First, it was Pearson Hardman. Then, they merged with Darby International to become Pearson Darby. Then, it became Pearson Darby Specter. Next, it changed to Pearson Specter. Then, well… you get the picture. No matter what the name is on the wall, the employees at the law firm in Suits know how to serve up witty banter, impressive legal eagling, and fashionable looks. 

The legal drama, which first premiered in 2011, was a hit with fans throughout its nine seasons thanks in part to its charismatic ensemble, which includes Patrick J. Adams, Gina Torres, Gabriel Macht, and Meghan Markle. Its arrival on Netflix last summer made the show a hit all over again, and excitement around it is still going strong — with a spin-off series reportedly in development and cast members Macht, Torres, Adams, and Sarah Rafferty reuniting at the 2024 Golden Globes.

Whether you’re embarking on a Suits rewatch or checking out the series for the first time now that Seasons 1-8 are on Netflix in the US, we’ve created this guide to help you keep track of who’s who in the sexy drama.

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Harvey Specter

When we first meet Harvey Specter, he’s finally become a senior partner at Pearson Hardman. His first act is to hire Mike Ross, who he knows isn’t actually a lawyer. When Harvey isn’t trying to keep Mike’s secret at the office, he’s either arguing with his colleague Louis Litt over something, fighting for his clients in court, or scheming with or against managing partner Jessica Pearson for a firm takeover, consolidation, or merger. Throughout the course of the series, Harvey eventually gets his name on the wall and dabbles in quite a few romantic relationships.

You can follow Macht on Instagram and Twitter.

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Mike Ross

The lawyer who isn’t actually a lawyer, Mike Ross spends many episodes of Suits trying to keep his secret concealed. In the series premiere, he stumbles into a job interview with Harvey and tells him the truth: He was kicked out of college and lost his admission to Harvard Law School. Despite that, he’s a brilliant mind who’s passed the LSAT many times (while taking it for other people). After Harvey hires him, Mike quickly makes a name for himself at the firm — and just as quickly falls in love with Rachel Zane. 

You can follow Adams on Instagram and Twitter.

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Rachel Zane

Rachel is a paralegal at Pearson Hardman; however, she has aspirations of finally getting a high enough LSAT score so she can get into Harvard and become a full-fledged lawyer like her father, Robert Zane. She develops feelings for Mike nearly as soon as he starts at the firm — but she has a rule against dating co-workers. Rachel fights her feelings while having to work with him on cases. Eventually, it hits a boiling point, and when they begin a relationship she becomes another bearer of his secret in the office.

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Donna Paulsen

Donna is Harvey’s trusted legal secretary; she worked with him at the district attorney’s office before he took her with him to Pearson Hardman. She’s charming and personable where Harvey is brash and emotionally distant. This makes them an ideal work duo (and later… something more). Donna knows a bit of everything (including Mike’s secret) and seems to be able to do it all. She’s close friends with Rachel, can help Harvey prep for court, and knows how to put Louis in his place.

You can follow Rafferty on Instagram and Twitter.

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Jessica Pearson

A no-nonsense named partner, Jessica is not someone you want to cross. She was the first in the office to find out Mike’s secret (besides Harvey and Donna). Unfortunately, she isn’t able to fire him outright as Harvey threatens to quit if she does, which would leave her vulnerable with the recently returned named partner Daniel Hardman, who she and Harvey had previously blackmailed into leaving. Harvey and Jessica have a tumultuous relationship, but always smooth things out as they have respect for one another. In fact, Jessica was the one who discovered Harvey when he was working in the firm’s mailroom, and she paid for him to go to law school at Harvard.

You can follow Torres on Instagram and Twitter.

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Louis Litt

Like most of the lawyers in Suits, Louis knows how to get ahead by scheming, bribing, and blackmailing. At the start of the series, he’s still a junior partner — while Harvey receives the promotion to senior partner. They have a rivalry that goes back before that and stretches long into the series. Louis is prone to paranoia, and much of that is thrown onto Mike, who he can just tell is keeping a secret. He’s almost always at odds with someone at the firm, but he does have a soft spot for Donna.

You can follow Hoffman on Instagram and Twitter.

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Katrina Bennett

Katrina got a job at Pearson Hardman in the most Suits way possible: scheming. In Season 2, she’s working in the DA’s office and goes up against Mike. She offers him a deal on the case — if he’ll put in a good word for her with Harvey. Harvey hires Katrina, but only because he has to protect Mike from a mistake he made during that case. Katrina has a rocky start at the firm as she tries to bully everyone beneath her. It doesn’t go over well, and she ends up being stuck working with only Louis.

You can follow Schull on Instagram and Twitter.

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Robert Zane

Rachel grew up in the shadow of her father, Robert, a well-known lawyer and named partner at Rand, Kaldor, and Zane. Unlike Rachel, he was Harvard Law trained. (Yes, Harvard comes up a lot in this show.) In the early seasons, Robert works at his own firm, which is a rival to where his daughter works; he occasionally pops up in court when the firms go head-to-head in cases or at dinners with his daughter. But as the series goes on, he becomes more and more entwined with the staff at Rachel’s firm.

You can follow Pierce on Instagram and Twitter.

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Alex Williams

Later in the series, when Harvey becomes a named partner, he convinces his old friend Alex to join the firm. Back when they both were associates, Harvey was supposed to leave Pearson Hardman to join Alex at Bratton Gould — but at the last minute, Jessica convinced him to stay. Thomas Bratton takes this personally and takes it out on Alex by dumping an impossible workload on him and eventually embroiling him in a prison murder plot. It all comes to a head when Alex joins Harvey’s firm and finds out that Mike is investigating the parties involved in the scandal.

You can follow Hill on Instagram and Twitter.

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Samantha Wheeler

Also late to the party is Samantha. She’s the protege of Robert, who she sees as a father figure. She follows him to Harvey’s firm and is told by Robert she’ll become a named partner. Only problem is Harvey told Alex that he would be a named partner, so the two must go head-to-head. She shares many of the same characteristics as Harvey: She’ll do whatever it takes to win a case and is loyal to a select group of people around her.  

You can follow Heigl on Instagram, Twitter and TikTok.

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Sheila Sazs

Pearson Hardman only hires Harvard-educated lawyers, so of course they’d have an insider at the elite institution. That’s Sheila, who helps to place graduates at top law firms. She’s first introduced because she wants to withdraw their law firm from recruiting privileges as all the Harvard grads seem to be unhappy there. (Maybe it’s all the backstabbing and blackmailing?) She backs off and eventually becomes an on-again, off-again romantic interest for Louis.

You can follow Harris on Instagram.

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Sean Cahill

With all the lies and deceit these characters get up to, it was only a matter of time before the SEC got involved. That’s how Sean Cahill is introduced: He’s a prosecutor with the department and is told to look into Pearson Specter by US Attorney Eric Woodall, who’s out to get Harvey and Mike. Sean pursues the firm pretty aggressively, but eventually learns Woodall’s agenda and turns his sights on him. In the end, Cahill becomes a trusted ally to both Mike and Harvey.

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Daniel Hardman

The law firm in Suits changes names more times than we can count, but in the beginning it was Pearson Hardman. Daniel Hardman was a co-founder of the firm, but his character doesn’t appear until Season 2. In events before the series started, Jessica and Harvey found out that he was embezzling from the firm and forced him to resign (by threatening to reveal the affair he had while his wife was battling cancer). After his wife dies, he decides to come back and stir the pot — consequences be damned. Hardman reappears a few times throughout the series, each time bringing a little chaos with him.

You can follow Costabile on Instagram.

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Jeff Malone

With as many lies as there are swirling around her firm, you’d think Jessica would steer clear of anyone related to the SEC. Instead, she finds herself in bed (literally) with SEC senior prosecutor Jeff Malone. It does help her and Harvey get some inside info: Jeff shows up at Pearson Specter in Season 4 to let them know that Eric Woodall has a vendetta against them. Jeff quits his job at the SEC to work at their firm and help defend them against Woodall. But Jessica can’t be fully honest with everything happening there (ahem, the web of lies!), and their romance hits the rocks.

You can follow Woodside on Instagram and Twitter.

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Dana Scott

Dana “Scottie” Scott met Harvey when they were in law school at Harvard together. They dated on and off in school and, after, when they both started working at separate law firms. Scottie comes into Harvey’s life again when she’s opposing counsel on a hotel merger case. It ends horribly for her — the client fires her — despite the fact she was first in their class at Harvard. She and Harvey have various dealings over the seasons (both professional and romantic), but they rarely seem to end well for Scottie.

You can follow Spencer on Instagram and Twitter.

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