Several bombshells are dropped in The Lincoln Lawyer season 2, part 1’s ending, making the wait for part 2 excruciating. Mickey begins to doubt Lisa’s innocence, which isn’t helped by her concealing information from him, such as the whereabouts of her ex-husband. Most shockingly, Mickey gets attacked by two men at the end of the last episode, leaving The Lincoln Lawyer’s future hanging in the balance. Though the events that follow won't be fully revealed until The Lincoln Lawyer season 2 part 2 arrives on August 3, the plot of The Fifth Witness book can give a glimpse at what happens next in Mickey and Lisa’s trial.

Mickey Constructs An Alternate Theory For Bondurant's Murder

Rather than constructing Lisa’s defense by trying to prove that she didn’t kill Mitchell Bondurant in The Fifth Witness, Mickey focuses on constructing an alternate theory for Bondurant’s murder. In The Lincoln Lawyer season 2, part 1, Mickey and Cisco discovered that Bondurant had been in a dispute with Alex Grant, another business person with mob ties, which is integral to Mickey’s alternate theory. Mickey’s defense centers on implying that Bondurant was killed by the mob because of a business dispute that had gone sour. This argument doesn’t reflect what Mickey actually thinks happened, but instead exists to create reasonable doubt for the jury that Lisa might not have done it.

In addition to Mickey’s alternate theory for Bondurant’s murder, he also focuses on the physical evidence that makes it seem improbable that Lisa could have done the crime. Bondurant’s cause of death is from a blow on the back of the head with a hammer, which would have been incredibly difficult for Lisa to pull off considering Bondurant was over six feet tall. This piece of physical evidence combined with Mickey’s alternate theory for the murder generates the reasonable doubt that the defense needs to deliver a “not guilty” verdict in The Fifth Witness book, though it's possible that The Lincoln Lawyer season 2, part 2 will throw in a few more twists.

Mickey Manipulates Alex Grant Into Pleading The Fifth

Mickey’s alternate theory for the murder might seem far-fetched at first, but he devises the perfect way to imply guilt by manipulating Louis Opparizio (whose name from The Fifth Witness book is changed to Alex Grant in the Netflix series) into invoking his Fifth Amendment rights on the witness stand. To do this, Mickey decides to pursue a line of questioning that will back Opparizio into a corner of either incriminating himself by revealing his mob ties or pleading the Fifth. Mickey bets on a hunch that Opparizio will plead the Fifth rather than disclosing his mob ties, which is ultimately what happens, making Opparizio look guilty of Bondurant’s murder to the jury.

Mickey’s plan naturally proves controversial, with prosecutor Andrea Freeman objecting to his conduct with the witness. However, it is impossible to prove that Mickey manipulated Opparizio into invoking his Fifth Amendment rights, meaning Mickey is in the clear. Although the judge strikes Opparizio’s testimony from the record in the original Lincoln Lawyer book, the damage has already been done by the testimony of the titular “Fifth Witness,” which leads to Lisa’s “not guilty” verdict. Although The Lincoln Lawyer season 2 character's name is changed to Alex Grant, his story in the TV show is expected to reflect what happens in the book.

Mickey Realizes That Lisa Killed Bondurant After The Trial

The Lincoln Lawyer season 2, part 1 shows Mickey doubting Lisa's innocence, and The Fifth Witness reveals that his fears are ultimately warranted. After Lisa has been exonerated from Bondurant’s murder, she has a party to celebrate the verdict, which Mickey attends out of courtesy. Similar to what happened with his client Trevor Elliott in The Lincoln Lawyer season 1's ending, Mickey realizes that Lisa actually did kill Bondurant, which she all but confirms to him. Unfortunately, Lisa can’t be tried again for Bondurant’s murder, meaning Mickey can’t do anything about her confession. The revelation of Lisa’s guilt is a huge part of The Fifth Witness, so this moment needs to happen in The Lincoln Lawyer season 2.

The Truth About Lisa's Husband Is Revealed

One of the biggest mysteries left at the end of The Lincoln Lawyer season 2, part 1 surrounds Lisa’s ex-husband Jeff, and The Fifth Witness reveals what actually happened to him. When Mickey suggests using Jeff Trammel as a character witness for Lisa, Lisa gets upset at the mention of Jeff’s name, but eventually relents and puts Mickey in touch with her husband. During the two characters’ discussion, Jeff is incredibly noncompliant with Mickey’s requests, suggesting he's a dead end for Lisa’s trial. This appears to be the end of Jeff’s relevance to the story, but there is a more sinister reason for Jeff and Lisa’s behavior.

After Mickey realizes that Lisa is guilty of Bondurant’s murder at the end of The Fifth Witness, he also realizes the truth about Jeff Trammel as well. The person that Lisa claimed was Jeff wasn’t actually the real Jeff Trammel, but an actor she sent to talk to Mickey. The titular Lincoln Lawyer figures out that in addition to Mitchell Bondurant, Lisa has killed Jeff, which she more or less confirms to Mickey. What actually happened to Jeff Trammel is a huge shock in The Fifth Witness, and the twist will likely be just as surprising in The Lincoln Lawyer season 2.

Mickey Finds A Way To Put Lisa In Jail

Even though Lisa can’t be tried again for Mitchell Bondurant’s murder, Mickey is able to devise a way for justice to still be served. Mickey makes an anonymous call to the police about Jeff Trammel going “missing,” and the police go to Lisa’s house to investigate. When they begin digging in Lisa’s garden (where Jeff is presumably buried), she panics and calls Mickey, who informs her that he is no longer her lawyer, ending their professional relationship. While Mickey feels guilty about helping Lisa get away with Bondurant’s murder, calling the police about Jeff is Mickey’s way of making it right in The Fifth Witness.

Lisa Is Behind The Attack On Mickey

At the very end of The Lincoln Lawyer season 2 part 1, Mickey gets attacked by two unidentified hitmen, whose motives are revealed at the end of The Fifth Witness. After Mickey informs Lisa that he will not represent her in a trial for Jeff Trammel’s murder, Lisa’s tone immediately shifts. She tells Mickey that she should have had “them maim you. That’s what you deserve.” This is a shocking revelation for both the readers and Mickey, who had been told that the attack was ordered by Opparizio earlier in the novel.

It’s difficult to comprehend at first why Lisa would have hitmen attack her own lawyer, but it actually makes perfect sense. Lisa ordered the hit on Mickey to deflect suspicion away from her and set Mickey on the path to considering alternative suspects for Bondurant’s murder. Outside of her two committed murders, Lisa being behind the attack on Mickey demonstrates what a truly sinister villain Lisa Trammel is in The Lincoln Lawyer series.

Mickey Reveals He Is Running For District Attorney

Mickey Haller is well-known as a defense attorney in The Lincoln Lawyer, but The Fifth Witness book shows that this could change. When Mickey tells Lisa that he won’t represent her again, he also reveals that it is because he's running for district attorney. Representing Lisa Trammel makes Mickey confront the negative side of defense work, which includes helping (potential) criminals evade punishment. Mickey sees running for district attorney as an opportunity to “change his life,” making this a monumental change both personally and professionally. The reveal that Mickey is running for district attorney means that The Lincoln Lawyer season 2, part 2 could be a huge turning point for the series.