Suits’ 8 Best Courtroom Scenes, Ranked

The lawyers on Suits rarely took a case into the courtroom, but when they did, the best courtroom scenes were some of the most memorable moments on the show. Running on the USA Network from 2011 to 2019 for nine seasons, the series had a recent resurgence after getting placed on streaming services. Most cases revolved around corporate schemes and machinations and were settled out of court. However, some of the biggest plot points, like Mike’s (Patrick J. Adams) trial, culminated in a courtroom scene that changed the course of the show.

Mike and Harvey (Gabriel Macht) were the dynamic duo of the show, and replicating their dynamic and chemistry for the Suits L.A. spinoff will be difficult for the successor to the legendary show. The original conflict of Suits revolves around the fact that Harvey hires Mike to be his associate, even though Mike doesn’t have a law degree and never finished college. Eventually, this lie comes back to haunt both of them, but that doesn’t stop them from doing great work as lawyers before Mike is found out and after.

8
Harvey Blindsides Mike In Mock Trial

Season 5, Episode 14, “Self Defense”

Since one of Harvey’s core tenets is to never take a case to trial unless he knows he can win, Suits had to improvise when it came to including the drama of courtroom scenes. This addition came in the form of mock trials held at the law firm to test out associates or prepare the firm for nasty upcoming battles. Often, during these mock trials, co-workers are pitted against each other and encouraged to give it their all to win the case and make their friends crack.

A brutal but necessary example of this comes when Harvey and Mike prepare for Mike’s trial in Suits season 5. This case eventually leads to Mike being arrested and going to jail in Suits, but before this, he tries to prove his innocence before a jury of his peers. To get him ready for anything the prosecution throws at him, Harvey goes up against Mike. For a while, Mike thinks he’s holding his own and proving he’s not a fraud, but Harvey then blindsided him with evidence that leaves Mike speechless, showing how much he still has to learn.

7
Mike’s First Time In Court

Season 1, Episode 4, “Dirty Little Secrets”

When Mike first starts, he might have a photographic memory and know the law inside and out, but he’s a step behind the other associates entering the firm. He doesn’t know the details of court proceedings and hasn’t had the chance to observe. Though Harvey is a great mentor in many respects, he’s more than willing to throw Mike to the wolves and let him fend for himself. This shortcoming is illustrated in season 1, when Harvey is saddled with a case and gives it to Mike to test his mettle for the first time in court.

Of course, this doesn’t go as planned, and Mike is up against one of the toughest lawyers in the city. Although Mike wins the day by the end of the episode, he is put in his place in the courtroom and loses the case immediately. It’s a humiliating moment for Mike but necessary for the show. All too often, Mike and Harvey think they’re the smartest in the room, and while it’s sometimes true, the best way to learn is through mistakes. The scene teaches Mike that law is a lot more than memorization and flashy tricks.

6
Louis Berates Donna In Mock Trial

Season 2, Episode 7, “Sucker Punch”

Louis is a beloved but misunderstood character on Suits, and usually, the last thing he would do is say something to hurt Donna. However, in another case of mock trial, in season 2, the fate of the firm is on the line because Donna shredded a piece of fraudulent evidence to protect Harvey. This action leads to her firing, and though she comes back and all is forgiven, Louis behaves terribly toward her as they prepare for the trial. Louis accuses her of being in love with Harvey and purposely destroying evidence because he told her to.

While they are in love, it takes 8 seasons for Harvey and Donna to get together on Suits, and neither is ready to admit they were drawn to each other so early on in the show. This episode was a turning point because it openly acknowledged the mounting tension between Harvey and Donna and showed Louis being hurtful to Donna in a way that didn’t seem possible. As difficult as the scene is to watch, it was an important step toward Donna and Harvey forgiving each other and being able to reunite after the case.

5
Mike Admits To Being A Fraud

Season 5, Episode 15, “Tick Tock”

During Mike’s trial in season 5, he and Harvey make a strong case for pronouncing him innocent, but Mike can’t help doing the right thing just before the case is over. He admits he’s a fraud to the jury and acknowledges that he brought in a woman whose son he helped set free to testify so he would look sympathetic. It’s a bold move that is fueled by the fact that he wants to protect Harvey and the firm from retribution if he’s convicted.

Mike gives many moving speeches throughout his time on Suits, but none capture the depth of his character so well as this one. It foreshadows his arc of moving into the public sector and defending people who need it once he gets out of prison. He and Rachel end up leaving the show because they move to Seattle to do this kind of work. In the final moments of his trial in “Self Defense,” Mike shows how much he has grown and how much he deserves a fresh start once he’s released.

4
Donna Is Called To The Stand

Season 7, Episode 10, “Donna”

Donna is a fan-favorite character, and though she’s involved in running the firm and making sure the lawyers have all the information they need, she rarely sees the inside of a courtroom. All of this changes in season 7, episode 10, “Donna,” when a rival lawyer tries to get back at Mike and Harvey by bringing up when Donna shredded evidence in season 2. Although Harvey and Mike find a way out of the situation, it’s a tense moment for Donna and brings back many long-buried feelings.

This episode also includes several important moments, like Donna kissing Harvey at the end and Jessica getting disbarred and leaving the firm. There are many changes made to the cast and plot in season 7, and this episode is one of the few moments when it feels like Donna and Harvey’s relationship will get any momentum. Although it takes longer for them to commit to each other, the seeds of Donna’s actions were planted during this case.

3
Mike Memorized The Defendant’s Cases

Season 3, Episode 3, “No Refills”

Mike doesn’t always make the best choice in Suits, but he does care about his clients and has a strong moral compass. Though this moral compass does let him practice law without a license, he tries to take cases that allow him to do good in the world, and the effort he puts in is on full display in “No Refills.” Rachel’s father, Robert Zane (Wendell Pierce), makes a guest appearance in the episode, and he and his future son-in-law team up for a case against a corrupt insurance company.

One of Mike’s best scenes in Suits occurs when he shows up late to the courtroom for their audience with the judge. While this isn’t a strong start, Mike soon pulls off an amazing demonstration of his skill by proving to the judge that he has every plaintiff’s case memorized in their class action suit. There are a significant number of people suing the corporation, and the fact that Mike spent so much time committing them to memory is a touching moment.

2
Trevor Admits He’s Jealous Of Mike

Season 5, Episode 14, “Self Defense”

Season 5, episode 14, “Self Defense,” doesn’t have just one of the best courtroom scenes, but three. The most intense of the moments comes when Mike’s old friend Trevor (Tom Lipinski) comes out of the woodwork to testify against him and send him to prison. Trevor and Mike have a complicated past because they were once close friends, but Trevor is the reason Mike got kicked out of college and has thwarted Mike’s success throughout most of their lives. When Trevor takes the stand, it’s for a plea deal because he has been arrested on charges of dealing drugs.

Trevor is one of the easiest characters to hate in Suits because of everything he did to Mike and because he only thinks of himself. Due to this, when Harvey takes him down a peg and makes him admit to a courtroom full of people that he’s jealous of Mike, it’s extremely satisfying. Only Harvey could goad a witness into doing exactly what he wants in this way, and it’s obvious that Harvey wants to make Trevor pay for what he did to Mike.

1
Jessica Stands Up For Mike

Season 6, Episode 16, “Character and Fitness”

Jessica and Mike might both have the best interests of the firm in mind, but they are rarely on the same side when it comes to deciding how to save it. Throughout the seasons, Mike and Jessica’s relationship evolves considerably. When Mike first starts, she thinks of him as a lowly associate that Harvey has a soft spot for. He slowly grows in her esteem and proves his value, but all this is disrupted when she finds out his secret. After that, she holds a grudge against him for endangering her and the firm, but they still work together.

However, in the finale of Suits season 6, Mike is about to achieve his dream of becoming a legitimate lawyer, but he has to be cleared by the Bar Association at a hearing. At the hearing, Anita Gibbs (Leslie Hope) reappears and asks Mike if anyone at the firm knew he was a fraud, trying to catch him and Harvey in a lie. However, Jessica makes a surprise entrance, saying she knew and was the only one to save Mike and Harvey. It’s a tremendous act of selflessness and a wonderful way for Mike to reenter the world of law.