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.

Brackman's first day back at the firm begins badly when Markowitz also returns prematurely and takes off on an irresponsible spree with Benny. Meanwhile, Gwen takes the reins in a divorce case where the husband is determined to blackmail his wife into relinquishing her claims to his real estate business. Becker represents a wine maker in a court case over the property of the family winery. Roxanne, frazzled and overworked, yearns for something more in her life: a baby. Rollins comes back to work at the firm after losing the election and tries to apologize to an angry Kelsey while facing a cold reception from most of the office due to the tabloids publishing his racist views which he made during the election campaign.

Becker meets with Ben Flicker, a movie studio mogul, when he handles a family divorce involving his daughter. Markowitz recoils in fear when he is asked to identify his attackers from that day. Meanwhile, Brackman begins writing his memoirs about being in jail, but he has some trouble concentrating. Roxanne approaches Mullaney about her dream of having a baby with him after stepping down as office manager. Gwen receives an anonymous gift and assumes it's from Morales. Rollins tries to find a home for Markowitz's stray dog that he found. Also, McKenzie becomes involved in another rare court case in representing a deaf woman being sued by the California State Coalition for the Deaf for her hiring practices.

Kelsey fights for a man's right to choose not to procreate with an injection to stop his ex-wife from using their frozen embryos. Meanwhile, Gwen begins her first unsupervised litigation case, bothered by the feeling that she's being watched. Roxanne and Mullaney make a decision about conception. An immature Markowitz shares his deadly secret with Benny when he shows him the big gun he now keeps on him. Also, Rollins tries to get his damage deposit back for the South-Central apartment he rented during the campaign, but never used.

Mullaney fights against the state mental hospital to prevent the release of a couple's daughter's convicted killer David Orcott (their son-in-law) from the hospital where he was committed. Meanwhile, Brackman can't resist a nasal aphrodisiac in his attempt to revive his sex life with Sheila. Flicker continues to annoy and tempt Becker, and then after much forceful reasoning, he finally allows Arnie to meet with Eric Schuller, who is revealed to be long dead. Also, Morales represents a man suing the hog-finishing plant over the foul odor contaminating his nearby home.

Gwen's stalker, a darkly sinister woman who claims to be Alison Morales, Daniel's recently diseased wife, continues to plague Gwen and plays a particularly cruel trick on her by tampering with her medical records. Meanwhile, Markowitz takes the stand for the first time at the pretrial preliminary against his two alleged assailants. Brackman represents a man running an adult strip club downstairs in their building and the city attorney involved is the annoying and obnoxious Dana Romney. Becker believes his show business career is over as Schuller's will is read, but he gets the opposite result when Beatrice Schuller acquires the throne, dismisses Flicker and hires Becker as the studio director. Also, Rollins confides in Paros about his behavior during the Ajamian riot.

Rollins represents a man who is fighting to keep his pregnant girlfriend, put in a coma after a car accident, on life-support so their unborn child can be brought to full-term. Meanwhile, Morales finds himself inadvertently holding a piece of evidence in a murder case. Gwen's stalker continues lurking in the hallways and stairwells of the firm and takes advantage of Morales' legal trouble to kidnap his infant daughter Lucy. Mullaney's frail, estranged, alcoholic father pays an unexpected and unwelcome visit to him and Roxanne to reveal startling news about himself. Also, Markowitz's assault case is settled after he has an attack of conscience and lets his two attackers get off lightly, but Kelsey is not satisfied.

Paros represents a widow suing a newsman for allowing her husband to kill himself as the cameras rolled. Meanwhile, Mullaney maintains a hospital bedside vigil for his dying father. Morales contacts the police to help find baby Lucy and protect Gwen from the woman still calling herself Alison Morales after she waylays and wounds Gwen. Also, Dana Romney appears before Kelsey who is now suing the city for negligence in matter of the beating of Markowitz.