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.

Kuzak sets his sights on Deputy D.A. Grace Van Owen while he helps Victor defend a Hispanic man from an assault charge after he became enraged when his son's killer, a wealthy man, was set free on a legal technicality. Meanwhile, Kelsey faces criticism from Brackman when she turns down a large insurance settlement for her pro-bono client. Andrew Taylor, a disgruntled associate, tells the senior partner, Leland McKenzie, and Brackman what he thinks of the firm's hiring policies as they pursue the hiring of Victor. Stuart Markowitz, the firm's tax specialist, tries to get Kelsey's attention. At the reading of Chaney's will, Georgia Buckner inherits the majority of his wealth, and Brackman gets Chaney's own personal secretary, Hilda. Abby asks Becker to represent her in suing for divorce from her abusive husband. After Andrew Taylor quits the firm and law clerk Bruce Pollak leaves, Abby is named a full-time associate. Also, Becker also insists to the partners for the dismissal of law clerk Lisa Weston, his secret girlfriend.

Victor suffers through a dinner with the Brackmans when they want him to romance (and marry) their Hispanic maid who is threatened with deportation. Meanwhile, Markowitz finds himself in the middle of a fierce tax-audit between sleazy millionaire Irving Lewis, and alcoholic IRS agent Marv Fletcher in which Markowitz resorts to lying about Lewis' tax claims. Kuzak's personal-injury suit against an amusement park becomes complicated by his young client's greedy, adoptive father. Also, Abby's personal troubles take a turn for the worse when she learns that her husband has kidnapped their three-year-old son Eric.

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.

Sid Hershberg, a mentally unstable, overworked and underpaid attorney, begs Kuzak to take over one of his many pro bono cases of Nina Emmons, a woman jailed for over five months on an attempted murder charge. Meanwhile, Becker tries to persuade the firm to hire some tall man as a temporary associate to bolster the office basketball squad for an important game after Victor leaves. Kelsey fumes while Markowitz redecorates his new office, but her mood changed when he gives it to her as a gift. Abby tries to start her life over again when her ex-husband returns with their son. Also, Grace is put on night court duty for an indefinite period.

Sid Hershberg tries to make a comeback, but he can't take the pressure and kills himself in front of Kuzak while he is trying to get the attempted murder charges against Nina Emmons dropped. Becker gets caught making out with a client's former wife. Meanwhile, Kelsey faces a mountain of garbage (literally) as she tries to win a contract dispute over an inventor's tea-bag technology. Brackman quarrels with everyone over the annual holiday festivities and McKenzie gives his secretary, Iris, a law book for her future career of studying law. Abby's ex-husband lets their son, Eric, stay with her for the Christmas holidays, and Victor returns to the firm.

Kuzak has difficulty getting over Sid Hershberg's suicide and seems to assume the dead lawyer's identity by taking over Hershberg's cases. Then Kuzak faces a dilemma when his latest client, lacking confidence in the overworked lawyer, arranges an alibi for himself in a vehicular manslaughter case. When Kuzak has an attack of conscious and withdraws from the case, he is thrown in jail for contempt. Meanwhile, Kelsey works to land Cromwell Industries, a key aircraft manufacturer's account. Roxanne comforts Andrew Putnam, a lonely teenage computer hacker and Victor's client, who's hired to fix the firm's telephones.

While McKenzie is dealing with Judge Morris Hood facing bribery charges, he's asked by another senior partner from a national firm in New York, named Marshal Taft & Associates, to merge their two organizations which raises many expectations. Meanwhile, Roxanne and the other secretaries resent the intrusion of two efficiency experts from Marshal Taft. Also, Abby has her first solo court appearance and gets burned for her poor preparation.

A top pharmaceutical company tries to repackage Kuzak after hiring him to win a product-liability case. But he and Victor show them a few things about swaying a jury during a mock trial. Meanwhile, Roxanne asserts herself and demands a pay raise from Becker. Markowitz learns a lot about Kelsey when he handles her massive tax return. Also, Abby takes another court case when she defends Benny Stulwicz, a retarded man against charges of robbery.

Brackman's quarrel with an eccentric neighbor's complaint about his barking dog escalates dramatically when the fight turns ugly and physical. Meanwhile, Kuzak faces a tough opposing counsel when he represents a young woman suing a football jock in a date rape civil suit. Kelsey and Markowitz argue over the sale of her condominium, and Abby tentatively tries a new romance with George Handeman.

Victor and Abby defend a woman accused of murdering her baby. Kuzak's fisherman client, Ron Messer, wins his case against the IRS, but loses his boat anyway to bank foreclosure. Meanwhile, Kelsey and Markowitz wind up in Las Vegas while celebrating their six-month anniversary together, complete with an Elvis impersonator at a wedding chapel. Becker's client makes some astounding accusations against her husband, a kiddie-show TV host, concerning the family pig. Also, Grace leaves Kuzak for a while to sort out her feelings. McKenzie finally clears the air with Iris about a minor medical condition of his.

Becker turns over a losing case concerning a case of "car homicide" to Leslie Kleinberg, a pretty new associate, then pursues the case and the associate when Leslie decides to leave the firm. Meanwhile, Kelsey defends a water company CEO against charges that they've polluted the drinking water of a nearby trailer park, causing birth defects. Brackman, after another humiliation by his insanely jealous wife Sheila, turns to Rhonda for comfort. Grace becomes upset and jealous when she meets Lynn Palmer, Kuzak's ex-wife whom he never mentioned. Also, Abby learns how much Rollins is being paid and sparks a rebellion among the associates.

Brackman learns some upsetting things about his late, revered father as he peruses some old papers of his and finds Rusty Farrell, a former film actress and his father's mistress along with her balding son (and his half-brother) Erroll, a sleazy attorney. Meanwhile, the Rohner vs. Gradinger case ends up back in Kelsey's lap, who passes it on to Abby. Markowitz asks Kelsey to sign a prenuptial agreement just to test her love of him. Victor handles a civil suit for a woman raped at a deserted bar while an off-duty police officer stood by. Benny's mother dies and the firm rallies around him for support. Also, Grace agrees to meet with Lynn Palmer for lunch to find out if she still has feelings for Kuzak.

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 takes Benny to the zoo where he soon becomes involved in pleasing Benny's questions about life and love when he becomes involved in a case involving the mistreatment of a zoo gorilla. Becker's client, Ken Seaver, accused of molestation, disappears with his young daughter. Meanwhile, Roxanne ignores Becker's suspicions about Jimmy with his stock tips that may be from insider trading while she gives some stock tip advice to Kelsey, Abby and others at the firm whom Kelsey spends her shares on a $10,000 Rolex wristwatch as a gift for Markowitz.

Kuzak represents Lynn Stetler, a lawyer suing the law firm she was fired from because of her obesity. Meanwhile, Grace refuses to take the case of John Vincent, her first client offered in her new partnership arrangement because of his alleged mafia connections. Markowitz inherits $30 million after an elderly, senile client dies and he faces a dissenting chorus which include Kelsey, a televangelist, and the client's disgruntled children all after the money. Also, Rollins makes a self-serving TV appearance on a talk show that rankles his co-workers, which leads to them scaring Rollins in a practical joke. Then Rollins finally wises up and decides to even the score.

Benny has a date with another retarded young woman from his support group that doesn't go well at all. After witnessing the murder of John Vincent, Grace angrily quits her new partnership after learning of all the mob connections her place has and starts to develop her "domestic side." Meanwhile, Kelsey and Markowitz go to court to testify against the so-called "yuppie bandit" who stole Markowitz's Rolex watch that Kelsey bought with money from Roxanne's insider stock tips. Becker goes beyond the bounds of propriety while representing Jack Seiling, an actor attempting to prevent his TV show producer, Jamie Needham, from airing an embarrassing program of him in drag while Becker is revealed to be romantically involved with Jamie who has staged this suit just for publicity reasons for her studio which angers Becker's colleges at the firm.

Becker becomes smitten by Monica Ryan, an attractive judge hearing one of his divorce cases and shortly thereafter she hires him to handle her own divorce from her husband. Meanwhile, Rollins and Markowitz use questionable means in a desperate attempt to win a lawsuit against Robert Bolland, a shady business manager accused of defrauding an old woman. A revenge-seeking Erroll launches an all-out war with Brackman when he causes a scene at a formal dinner party by announcing that he has decided to represent Sheila suing for divorce from Brackman. Elizabeth Brand, Kuzak's secretary, introduces a lonely Roxanne to Dave Meyer, a incredibly boring direct-mail mogul.

Vernon Kepler, an old friend and client of McKenzie, peruses a frivolous lawsuit against an old card playing rival of his and introduces McKenzie to his beautiful granddaughter, Jennifer, as a possible associate for the firm. Meanwhile, Grace is frustrated in her attempts to prosecute a young black man who accidentally shot and crippled a security guard who stopped him for suspected shop lifting because the defending lawyer Lee Atkins, a civil rights black activist, goes to the limits of ethics to derail Grace's case by bringing up the issue of racism, and even calling Grace a racist in open court. Dave Meyer continues his pursuit of Roxanne by offering her one of his many cars for her to drive and offers her to house sit for him. Also, Victor finally brings the elusive twins to visit the office.

Markowitz starts taking fertility pills for his low sperm count which makes him physically sick. Abby takes questionable measures against Whitey Holland, a deadbeat plumber who asks her to take his case of him being sued by a health club owner over his poor work. When Abby decides not to represent Holland anymore, he flips out and assaults her, resulting in her shooting him dead. Meanwhile, Victor and Rollins nearly come to blows of their conduct in a wrongful death case in which their client, Laura Coyle, is suing a corporation who insisted that her husband go on a mountain climbing trip which led to his death. Also, Kuzak and Grace continue to drift apart because of her constant anger towards him. But eventually, Grace tells Kuzak the reason for her anger because she allowed herself to be corrupted by agreeing to cover up certain evidence in the Lyle Torrey case.

Victor once again faces off against the crafty dwarf attorney, Hamilton Schuyler, who's the opposing counsel representing a nightclub owner where Victor's client brings a complaint to stop dwarf tossing contests at the club. Kuzak discovers a witness who may be able to clear Earl Williams, but has some complications when the witness, a convicted drug dealer, may not be reliable. Meanwhile, Kelsey feels pressure from many of her peers when she agrees to help a friend sue pro-life abortion activists who have been harassing abortion clinics. Also, Roxanne volunteers to help Markowitz who is planning to go to court on behalf of a dating service being sued by an dissatisfied woman customer.

Victor represents an Iranian immigrant woman suing the U.S. government whose husband died on the A300 Airbus jet that was shot down by the U.S. Navy in the Persian Gulf on July 3, 1988. Victor's case leads to arguments with others in the firm, and with McKenzie as well. Meanwhile, Roxanne and the other secretaries rebel over Brackman's strict lunch hours. Also, Grace is offered a position for judge on the bench and immediately faces a major decision of whether or not to sentence a teenage boy to life in prison for murder.