History Series / Suits

Mike Ross (Adams) is a BrilliantButLazy college dropout with an eidetic memory that has allowed him to pass the bar exam without attending law school. A series of circumstances lead Ross into a job interview with Harvey Specter (Macht), one of Manhattan's best lawyers. Despite his lack of credentials in terms of education and practice, his knowledge of the law impresses Harvey enough to hire him as his new associate. Due to the firm's policy of hiring only Harvard Law graduates, Mike is forced to pretend that he has gone to Harvard.

** Jessica, in context of Mike and Harvey's story. She is generally very benevolent, but [[spoiler: she'd be perfectly justified in firing Mike over knowing he has no degree because rightfully so, if anyone found out, it would cause a tremendous amount of harm to the entire firm, both from a business standpoint as well as legal.]]

*** Ironically in Season 3 [[spoiler: Darby starts to take on the BigGood role at the firm while Jessica starts to verge dangerously close towards BigBad, at least from Harvey's perspective.]]

** The early part of Season 3 involves this for the story arc. Harvey [[spoiler: in his bid to oust Jessica via Darby]] promises to help Ava Hessington against charges of bribery and murder, though it's painted pretty clear that she's guilty of both and Harvey is only helping her because of the job and his own agenda. [[spoiler: Except that she isn't, at least in the latter.]]

* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: Darby stated that he would give anything to get Ava Hessington out of the mess she's in. [[spoiler: Turns out the dissolution of the partnership between Darby and Pearson was the cost.]]

** Season 2 has [[spoiler: Daniel Hardman]]. The events of the past five years have turned an AmoralAttorney [[spoiler: (he cheated on his cancer ridden wife, embezzled money from the firm, and other things)]] into a would-be good one. Harvey threatens to reveal his secrets to make him stay away, resulting in him confessing to his daughter and his partners in order to re-join the firm.

* BreakHisHeartToSaveHim: [[spoiler: Louis tells Rachel that she wasn't accepted to Harvard because of his supposed rift with Sheila, instead of the truth: that she was good, but wasn't good enough for Harvard]] It doesn't work.

** Louis gets a chance to meet his childhood idol, a famous ballet dancer who is now running his own company. Louis tries to help him with a contract dispute but realizes that [[spoiler: his idol is actually embezzling from his own company.]]
** Daniel Hardman discovered Jessica and she feels she owed her success to him. His lies and betrayal deeply hurt her to the point where she ends up taking it out on [[spoiler: Monica Eton]].

** Also [[spoiler: Harvey towards Donna, much to her chagrin. His inability to admit that he's in love with her is the main reason why she makes her decision to leave and work for Louis in the Season 4 finale.]]

** Mike and Harvey have a disagreement [[spoiler: over Mike wanting to tell Rachel he doesn't have a degree]]. Harvey points out that it's extremely risky and could affect Mike, Harvey, and Jessica as well as the firm. [[spoiler:At the end of Season 2, Mike doesn't listen.]]

** [[spoiler: Subverted in "War". Both Harvey '''and''' Jessica play dirty.]]

* TheChessmaster: Daniel Hardman, as revealed in the Season 2 finale. [[spoiler: He forged & planted a fake memo, framed Donna, teamed up with Tanner to create the season's core conflict, and manipulated everything for the sake of becoming Managing Partner again.]] If not for some last minute XanatosSpeedChess from Mike & Harvey, he would have won.

* TheChewToy: Harold, the sad-sack associate. He's mostly Louis' butt monkey but Mike, Donna, and even Rachel have messed with his head. Hell, Mike's ''grandmother,'' who only visited the office once, mocked Harold. Which leads to a HarsherInHindsight moment when you realize that her making fun of Harold [[spoiler: was the last thing she did onscreen before passing away.]] He later gets fired from the other firm, [[spoiler:after a KnightTemplar opens a case against Harold and Mike]].

** Season 3 has this in spades between Harvey and Jessica, what with Harvey using [[spoiler: Darby's help to back him up against Jessica and possibly usurp her if he wins the case]] and Jessica using [[spoiler: Louis to undermine Harvey's decisions about the case if she doesn't agree with them]]. Although it also involves a lot of them seeing through each other's deceptions, which raises the question about whether Jessica is really oblivious to Harvey's plan.
* {{Cleaning Up Romantic Loose Ends}} Happens to [[spoiler: Jenny]] towards the end of Season 1. An especially grating case because after she was shuffled out of the show and Mike's life in one quick scene, she turned up once again - in a flashback episode which [[spoiler: showed that Mike and Jenny had been into each other from the get go and it was mostly Trevor who originally kept them apart. Which makes one wonder why Mike was so quick to decide that Rachel was his true love after all.]]

** Season 3, episode 10 took its break with [[spoiler: Louis discovering Harvard did not have Mike Ross on file]].

* CorruptCorporateExecutive: Ava Hessington freely admits to her lawyers that the bribery charges against her are completely true and she also engaged in covering up an environmental disaster and silencing whistle blowers. She orders Harvey to bribe witnesses and generally comes off as capable of anything including murder. A major hurdle for Harvey and Mike is convincing people that [[spoiler: she did not actually order the murders of six activists who were trying to block the construction of her new pipeline]].

* DickDastardlyStopsToCheat: In the pilot, the opposing lawyer [[spoiler: hires a woman to pretend to be another victim]] just so he can sabotage Harvey's case. At that point Harvey was just fishing and his case was very weak. If the case ever went to trial, Harvey would have probably lost. When Harvey figures out the truth he [[spoiler: blackmails the lawyer and his CEO client into a massive settlement.]]

** When Louis [[spoiler: finally figures out the truth about Mike]], he uses the information to force Jessica to make him name partner. Louis immediately tries to fire Mike, thinking he has all the cards. Instead, Jessica points out that [[spoiler: by using the information to get his job back, Louis automatically became part of the fraud (and worse, as he's directly profiting off it) and thus if he exposes Mike, he'll go down as well.]]

* DisproportionateRetribution: Jessica fires [[spoiler: Monica Eton]] for [[spoiler:having an affair with Daniel Hardman]]. Five years later she is working at a clothing boutique rather than as a high-priced lawyer, so there is a good chance that Jessica had her black-balled.

* DoubleDontKnow: In the Season 8 finale, Thomas, a furniture manufacturer owner (and Donna's current love interest) has a handshake agreement to sell furniture to all of a real estate client's shopping malls. [[spoiler: The client is going to betray Thomas' company by using them as a stalking horse to get better terms from a competing manufacturer. Donna, not knowing what has happened, sees Harvey's face and queries him. He admits what is happening but asks her to wait while he tries to arrange a replacement deal. Donna goes on her date, and Thomas tells her about how he got a really sweet deal from his current landlord, but this offer is only good until noon tomorrow. Worried he might get no deal at all, Donna tells him what's happening. He immediately takes the current offer and puts out a press release. The mall company is going to sue them for violating privilege.]] Louis wants to know how this happened:

** A client who was driving while stoned ends up killing someone. Mike's parents were killed by a drunk driver so he takes this very seriously. The case serves as an aesop for Mike who has become increasingly reckless with his own marijuana use after [[spoiler: his grandmother's death]].

** Louis inviting Mike into his office to watch him fire an intern for late paperwork. The twist is that [[spoiler: it's a fake intern and a fake firing]], thus establishing Louis [[spoiler: as more of a ManipulativeBastard than full-on ruthless.]]

* EvenEvilHasStandards: Harvey is quite angry to learn that the district attorney [[spoiler: suppressed evidence and put an innocent man in jail.]] He also frequently makes it clear that there are lines he'd never cross and expects Mike not to cross them either. He's quite offended when Louis accuses him of trying to take all the credit for a win they received together:

** Louis himself, even after going over to Hardman's side, [[spoiler: wouldn't vote to fire Harvey when Hardman called for it, and voted to get rid of Hardman after finding out that Hardman faked the memo that caused the lawsuit against the firm.]]

** Mike presents the partners with a signed affidavit from a former client which states that [[spoiler: Hardman knew that a car was defective and suppressed the evidence]]. When Harvey later questions him about it Mike reveals that the document really was 'signed' but if anyone cared to look they would have realized that Mike simply signed his own name on the document. Everyone just assumed that the signature belonged to the client.
** Mike tries to pull this with Rachel at the end of Season 2. [[spoiler: She angrily calls him out on it.]]
** "I just don't want this ending up with you and her in bed and her knowing your secret." [[spoiler: So what about the file room, Harvey?]]
*** [[spoiler: And even for the above, Mike only says he never went to Harvard not that he doesn't even have a degree.]]
*** [[spoiler: Actually, according to Aaron Korsh, he came fully clean with her. So no, no more shoes dropping on this end.]]

* FallGuy: [[spoiler:Daniel Hardman]] set up [[spoiler: Louis Litt]] to be the fall guy when he stole half a million dollars from his own firm.

* FriendsRentControl: Generally averted, since most of the characters are high priced lawyers. Mike invokes this during his conversation with [[spoiler: Monica Eton]] by pointing out that since she no longer works as a lawyer, she must be going broke paying rent on a apartment in Manhattan.

** Less funny when the next scene is [[spoiler: Louis having a heart attack in court due to the exertion and how he has been living lately.]]

** When their hard work and sacrifice finally pays off, they find out that [[spoiler: the relative they were doing all this for has died.]]
** They have similar companions - Donna for Harvey, Rachel for Mike - that both end up [[spoiler: telling them about their relative's deaths]] as well being equals.

%% * GettingCrapPastThe Radar: Due to overwhelming and persistent misuse, GCPTR is on-page examples only until 01 June 2021. If you are reading this in the future, please check the trope page to make sure your example fits the current definition.

** After Mike and Harvey reveal that [[spoiler: Hardman was behind the lawsuit that cost the firm $3 million]] he loses all support from the senior partners and the vote [[spoiler: to fire him]] is unanimous.

* HeroicBSOD: Harvey when [[spoiler: he realizes that the evidence his ex-boss buried led to an innocent man being imprisoned for 12 years.]]

** [[spoiler: Rachel's rejection from Harvard.]]

* HonorBeforeReason: Harvey refuses to testify against an old boss of his even though it could get him disbarred. He knows [[spoiler: that the man is guilty]] but he still refuses.

* HumbleHero: Harvey has shades of this. While he will [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold gloat over his own genius, he will also give praise]] when it is due. [[spoiler: Even to Louis.]]

* IDidWhatIHadToDo: Louis uses this as his defense after attacking [[spoiler: Donna during the trial run.]] He pointed out that he was simply playing his part and that he did it for the firm, and that [[spoiler: Tanner wouldn't have been any nicer. While Louis is a {{Jerkass}}, it has been established that he does like Donna and wouldn't attack her without reason.]]
** The last episode of season 2 is layer after layer of this. [[spoiler: First Darby freezes Harvey's client's assets, then Harvey breaks the Chinese wall, along with Scottie giving Mike a way to stop the merger, and then Jessica wins everything by blackmailing Mike.]]

** A lawyer [[spoiler: pays a woman to be a fake witness]] to derail Harvey's case against his client. The case was weak to begin with and Harvey was just fishing for more evidence. When the scheme was revealed, the lawyer and the client have to give in completely or face possible criminal charges.
** A judge gives a blatantly biased ruling against Harvey's client [[spoiler: so he can extort Harvey into helping him discredit the judge's wife in their divorce proceedings]].

** Donna when she shreds an incriminating memo she apparently misplaced years ago, which was only located after Tanner sued Harvey for withholding evidence. This embarrassing and costly mistake turned into a criminal offense and gave Harvey's enemies the ammunition that could destroy his career. [[spoiler: However, Donna did not remember the memo and overreacted to her perceived mistake. It turns out that it was forged and she had never seen it in the first place because it was planted in the case file years later]]. Which leads to...

* IHaveThisFriend: In a flashback Harvey approaches Louis about deciphering some financials. Someone is embezzling at a law firm and "a friend" asked Harvey to find out who. Louis is happy to expose another firm's dirty secrets and does not realize that these are his own firm's financials. [[spoiler: Louis notices right away there's a FallGuy, something Harvey didn't his first time through the same information, but doesn't realize ''he'' is the "shmuck"]].

** Invoked after Mike [[spoiler: wins his first motion before a judge.]]

** In "She Knows", when Jessica wants to [[spoiler: fire Mike because he doesn't have a law degree]], Harvey says, [[spoiler: "He goes, I go."]] in defense of Mike. In the Season 2 summer finale, Jessica says, [[spoiler: "If you go, I go"]] to Harvey, a variation on this.

** Again for Louis during the trial run. Harvey chastises him for [[spoiler: badgering Donna. Louis points out that he was simply playing the part that Tanner definitely would have taken. And that all of this was Harvey's fault to begin with.]]

* JewishComplaining: When Louis calls his parents to tell them about his promotion [[spoiler: to Senior Partner]] they do not seem to be very excited about it and instead complain that [[spoiler: 'senior' implies that he is old and they do not really see what the difference between a Junior Partner and Senior Partner is]].

** On yet another occasion, Harvey suspects that a prosecutor in a murder trial is tampering with witnesses and encouraging them to perjure themselves. He has good reason for his suspicions as the prosecutor has a long history of tampering with witnesses and evidence. However, when Harvey confronts one of the witnesses, he realizes that the witness is actually telling the truth and (in a case of PoorCommunicationKills) really thought that Harvey's client ordered the murders. When Harvey investigates the other witness, he discovers that the witness was tampered with, but the tampering was done [[spoiler: by another lawyer in Harvey's firm who is trying to hide the fact that he is the one who ordered the murders]].

** And then [[spoiler: Scottie and Donna]].
* MagicPokerEquation: In "All In", Keith Hoyt goes all-in for over $3 million on a hand where he has an Ace-King full house. His opponent has an Ace high straight that becomes a royal flush when the last card turns out to be a ten of clubs. Averted at the end of the episode when [[spoiler: Harvey]] goes all-in on what turns out to be a junk hand. His opponent folds and is so flustered that he then [[spoiler: loses all his chips within twenty minutes of playing. ]].

* MoodWhiplash: Louis meets with Donna at the office, down after [[spoiler: being fired from the firm]]. The two have a friendly chat as Louis talks about his experience, including a "key" that is rewarded to those who graduate Harvard. He then off-handedly remarks how when he mentioned it earlier, [[spoiler: Mike had no idea what he was talking about. Donna's eyes widen as Louis suddenly gets cold and angry, as this is the final piece to have Louis finally figure out Mike never went to law school and Donna, Harvey and Jessica have all been covering for him.]]
** Season 9's "Prisoners' Dilemma" ends with Harvey [[spoiler: feeling victorious after getting corrupt State's Attorney Malik and returns home in high spirits...only for Donna to break the news Harvey's mom has just died.]]

* MyGreatestFailure: The reason why [[spoiler: Louis]] hates [[spoiler: Harold]] with a passion is that [[spoiler: training associates is what Louis feels he's been great at. Every time he sees Harold, it reminds him that he never got him trained right.]] The ironic thing is that [[spoiler: Harold manages to one-up Louis when they confront each other, demonstrating both the excellence of Louis' training as well as attributes from Harvey by playing the man. Outside the non-elite of Pearson & whomever, this is a rare occurrence. Louis only wins by hitting below the belt (going after Harold's career) which he backpedals on when this is pointed out to him by his MoralityPet.]]

** When an attorney arrives from England to negotiate a hotel chain merger, Harvey is surprised to discover that it is his old classmate and girlfriend from Harvard. They rekindle their romance only for him to discover that [[spoiler: she is engaged and intends to go forward with the wedding.]]

** Mike reconnects with his childhood sweetheart who seems intent on restarting the relationship despite [[spoiler: being married]].

** The fact that Donna allegedly [[spoiler: filed an important memo without reading it]] is a big mistake, but is understandable and Harvey would be able to deal with it. However, she then goes and [[spoiler: destroys the document]]. This puts Harvey in a poor position and he is unable to do anything when [[spoiler: she is fired.]]

** Harold owes Mike for [[spoiler: getting him a new job after Harold is fired from the firm]] so he helps him with an unethical legal maneuver. When their actions come to light, Harold [[spoiler:is promptly fired from his new job]].

** After [[spoiler: Louis gets fired]] Mike tries to cheer him up by asking about some of the trophies and keepsakes that were kept in [[spoiler: Louis's]] office. Unfortunately one of those items is something that a Harvard graduate like Mike should easily recognize because he should have gotten one as well upon graduation. Mike's clueless question results in PullingTheThread and one more person discovers the truth about Mike's lack of a law degree.

** At the start of Season 1, Harvey tells Mike "I have to put my own interests above yours. It's nothing personal.". In the latter half of season 2, Hardman tells [[spoiler: Louis]] effectively the same thing about [[spoiler: why he picked Louis to be the fall guy for his embezzling.]]

** Donna when she realizes that [[spoiler: there really was an incriminating memo that was misplaced by the firm and that she was the one who allegedly misplaced it.]], and again after her SherlockScan reveals that [[spoiler: Hardman promoted Louis to senior partner]].

** Donna knows Harvey so well that she is able to notice tiny changes in his behavior then determine what the problem is. When he asks her to call a client that he has been dodging, she quickly notices that his tie is slightly crooked and that he is wearing a different shade suit than usual. She quickly deduces that [[spoiler: Jessica knows Mike's secret and told Harvey to fire Mike.]]

* PapaWolf: Harvey seems to have turned into one, despite his protestations to the contrary. In the Season 2 premiere he becomes fiercely protective of Mike, to the point where [[spoiler: he throws his PlausibleDeniability out the window to save Mike's job]]. This coming from the man who, twelve episodes earlier, had said: "I have to put my own interests above yours. It's nothing personal."
-->'''Hardman:'''[[spoiler: Why are you doing this?]]\\
'''Harvey:'''[[spoiler: To protect my own.]]

** The end of the Season 2 premiere would suggest that [[spoiler: Jessica also has one.]]

*** [[spoiler: She]] was wrong.

* PunchClockVillain: Discussed. [[spoiler: As of late Season 2, Harvey has written Louis off and become openly hostile, effectively driving him out of the firm. When Louis is talking to Mike about this, he references Sam Sheepdog and Ralph E. Wolf punching in at the meadow and warring with one another all day, only to punch out and go have a drink together, and says that Harvey "stopped punching out." Of course, an earlier episode showed that Louis considered Harvey to be his best friend at Pearson Hardman, so it's clear that his understanding of their relationship is rather different than Harvey's is. In the beginning, at least, Harvey seems to think of him as a WorthyOpponent and an asset to the firm, but this didn't appear to extend to real friendship. All that flew off the rails during Hardman's takeover and its aftermath in season 2.]]

** Used literally and also invoked by Harvey [[spoiler: after he and Mike send Trevor to Montana]] in "Bail Out".

** Mike walks into a partners-only meeting and presents them with a signed document that proves that [[spoiler:Hardman defrauded the firm once again]]. He fails to mention that [[spoiler: the signature on the document does not belong to a former client. Mike did not want to break the law by falsifying a signature so he simply signed his own name on the document]]. Harvey and Jessica only needed something to get [[spoiler: Hardman]] to admit what they did. Once that happened, the document became irrelevant.

* SadisticChoice: Jessica, to Mike: [[spoiler: betray Harvey or go to prison]].

** This and HonorBeforeReason comes back to bite him (at least internally) in "Blind-sided". A client's son ends up killing someone while driving. The opposing ADA takes his deal only if he hires her at Pearson Hardman. [[spoiler: Plus, he later finds out that the son who he thought was innocent was actually stoned at the time. But by then, he's already hired the ADA. He's clearly not happy with the fact that he took a bribe to save someone who was irresponsibly guilty (more so because he got Mike involved). This scene plays out entirely in the reflection of his office window with Donna appearing over his shoulder.]]

** Harvey and Donna are both privy to the knowledge that Mike didn't attend Harvard, or indeed any law school. [[spoiler:Rachel is also a half-a-SecretKeeper, she knows Mike took [=LSAT=]s for people but not that he lied about getting a law degree. His inability to tell her the other secret is what leads to them breaking up in early Season 2.]] And then there's [[spoiler: Trevor. And now, thanks to Trevor, there's Jessica. And then Rachel learns too. And it is unforgettable.]]

** When Harvey was 16 he found out that [[spoiler: his mother was cheating on his father]]. He did not tell anyone because the truth would have devastated his father.
*** [[spoiler: Dr. Agard, Harvey's therapist, learns of the infidelity in Season 5 ("Toe to Toe") while helping Harvey's state of mind post-Season 4.]]

* SenselessSacrifice: [[spoiler: Scottie came dangerously close to this.]]

** Harvey chides Mike for his cheap suit, and sends Mike to a tailor. [[spoiler: Mike instead takes six good suits from Trevor in payment for the drugs.]]

** Mike in the pilot, when he [[spoiler: figures out that the hotel bellboy is a cop.]]
** Donna in "She Knows". A slight change in Harvey's behavior and him wearing a different color suit is all she needs to figure out that [[spoiler: Jessica knows that Mike did not go to Harvard]].
** Donna to Louis in "Asterisk" where she notices that Louis is extremely happy about something he does not want to talk about. She notices that he is wearing a different type of suit, asks him what kind of suit it is and realizes that [[spoiler: Louis has been promoted to senior partner. It's the suit Louis specifically bought to wear after being promoted.]]
** Donna with Rachel in "Normandy" with Harvard's decision. [[spoiler: Rachel's rejected.]]

* SparingThemTheDirtyWork: Donna to Harvey, when he [[HonorBeforeReason stubbornly refuses]] to testify against an old boss. [[spoiler: She worked for him as well, and has no qualms turning over evidence of his illegal activities]].

* StartOfDarkness: "Rewind" shows us how Mike started taking [=LSATs=] for other people, Trevor became a full time drug dealer and Harvey [[spoiler: blackmails Hardman into resigning]]. Jessica was also much more trusting and forgiving before [[spoiler: Hardman's betrayal]] turned her into a ruthless and manipulative Managing Partner. Interestingly, only Trevor really developed into an actual villian (hello, Trevor.)

** [[spoiler: Jessica]] didn't even need to do that to figure it out. Mike, despite now having been hacked into graduating Harvard Law, doesn't have a fake Bachelor's degree from anywhere, which people usually need to get into Harvard Law in the first place. Technically, it's possible to get into a post-graduate program without a Bachelor's degree, but it's rather exceptional, and usually due to someone having decades of experience in the field or a foreign degree, neither of which logically could apply to Mike.

** Later in the season, Mike [[spoiler: is finally exposed and immediately arrested for fraud. The entire firm is now in the crosshairs with massive investigations and threats of disbarrment. Despite all their efforts, Mike agrees to a plea deal, unaware the jury would have found him not guilty. Finally, Jessica and Harvey believe their employees will stay with them out of loyalty. But once the no-compete clause in the firm's contract is voided, ''every'' lawyer, paralegal, assistant and secretary (except Donna and Gretchen) leaves rather than be tainted working for a firm that knowingly hired a fake lawyer.]]
** In an attempt to boost the firm up following [[spoiler: Mike's arrest]] Jessica decides to open their hiring up to 20 schools besides Harvard, expecting more applicants. Instead, Louis has to break it to her that [[spoiler: ''not one single graduate'' from ''any'' of those schools is interested in working for a firm engaged in massive fraud.]]
** Season 6 brings yet another headache as Jessica and Harvey learn that they are being sued by [[spoiler: those involved in ''every'' case Mike has ever worked on over the last four years.]]
* SuspiciousSpending: [[spoiler:Louis]] starts spending a lot of money just as Jessica and Harvey realize that someone is embezzling. [[spoiler: Louis was being framed and he had so much money to spend because he is very good at handling his finances.]]

** During Season 2, we see that [[spoiler: it goes all the way up to Jessica. When the firm is forced to fire her, Jessica does it in person. It goes to show the level of respect Donna wields when the top dog of the firm does that as opposed to anything else.]]

* UndyingLoyalty: Harvey is very loyal to the firm and to Jessica. [[spoiler: So is Louis towards the firm, for all his deceptions, lies, bullying, backstabbing actions towards Harvey.]]
** Harvey is also shown to be extremely loyal to his old boss at the DA's office even though [[spoiler: the guy did not deserve it]].

* WeakWilled: After the mock trial in Season 1 [[spoiler: Mike Ross is now viewed as weak willed by Jessica, Harvey and the other partners after he failed to push a witness hard enough to win the case.]]

* WellDoneSonGuy: In a flashback we see that Harvey's push to become a partner in the firm was motivated in large part by a desire to make his father proud. [[spoiler: His father dies the day before the promotion becomes official and Harvey never had a chance to tell him.]]

* WhamLine: [[spoiler: "Hello Miss Jessica Pearson, I am a friend of Mike Ross's. My name is [[UngratefulBastard Trevor Evans]], and there's something about him that Harvey hasn't told you about."]]
** [[spoiler: "It's your grandma. She passed away."]]
** [[spoiler: "Pearson-Specter-Litt."]]

*** [[spoiler: Donna gets fired for having destroyed the memorandum]] in "Break Point".

** The season 4 finale, when [[spoiler: Donna leaves Harvey to work for Louis after [[CannotSpitItOut he refuses to admit that he is in love with her]].]]

** The Season 5 finale. [[spoiler: Mike pleads guilty to fraud and goes to prison, while Pearson Specter Litt have their entire staff bar Donna quit]].

** TruthInTelevision: In all of the season two cast interviews, every single cast member talks about the chemistry and closeness among all of them - how rare it is to have that in a group, how they all realize how fortunate it is to be on a successful project, and so on.

* MeanCharacterNiceActor: The cast interviews say just how much everyone likes each other--including the guest stars, such as David Costabile (Hardman) and Creator/AmandaSchull (Katrina).

* BlueAndOrangeMorality: They're lawyers, enough said.

* {{Catchphrase}}: Louis is trying to invoke this with "You got Litt up!". The show even ran #littup as a [[Website/{{Twitter}} hashtag]] during one episode.

* RealSongThemeTune: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Slgj96aXgQk "Greenback Boogie" by Ima Robot]].

* SelfishGood: Jessica, with the emphasis on the selfish. While she may have a nice moment here or there, push her hard enough and the good goes away in a hurry.

* CreateYourOwnVillain: As a result of the ChronicBackstabbingDisorder endemic in the firm, a shocking number of antagoists were either former members of the firm, or attorney's who had been mistreaned by them. Justified or not.

''Suits'' is a legal {{dramedy}} series created by Aaron Korsh and starring Creator/PatrickJAdams and Creator/GabrielMacht. It debuted on Creator/USANetwork on June 23, 2011 with a 90-minute premiere episode, and its ninth and final season aired in 2019.

* BadBoss:
** Louis actually takes pride in how badly he treats the new associates.
*** A lot of this can be attributed to the firm's TrainingFromHell approach to training new lawyers, but Louis tends to take it way beyond that.
*** He makes Harold take care of his cat even though it is clearly evident that Harold is extremely allergic.
*** This comes back to bite him when [[spoiler:a rival firm poaches some of his best fifth-year associates with a promise of a nicer boss than Louis and other perks.]]
** [[spoiler:Daniel Hardman embezzled funds five years ago and slept with an employee. Five years later he forged a document for revenge against Harvey and Jessica, and to take back the firm.]]

* AbhorrentAdmirer: Louis kept asking out Monica Eton every day she worked at Pearson Hardman. The only reason she did not file a sexual harassment complaint was that it would have made her look weak in the eyes of her coworkers. After she left, he moved on to Donna, who tends to be much more vocal with her disapproval. Unless Louis has [[WeaksauceWeakness theatre tickets]].
** That said, as with most things the characters deal with, the truth was a little more complicated than that.

* ButNotTooBlack: Turns out Rachel's dad is a high-powered lawyer, who's also African-American. Lampshaded in a conversation with Mike:
--> ''[points to her face]'' Does this ''look'' like a year-round tan?

** The portrayal of Pearson Hardman's (which goes through multiple name changes as the series progress) operations takes a lot of liberties with the rules of corporate partnerships. In RealLife, partners in a partnership both own and operate the business. While partners typically manage a partnership jointly, they can vest management power in a single partner, as appears to be the case here, since the firm has a "managing partner" (initially Jessica). However, the managing partner is not really the "big boss" of the entire firm, contrary to how the show seems to portray it. The relationship between a managing partner and other partners is actually like that between a CEO and a board of directors - the former technically works for the latter. So, in reality, Jessica wouldn't really be the boss of the other senior partners, including Harvey and Louis, but would instead technically work at their pleasure.
*** In the show's defense, this does appear to be the case some times, like when [[spoiler:the senior partners vote on whether Jessica or Daniel Hardman should be managing partner]]. However, at other times, Jessica appears to have wildly unrealistic powers as managing partner, like when she threatens to fire Harvey [[spoiler:after discovering Mike's secret]]. The problem with this is that Harvey is a senior partner with an ownership stake in the firm, making it highly unlikely that Jessica can unilaterally force him to dissociate from the partnership since, again, Harvey (along with the rest of the senior partners) technically have authority over her.

** In the show's defense, this does appear to be the case some times, like when [[spoiler:the senior partners vote on whether Jessica or Daniel Hardman should be managing partner]]. However, at other times, Jessica appears to have wildly unrealistic powers as managing partner, like when she threatens to fire Harvey [[spoiler:after discovering Mike's secret]]. The problem with this is that Harvey is a senior partner with an ownership stake in the firm, making it highly unlikely that Jessica can unilaterally force him to dissociate from the partnership since, again, Harvey (along with the rest of the senior partners) technically have authority over her.

** The portrayal of Pearson Hardman's (which goes through multiple name changes as the series progress) operations takes a lot of liberties with the rules of corporate partnerships:
*** In RealLife, partnerships are typically managed jointly by all partners, though they can vest management power in a single partner, as appears to be the case here, since the firm has a "managing partner" (initially Jessica). However, while the managing partner is portrayed as the "big boss" of the entire firm, that's not really how it works. The relationship between a managing partner and other partners is actually like that between a CEO and a board of directors - the former technically works for the latter. So, in reality, Jessica would technically work at the pleasure of the rest of the senior partners, including Harvey and Louis. In the show's defense, this does appear to be the case some times, like when [[spoiler:the senior partners vote on whether Jessica or Daniel Hardman should be managing partner]]. However, at other times, Jessica appears to have wildly unrealistic powers, like when she threatens to fire Harvey [[spoiler:after discovering Mike's secret]]. The problem with this is that Harvey is a senior partner with an ownership stake in the firm, making it highly unlikely that Jessica can unilaterally force him to dissociate from the partnership since, again, Harvey (along with the rest of the senior partners) technically have authority over her.

** In RealLife, partnerships are typically managed jointly by all partners, though they can vest management power in a single partner, as appears to be the case here, since the firm has a "managing partner" (initially Jessica). However, while the managing partner is portrayed as the "big boss" of the entire firm, that's not really how it works. The relationship between a managing partner and other partners is actually like that between a CEO and a board of directors - the former technically works for the latter. So, in reality, Jessica would technically work at the pleasure of the rest of the senior partners, including Harvey and Louis. In the show's defense, this does appear to be the case some times, like when [[spoiler:the senior partners vote on whether Jessica or Daniel Hardman should be managing partner]]. However, at other times, Jessica appears to have wildly unrealistic powers, like when she threatens to fire Harvey [[spoiler:after discovering Mike's secret]]. The problem with this is that Harvey is a senior partner with an ownership stake in the firm, making it highly unlikely that Jessica can unilaterally force him to dissociate from the partnership since, again, Harvey (along with the rest of the senior partners) technically have authority over her.
** Also, it's unclear exactly what kind of ownership stake the rest of the partners have in the firm. Throughout the show, characters (like Harvey and Louis) are promoted to "senior partner", which requires them to "buy in" to the firm. Presumably, this means they buy an ownership stake in the partnership. However, during the Season 3 arc where the firm merges with Edward Darby's British firm, Jessica and Darby apparently have a 49/51 ownership split in the firm, which leads to a lot of conflict when Darby uses his majority stake to dictate Jessica's actions. Not only does this not make sense from a legal standpoint, since the other senior partners should have also have an ownership stake in the firm, it also creates a massive PlotHole as it doesn't explain how the firm's other senior partners, like Harvey and Louis, somehow lost the ownership interest they paid for when they "bought in" to the firm and became senior partners in the first place.

** In RealLife, partnerships are typically managed jointly by all partners, though they can vest management power in a single partner, as is the case here, since the firm has a "managing partner" (initially Jessica). However, while Jessica is portrayed as being the "big boss" of the entire firm, that's not how it really works. The relationship between a managing partner and other partners is like that between a CEO and a board of directors - the former works for the latter and can be dismissed by them. So, in reality, Jessica would technically work at the pleasure of the rest of the senior partners, including Harvey and Louis. In the show's defense, this does appear to be the case some times, like when [[spoiler:the senior partners vote on whether Jessica or Daniel Hardman should be managing partner]]. However, at other times, Jessica appears to have wildly unrealistic powers, like when she threatens to fire Harvey [[spoiler:after discovering Mike's secret]]. The problem with this is that Harvey is a senior partner with an ownership stake in the firm, making it highly unlikely that Jessica can unilaterally force him to dissociate from the partnership since, again, Harvey (along with the rest of the senior partners) technically have authority over her.

** The show seems to cover the lack of any of these finer details under the blanket statement of "Mike never went to law school". However, Mike's actual fraud isn't that he never attended law school, per se: it's that he isn't a member of the bar, and is therefore not licensed to practice law in New York State. This also means that, while there is a lot of drama and tension surrounding Mike and Harvey's continuing attempts to keep Mike from being exposed, the actual consequences of this are downplayed rather drastically. Their main concern is that Mike (and possibly Harvey) will be fired if the truth is discovered, when that would actually be the least of their problems - at a minimum, Harvey would be disbarred for helping and supervising Mike in his unauthorized practice of law, while both they and the firm could also face potential civil lawsuits and even criminal penalties for the fraud.

** The show seems to cover the lack of any of these finer details under the blanket statement of "Mike never went to law school". However, Mike's actual fraud isn't that he never attended law school, per se: it's that he isn't a member of the bar, and is therefore not licensed to practice law in New York State. This also means that, while there is a lot of drama and tension surrounding Mike and Harvey's attempts to keep Mike's secret under wraps, the actual consequences of Mike being exposed are downplayed rather drastically. Their main concern is that Mike (and possibly Harvey) will be fired if the truth is discovered, when that would actually be the least of their problems - at a minimum, Harvey would be disbarred for helping Mike practice law illegally, while both they and the firm could also face criminal penalties for the fraud.

** The show seems to cover the lack of any of these finer details under the blanket statement of "Mike never went to law school". However, Mike's actual fraud isn't that he never attended law school, per se: it's that he isn't a member of the bar, and is therefore not licensed to practice law in New York State.

* FemmeFatale: Rachel dips her toe into this category in "Normandy".
* FieryRedhead: Yep, that would be Donna.
* FiveManBand:
** TheLeader: Jessica Pearson, a type I.
** TheLancer: Harvey Specter, though in practice he's TheDragon or even a DragonWithAnAgenda (the agenda being his own ego).
** TheSmartGuy: Mike Ross.
** TheHeart: Donna Paulsen and/or Rachel Zane.
** TokenEvilTeammate: Louis Litt.

* WillTheyOrWontThey: Mike and Rachel, full stop.
** [[spoiler: Actually, check that. [[TheyDo They do]] -- AND HOW!]]

** TheChick: Donna Paulsen and/or Rachel Zane.

* TakeAThirdOption: Harvey berates Mike for not taking a third option when Louis suggested he take drugs to relate to a future client better. He said you call their bluff, take the gun and shoot it back at them, act like they don't have a gun et cetera.

* ShesGotLegs: There's [[http://25.media.tumblr.com/ecf217361ed23e0a9ea05bcb253b2e01/tumblr_miukjqU3iM1qgqh63o2_500.png a deleted scene of Donna at the party]] in "War.
** Rachel too.
** Jessica can qualify from time to time.

* ArmorPiercingSlap: [[spoiler:Donna delivers ''two'' of these to Daniel Hardman for planting the memo that got her fired. SmugSnake that he is, he no-sells both of them...]]
** [[spoiler: Rachel, to Mike, in the final scene of Season 2.]]

-->'''Louis:''' I always pay my debts. I'm a [[Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire Lannister.]]

* ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections: In this universe, every attorney uses dirty tricks to win. ''Everyone.'' Rather than collapse the system it instead enables it, as it forces the victim to accept the perpetrator's actions lest their own be exposed. And if a perpetrator doesn't have anything on another attorney, it's a simpley matter to find someone who does. As a result, everyone can be as unethical as they wish and the New York bar operates on a system of Mutually Assured Destruction.

** Mike walks into a partners-only meeting and presents them with a signed document that proves that [[spoiler:Hardman defrauded the firm once again]]. He fails to mention that the signature on the document does not belong to a former client. Mike did not want to break the law by falsifying a signature so he simply signed his own name on the document. Harvey and Jessica [[spoiler: only needed something to get Hardman to admit what he did. Once that happened, the document became irrelevant]].
* RememberTheNewGuy: Jack Soloff, the main antagonist of season five. Unlike the antagonists of other seasons, who were lawyers, firms, and businessmen outside the firm, Soloff is a long-standing senior partner with Pearson Specter who would have been in a position to influence previous events, but he appears near the beginning of season five having not been mentioned anytime before then, described by Jessica as an ambitious go-getter looking to pick a fight to gain influence in the firm.