Sebastian Stark decides to quit his job as a defense attorney after a man who he defends ends up killing another person. The mayor offers him a position as the director of the Los Angeles DA's high profile crime unit, where he would be a prosecutor.
The mayor puts Sebastian and his new prosecution team on a case prosecuting a cop killer. The LAPD are hesitant to trust him and the defense has an excellent lawyer, so the team has their work cut out for them. Meanwhile, Sebastian tries to deepen his relationship with his daughter.
A heart surgeon is accused of murdering his missing wife. The fact that Stark doesn't have any proof, or even a body, doesn't stop him. He asks his team to find creative means to secure evidence from Dr. Mitchell Sterling's home and obtain testimony from his eight-year-old son, Ethan.
A couple is shot to death in a Malibu beach house, which they rented from a private investigator who knows dirty secrets about almost everyone in Hollywood - including Stark. The PI is under investigation by a grand jury and Stark uses that threat to squeeze information from him. Back at home, Julie helps a guy on whom she has a crush research a term paper while she lets her own studies fall behind.
Sebastian and the team prosecute three football players for raping a student at a frat party. Meanwhile, Julie is in trouble at school for plagiarism.
Martin leaks false information to the press in order to force the owners of a garment factory to pay for the death of four employees. Sebastian is upset with him, but eventually pitches in and helps with the case. Julie gets through the review committee and gets back into school, but is still upset about what she did.
When a young girl is murdered, Sebastian recognizes the pattern from a case he tried as a defense attorney. He lost the case, and goes to his client in jail for leads on the current case.
When Julie is at a party where a girl is murdered, Sebastian worries about how the case will affect Julie as he works on prosecuting it.
When a prosecutor is murdered, the investigation leads to a high priced call-girl service. Sebastian must take the bullet for his client when his name turns up on the madame's list. Sebastian has the sex talk with Julie and is disappointed when she stays overnight with her boyfriend anyway.
Sara, a well-known, rich and powerful woman in the community is suspected of cheating on her husband and murdering the man believed to be her lover. She is friends with Jessica, which initially causes problems, but in the end makes it easier to make a deal which is acceptable to both sides. Meanwhile, Sebastian is giving Julie the silent treatment because she stayed overnight with Eddie at his father's cabin in Santa Barbara.
The FBI tries to take over the 6 month investigation that Sebastian and Jessica have been working on. Sebastian must speed up the sting in order to catch the explosives dealers before the FBI takes over. The bust fails and their informant disappears. Then Casey is taken hostage. In the battle that ensues as one of the criminals tries to escape, Martin is injured and doesn't make it.
A serial killer's victim escapes and helps Sebastian to uncover the killer's identity. Sebastian needs the victim's testimony, but when she finds out the killer is representing himself and will be interrogating her she doesn't want to testify. She eventually agrees, but before she can complete her testimony she commits suicide. Sebastian worries for Julie's safety when the killer is found not guilty.
A wealthy real estate developer is murdered after making headlines in the tabloids with his second wife. Sebastian is also having a difficult time dealing with the fact that a serial killer may be stalking his daughter, so he hires a bodyguard for Julie.
When a young star recovering from a drug addiction is run off the road, Sebastian and the team must investigate. As the investigation proceeds, they learn that Taylor had just lost a baby and that she had just broken off her relationship with her step father. Taylor's sister turns out to be withholding information about her sister's death.
The wife of a prominent and very vocally conservative judge is murdered. Sebastian and the judge have been battling in the courtroom for years and Sebastian looks at the judge as the number one suspect.
Sebastian's friend calls him in the middle of the night and Sebastian is surprised that his friend wants him to conceal a murder scene. Sebastian risks his career to help his friend avoid the scandal.
Isaac and Sebastian disagree over Sebastian's methods in dealing with a racially charged shooting involving two decorated police officers. An innocent black teen was riding with the drug dealer and was killed in the shooting. Sebastian learns the truth-that it was a rookie mistake. Meanwhile, Julie goes to court on the DUI charges.
Sebastian and Raina are in court prosecuting a killer when the courtroom is taken hostage by a defendant in another case. The defendant claims he was wrongly convicted and wants justice. Sebastian must convince the man to trust him and to let the people go. The killer Sebastian was prosecuting complicates matters.
When a porn star producer is killed, Sebastian's team must prosecute the killer--the respected head of a woman's shelter. The killer confesses claiming that he was trying to protect the young girls that the producer preyed on, making it hard for Sebastian to convince the jury that the killer deserved to be punished. Meanwhile, Julie goes on a shopping spree causing more tension between her and Sebastian.
Sebastian goes up against his sly, sexy former legal protégé when he prosecutes the case of a young professor who was pushed to his death from the balcony of his wife's ultra wealthy college boyfriend's apartment.
When an 11-year-old boy who went missing four years ago is found living happily with his abductor. The abductor claims that he was saving the boy from abusive parents. After the boy is returned to his parents, he runs away. While searching for him, Sebastian finds another boy that had been abducted by the same man. The second boy helps the team find the runaway. Meanwhile, Jessica loses the election.
Sebastian gets a second chance at justice when he puts acquitted serial killer Wayne Callison on trial for the murder of a young woman with the same wounds as Callison's previous victims.