Season synopsis
Contains spoilers for this season and earlier seasons.
The Darby merger reshapes Pearson Hardman into Pearson Darby as the firm takes on oil executive Ava Hessington. Harvey first defends her against bribery charges; the case then grows into a takeover fight and a murder accusation after she is suspected of ordering killings. Louis handles company matters while Jessica and Louis try to remove Ava from the board to protect the business. Edward Darby's fixer Stephen Huntley and district attorney Cameron Dennis push the case against her, while Darby also plans to displace Jessica. The partners' competing plans put the firm's control at stake.
Harvey and Jessica eventually work together to untangle the Hessington case. Jessica makes Harvey a named partner, and the firm becomes Pearson Darby Specter. Harvey admits his separate arrangement with Darby to push Jessica out; although hurt, Jessica accepts his apology. The lawyers establish that Ava did not arrange the murders: Stephen did. He colluded with Cameron to bring the murder charges against Ava. Darby agrees to dissolve the US partnership, leaving Jessica and Harvey in control and creating the firm Pearson Specter. The case closes, but the merger has permanently shifted the firm's alliances.
Mike's own exposure grows later, after a rival threatens to report him to the New York bar and the US attorney questions him and Harold Gunderson over the Hessington settlement. Those allegations concern their deal, not Mike's missing law degree. Mike refuses to turn on Harvey, and the firm gets through the immediate crisis. He then decides to leave Pearson Specter for investment banking at Jonathan Sidwell's firm, a choice that places him across the table from Harvey in the next season.