Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for ‘The Lincoln Lawyer’ Season 3.Season 3 of Netflix’s The Lincoln Lawyer ends with a life-changing event for its protagonist just emerging from a journey of self-discovery. Toward the final moments of Season 3, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo‘s Mickey Haller finds a surprise in the back of his car when his celebratory drive after his win in the Gloria Dayton murder case is interrupted by a suspecting cop. Initially attracted by the missing plate on Haller’s car, the cop quickly ends up noticing blood dripping from the car’s trunk. As The Lincoln Lawyer Season 3’s final twist reveals, Mickey gets arrested for the suspected murder of the man whose body is found in his car’s trunk, ensuring that Mickey will spend much of Season 4 behind bars, away from the courtroom. However, before this twist shocks the audience, the Netflix legal drama teases a potential replacement for Mickey in the courtroom.

Lorna’s New Position Allows Her To Take Charge in Mickey’s Absence on ‘The Lincoln Lawyer’

With Haller being arrested for the murder of Sam Scales (Christopher Thornton), The Lincoln Lawyer readies itself for the story introduced in Michael Connelly’s sixth book in the Lincoln Lawyer book series, The Law of Innocence. According to the story, Mickey spends an extended time in jail because he refuses to pay the bail bond with the money he has kept aside for his daughter Hayley’s (Krista Warner) studies. This decision makes sense given how Season 3 explores a deeper connection between the estranged father and daughter, finally providing Mickey with an opportunity to reconcile with his daughter. Given the circumstances Mickey will find himself in Season 4, it’s obvious that he needs a foot soldier to lead the legal battle in the courtroom. In Season 3, Becki Newton’s Lorna Crane, Mickey’s ex-wife and legal aide, passes the bar exam, becoming fit to wear the shoes of a practicing lawyer, making her the ideal contender to take Mickey’s coveted position in the firm.

At the beginning of Season 3, Lorna is seen preparing for the bar exam as this would be the gateway for her to be promoted from being Mickey’s assistant to a full-fledged lawyer who can take cases on her own. Lorna seems nervous about it, although she has proven a fair bit of her legal prowess over the three seasons of the show. Even after her exam, she advises Izzy (Jazz Raycole) on the legal matter with her landlord. Considering Lorna’s natural flair for legal terms and codes, it seems clear that she passed the exam despite her worries regarding the results. Soon after, she also ends up typing a job offer for herself on Mickey’s behalf, establishing that she’s ready for it. Even though Lorna’s storyline seems to be a minor story thread at the beginning, she soon becomes quite pivotal in Mickey’s attempts at seeking justice for his client, Julian La Cosse (Devon Graye). Also, Lorna’s first case marks the return of Sam Scales, a recurring character in the series who ends up dead in Mickey’s car at the end.

Lorna’s Unique Style Differentiates Her From Mickey

Initially, Lorna comes across the case of Sam, who happens to be a serial offender, committing cons and defrauding people of large amounts of money. She discusses the consequences of crashing her first case with her partner Cisco (Angus Sampson), considering that the chances for bail for Sam seem low. Thankfully, Lorna underestimates herself and gets bail for Sam even without going to trial, showing that she has the skill set to excel at her job. In Episode 8 “Mystery Man,” Lorna plays an important role in convincing Judge Regina Turner (Merrin Dungey) to add Peter Sterghos (John Kapelos) to the witness list and to bring Agent DeMarco (Michael Irby) to court for a testimony.

In the brief span of a few episodes, The Lincoln Lawyer elevates the status of Lorna’s character and shows to the audience that she has a shrewd legal mind. In contrast to Mickey’s way of solving mysteries through detective work and evidence hunting, Lorna presents a more lawyer-like approach to problem-solving, quoting past cases and legal jargon. In Season 4, Lorna can be expected to carry on with her hard-hitting one-liners in her pursuit of getting Mickey out of jail. Also, somebody has to take care of Mickey’s list of clients.

Co-showrunner Dailyn Rodriguez has already teased significant changes for Lorna’s character in Season 4. Lorna can be expected to keep the ship afloat in Mickey’s absence and provide her sharp legal mind in absolving Mickey of the allegations against him. Lorna’s character growth in Season 3 makes more sense considering the possibility of Mickey’s absence. While Mickey may have his own set of troubles to handle and will play an active role in his own case, Lorna will most likely lead the charge outside, with Cisco and Izzy’s assistance. With showrunner Ted Humphrey suggesting that the stakes in Season 4 will hit fever pitch, Lorna is set to play a greater role than ever in The Lincoln Lawyer‘s next season, which is yet to be greenlit by Netflix.

All episodes of The Lincoln Lawyer Season 3 are available to stream on Netflix in the U.S.