Becker and even McKenzie himself are racked over on the witness stand with damaging incidents from their pasts, which makes matters worse when the troublesome and senile Murray begins inciting reporters about the case. Meanwhile, Kuzak faces off against a biased judge on the Chisolm case who's trying to appease Holloway and the angry black masses protesting for a conviction, while Kuzak tries to get a very reluctant Rollins to help him sit co-counsel for the case. Markowitz and Kelsey agree to a sexual hiatus, and Douglas decides to end his relationship with his sex surrogate, Marilyn Hopkins, after finding out of her other weird clients.

Abby takes on the sad case of a couple trying to return their violent and mentally unstable adopted, seven-year-old son to the orphanage. Meanwhile, Gwen Taylor, Becker's former temp and final fling before his marriage to Corrinne, comes back to work at the firm full-time as Markowitz's secretary and Becker tries to keep distant to her at any cost. While Kuzak and Rollins debate on their handling of the Chisolm case, Grace asks the no-nonsense Judge Richard Armand to take over as judge for the case, while Holloway finds a witness for the prosecution.

April 29, 1992. On the first day of the major L.A. riots, Becker stretches his practice and defends a theme-park employee fired for inappropriate behavior while in costume. Meanwhile, Rollins continues his leave of absence to be elected for City Counsel and canvass the riot torn South-Central district. Mullaney brings Zoey home to his house from the hospital to recover after the shooting. Becker's former secretary, Gwen Taylor, begins her law internship. With the departure of Grace Van Owen, C.J. Lamb, Alex DePalma, Frank Kittredge, and Susan Bloom, the firm hires Daniel Morales, a widower from Santa Barbara, as a partner, and he brings his infant daughter Lucy to work on his very first day. Brackman and Markowitz are caught in the riots when Brackman is falsely arrested for looting while on his way to the wedding chapel, and Markowitz is badly beaten by a mob.

Eli is co-counsel with Defense Attorney Tanya Geiss for one of two men being prosecuted by A.D.A. Tommy Mullaney for manslaughter after resorting to cannibalism during an ill-fated mountain climbing expedition which their partner died. Meanwhile, Becker encourages his client, mathematician Carl Hicks, to resist his wife's divorce demands and to stand up for himself. Denise finds herself caught in the middle of a father and son feud when both vie for her attention which also threatens one of McKenzie's cases.