Pilot episode for the TV series introduces the lawyers and employees of McKenzie, Brackman, Chaney and Kuzak, a Los Angeles law firm, in dealing with their courtroom cases and personal matters out of the courthouse. While the entire office deals with the unexpected death of one of the founding senior partners, Norman Chaney, junior partner Michael Kuzak reluctantly takes on the defense of a wealthy and spoiled young man, accused with two friends, of raping a woman dying from leukemia. While intern Abby Perkins deals with her abusive alcoholic husband, divorce lawyer Arnie Becker takes advantage of his latest client caught up in her divorce. Public defender Victor Sifuentes is also offered to join the firm, while the ruthless managing partner, Douglas Brackman, deals with a surprising revelation from his new secretary.

Since the departure of Michael Kuzak, Victor Sifuentes, Abby Perkins, and Jack Sollers from the firm, McKenzie and Brackman are looking for more litigator power. Grace, having suffered from a miscarriage and leaving Victor, returns to the firm and is immediately given a high-profile case with Mullaney in defending Elsa Chandler, a woman charged with murdering her abusive husband. McKenzie tries to adjust himself to the brash new tenant sharing office space, the crude, smart-mouthed, chain-smoking, entertainment lawyer Susan Bloom, to boost revenues for the sagging firm. Meanwhile, Becker's secretary, Gwen Taylor, is on jury duty and witnesses Bloom's associate, the crafty Frank Kittredge, go to the limits of ethics to defend his wealthy client from an assault charge. Kelsey and Markowitz struggle to find the right nanny for their son, Matthew, and they hire Ned Barron, a college student just right for the job. Also, Billy Castroverti is hired as a new junior associate.

The Elsa Chandler murder trial continues with Grace and Mullaney trying to elicit an emotional testimony from Elsa about her years of abuse so the jury will not convict her. Meanwhile, Rollins is representing a man against his brother in a civil action suit to make the U.S. government accountable for continuing MIA's in Vietnam. Also, Becker gets a lifetime opportunity by Susan Bloom to appear on TV as the co-host of an evening talk show.