The MDA team must deal with the painful aftermath of the attempted murder of Ella, Jamie and Tony. Despite eight hours in the operating theatre, Tony dies and the effect on the survivors is far-reaching and profound. While Jamie is eerily withdrawn, Ella comes to accept the loss.

Caitlin tackles her first brief at Kato & Pittman: a potential million-dollar claim from an apparently permanently injured plaintiff against a doctor who admits negligence. But Caitlin is fooled: the man is faking his injuries. Happy is maliciously delighted to prove Caitlin, his former protégée, wrong. Richard is calm, but Caitlin is kicking herself.

Ella and Happy face a hard fight defending a doctor who trusted a pathology report and thus missed a cancer in a nine-year-old boy. The biopsy slides and the pathologist are missing. Richard becomes emotionally involved with the terminally ill boy, and is shaken to discover that the parents absolutely refuse to tell their son he's dying.

Richard and Caitlin represent a nun who has had a complete mastectomy of a perfectly healthy breast. Happy and Amanda defend the surgeon who mixed up the biopsy results. Amanda's defence - that the loss of a breast is not an adverse outcome for a nun - is inventive, to say the least, and Happy is both shocked and impressed. Ella is shocked and disappointed.

Ella, unhappy at Happy and Amanda's legal tactics over representing a deceased MDA member, tells Happy that she's been offered a fulltime job at St Albans Hospital. As she thinks it over - and then accepts the job - she approaches surgeon Simon Lloyd as her replacement. When Happy realises that Ella really is leaving MDA, he regards it as a betrayal.

Surgeon Simon Lloyd has his first day as a case manager at MDA, as Ella sadly packs up to leave. Layla prepares a farewell, while Happy buries himself in work.

Layla tries to help an old school friend whose sister is brain damaged after a pethidine overdose. Before long, Happy and Jamie are dealing with a writ naming five defendants, who cannot agree on damages or tactics.

Layla feels helpless, guilty and then angry as the pethidine overdose case heads for court and a "victim friendly" judge. Everyone seems to want something from her—and she only wanted to help. A surprise reversal in court forces Happy to revise his strategy.

The press takes an interest as Happy and Amanda gear up for an appeal hearing in the Supreme Court. On the plaintiff’s side, Caitlin is doing all the work and Richard is taking all the credit—as usual.

Richard’s in the middle of a tough mediation when his larrikin Dad arrives from retirement in Tasmania to tell Richard he’s remarrying. Dad was a tram driver and things are a little tense with his high-flier son.

The group of doctors suing MDA now personalise their grievances and attack Happy in the media. But Happy fights back—with some help from a retired Flying Doctor. The old doc is being sued for negligence in delivering a baby, but Jamie discovers he can’t remember the incident at all.

Happy and Simon are dismayed when the MDA Board refuses to indemnify a neurosurgeon for experimental spinal surgery. While the paraplegic patient waits hopefully in hospital, Happy, Simon and Mark work to overturn the decision.

Happy Henderson has a very busy day. Negotiating with Richard Savage to contain a potentially huge damages claim, Happy also tries to avoid being sacked while lobbying to keep Mark Matthews as President of MDA.

Simon Lloyd is very taken with an attractive GP, who amputated a farmer's arm to save him from a burning truck. But is she all she seems?

Happy Henderson is trapped into representing a rude and egotistical surgeon, suspected of euthanasia, at a coronial inquest. Happy needs Simon Lloyd's help, but the two are at odds when Simon returns from Germany and resigns.

Happy Henderson's ordeal at the coronial inquest continues, but cracks appear in his surgeon client's facade. To Happy's chagrin, Simon Lloyd becomes indispensable. Richard Savage sues for "wrongful birth".

Happy's son Jason tells Happy he's seeing a psychiatrist and wants Happy to come to his next therapy session.

Happy is amazed and dismayed when his son's psychiatrist is accused of sexual misconduct.

Richard Savage is determined to secure the biggest damages claim in Australian history when he represents a top tennis star whose career may be over after shoulder surgery.

Simon and Amanda represent a well-meaning GP whose teenage anorexic patient died under his experimental treatment.

Ella becomes involved with an unqualified and anarchic Russian doctor Mikhail Voronin.

Richard turns to Happy for help when his old mentor, whom he is representing, threatens to expose his sometimes dubious practices.