Zoey must deal with Judge Adam Biel, her former law school professor, who appears to be losing control of his mental faculties during a trial. Meanwhile, Rollins allows his personal experiences to color his defense of a fearful black man who led the police on a high-speed car chase after seeing a videotape of the police beating of Rodney King. Becker tries to help Benny recover from his mental breakdown. Abby seeks advice on relationships while deciding whether or not to pursue one with the bisexual C.J. Arnie is reluctant to open up to his therapist and eventually sees his self-destructiveness stemming from his own troubled childhood from his parents. McKenzie re-assumes his role as senior partner and firm is formally renamed 'McKenzie, Brackman, Chaney and Becker' to reflect the absence of Michael Kuzak.

Kelsey faces disbarment for revealing knowledge of her former client Suzanne Hamil's murder obtained through attorney-client privilege. Victor, now an independent lawyer, is representing his old friend Mark Gilliam, an AIDS-stricken lawyer, suing an insurer for not providing coverage for his medical needs, while he and Grace finally marry. Meanwhile, Becker tells Roxanne that he has feelings for her and they end up falling through the ceiling while engaged in a little romp. Abby is finally made a partner, and McKenzie inherits Rosalind Shays' estate.

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.

Brackman accidentally becomes the victim of a gay-bashing incident and tries to keep the incident a secret despite pleas from a gay former college friend to testify against his attacker. Kelsey is defending a logging company owner being sued, along with an environmental activist, by a maimed sawmill worker after an accident that involved the activist spiking redwood trees. Meanwhile, Mullaney goes out on a limb, with Zoey's help, to defend a woman who wants to plead guilty for possession of drugs in her apartment, knowing her boyfriend left it there. C.J.'s father, a veteran stage and screen actor, arrives in town from England on a drunken bender and sprays salt on family wounds.

Zoey's latest case involves her pushing for the execution date of David Lee, a death-row schizophrenic murderer. Meanwhile, Billy Castroverti is representing a splenectomy patient suing a doctor's right to profit from her donor cells. Bloom gets into a territorial dispute with Roxanne over the office, and Benny becomes afraid of Kittredge after he yells at him for not doing a good job. Also, Mullaney becomes depressed after he learns that Zoey and Rollins are seeing each other and deeply in love.

The firm worries about its reputation when Kittredge takes a high-profile criminal case of defending a mobster leader for allegedly murdering a rival mob leader and the new D.A., Ruby Thomas, becomes determined to see the case won at any cost. Meanwhile, Markowitz takes a rare court deposition in representing two women basketball players suing the Hollywood Hoopsters for wrongful termination.

Brackman's former sister-in-law, Veronica Berg, approaches Grace to help her in suing the school board for failing to pay for her developmentally-disabled son's private education. Meanwhile, Susan Bloom takes on a case of defending a lunch wagon proprietor being sued by an overweight man who assaulted him after accusing him selling him high-calorie drinks on a daily basis. Also, Roxanne helps an overworked and stressed out Gwen get back at Becker who's in between client meetings and his TV show.

C.J. takes a close interest in Becker's case involving a custody suit of her former lover, Maggie Barnes, whose past lesbian love affair with C.J. has threatened to take Maggie's children away and put them in the care of her ex-husband. Billy Castroverti is fired for his unsatisfying work performance. Low staff morale makes it difficult for Brackman to organize the annual Christmas party, so Benny and Castroverti take over the chores and intend to go all out. Meanwhile, Kelsey fumes as Markowitz is forced to go out of town to miss their son's 2nd birthday party. Zoey and Rollins quarrel over their plans for the holidays. A holiday card from the late Rosalind Shays brings a form of relief for both McKenzie and Grace. Also, a mentally unbalanced temp office worker, named Betty, drives everyone to distraction.