Netflix The Lincoln Lawyer season 2 recap guide: All episodes explained

The Lincoln Lawyer is back! Both the series and its titular lawyer have finally returned with new episodes in the two-part second season. The first part of The Lincoln Lawyer season 2 premiered on July 6, and the second part arrived on Aug; 3 for a summer full of Mickey Haller.

In the new season, the legal drama picks up with Mickey riding the high of his big win in season 1, but he’s soon taking on another complicated case, this time with a love interest turned client. Will Mickey be able to do what he does best once again?

The Lincoln Lawyer season 2 episode guide: Complete recaps for episodes 1-10

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The following article contains major SPOILERS from the The Lincoln Lawyer, so keep that in mind while you’re reading. We’re breaking down each episode of the show’s second season, so if you have questions or want to learn more about season 2, jump right in!

The Lincoln Lawyer season 2 episode 1 recap: The Rules of Professional Conduct

In the opening scene of season 2, Mickey’s getting beat up in the parking garage again, which he pokes fun at in narration. It’s a stark contrast to what he’s up to in the present tense: smiling for photoshoots with major publications after his big court win last season.

He’s booked, busy, and in high demand, but he’s taking on a new client named Russell Lawson, who was arrested for burglary and indecent exposure. Mickey meets with Russell in jail and tells him to put on a poker face, which he’s having trouble with since they confiscated his inhaler.

While talking about the case, Russell explains that he doesn’t remember what happened after ordering an Uber from a night out getting drinks with friends. It’s alleged that he broke a window to enter someone’s house, made a sandwich, and took off his pants. The woman who owns the home found him asleep on the couch. Oddly, the house he broke into is just a few doors down from his own home. Russell has to be patient for Mickey to work his magic.

Detective Griggs confers with Mickey about the Jesús Menendez case and informs him that the case is being reopened. He’s leading the reinvestigation, which annoys Mickey because he doesn’t believe Jesús committed the crime and insists on finding the tattooed man. Griggs offers Mickey a deal to bring Jesús in and he’ll see if he can “short-circuit” the case reopening before charges come down.

Mickey and Maggie meet for dinner and make small talk about work before she playfully gives him a hard time about being the “hottest defense attorney in LA.” When Mickey asks about Hayley’s new school, Maggie casually makes a reference to the man she’s been seeing (Jim, not Tim), which seems to make Mickey a bit jealous. Money and Maggie’s demotion comes up and that strikes a chord, releasing the tension like a pressure cooker.

After Maggie abruptly leaves the restaurant, Mickey continues eating and meets the chef, Lisa (Lana Parrilla), and they hit it off while lightly flirting on a tour of the restaurant. One thing leads to another and they end up back at Lisa’s house, having what very well could become the world’s most complicated one-night stand. But we’ll have to see how things shake out for Mickey’s luck on this one. He wakes up in Lisa’s house, overhearing the loud noise of nearby construction. She makes him breakfast while they talk about the construction developer Mitchell Bondurant and his efforts in gentrification. Before driving off, Mickey notices Lisa bringing food to protestors outside the construction site down the block.

Later that day, Lisa comes to Mickey’s office for help with a temporary restraining order from Mitchell Bondurant. She explains that she’s talked about him a lot on social media and led some protests outside Bondurant’s office, but she maintains that she hasn’t harassed him as the TRO alleges. He offers to represent her pro bono to get the restraining order thrown out, which raises Izzy and Lorna’s eyebrows. Lorna gives him some well-earned grief.

Mickey brings in Jesús to talk with Griggs, who presses him to admit that he owns a knife similar to the one assumed to be the murder weapon used on Martha. Suddenly, it’s looking bad for Jesús, and that makes Mickey angry. He ends the meeting and confronts Jesús about not telling him about the knife. Mickey instructs him to stay home and not talk to anyone about the case.

Following a frustration at work, Maggie has a drink with her fellow lawyer friend Andy (Yaya DaCosta), who asks her about career options, such as going private or moving to another office. Andy suggests an office in San Francisco, where her friend is looking for lawyers at their practice. Maggie’s torn because of Hayley settling in at her new school and making friends, but she knows she needs to make a change for the sake of her career.

During Russell’s hearing, Mickey brings the identical photos of Russell’s house and the house he broke into, claiming that since they’re so similar, the break-in was merely a mistake while under the influence. Mickey furthers the intimidation tactics by suggesting Russell’s incoming toxicology report would indicate that he had been roofied. A few more wise words from Mickey has the case settled in less than a minute, without even word from the judge. He’s good!

While Cisco and Lorna seem to be keeping some things from each other (Cisco with the Road Saints, Lorna with her law classes), Izzy informs Mickey that Russell paid $5K to keep him on retainer. That’s weird to Mickey, but he doesn’t think much of it. When he enters his home, he finds Russell on his patio. He’s not wearing glasses and his meek demeanor has turned bombastic. Russell uses his retainer fee and confidentiality agreement to hang over Mickey’s head, just as Mickey clocks the tattoo on Russell’s arm.

It all becomes clear to Mickey: Russell has been the “tattoo guy” this whole time. He admits to killing Martha with zero remorse, and he orchestrated this whole situation so Mickey would represent him. Russell even roofied himself to seal the deal. The kicker? Mickey can’t use this information or tell anyone without severe repercussions—Russell threatens as much. What will Mickey do now?

Written by Reed Gaudens