The following lists all characters, major and minor, who are/were members of the New York City District Attorney's Office.
Members of the Sex Crimes Bureau have their own page.
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District Attorneys
Alfred Wentworth
Appearances: Law & Order
Played By: Roy Thinnes
Appeared only in the pilot episode, and thus appears for the fewest episodes out of any regular cast member (1).
Adam Schiff
Appearances: Law & Order | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Played By: Steven Hill (Seasons 1-10)
Adam Schiff: You got what you wanted. Take the rest of the week off.
Jack McCoy: It's Friday, Adam.
Adam Schiff: So it is. See you on Monday.
The first District Attorney. Rising up from the ranks as ADA, he occasionally tends to fret about how trials will affect his chances for reelection but he will never let his politics interfere with justice.
- Benevolent Boss: He's not afraid to say when McCoy is driving him crazy, but at the end of the day he has his attorneys' backs.
- Boring, but Practical: He prefers to cut deals with suspects, which, while not as flashy and risky as trials, are much less expensive and ensure the suspect is punished.
- Catchphrase: "Cut a deal."
- Commander Contrarian: Schiff's style is to appear resistant to any idea. At least this way, he can outsource blame.
- Deadpan Snarker: Probably the snarkiest person in the DA's office.
- Devil's Advocate: Often takes this position, though more often than not it's to point out the flaws or holes in Stone's or McCoy's arguments.
- Grumpy Old Man: Oh so much. At one point Kincaid makes a comment that implies he's a curmudgeon.Schiff: "I'm a sweetheart. And I'm middle-aged."
- Jews Love to Argue: He was big on arguing with McCoy especially, sometimes because it needed to be done and sometimes just because.
- Parental Substitute: For both Stone and McCoy. His relationship with Stone was more nurturing, and Adam was disappointed when Stone chose to resign. Schiff's relationship with McCoy, however, is more adversarial.
- Pragmatic Hero:
- He's personally opposed to the death penalty, but he's still willing to use it if the public demands it. He's also not above using the publicity of gruesome crimes and trials to get himself reelected. After all, he can't serve the justice system if he loses his position.
- Gets a Call-Back in a season 18 episode when a witness wants a fairly mild favor from newly minted District Attorney McCoy, who balks at starting a precedent of doing favors. Cutter remarks that Schiff would've done it with his eyes closed.
- Schiff One-Liner: Trope Namer
- Skewed Priorities: Played with. He often comes off as more concerned about a trial's impact on his chances for reelection than actual justice. However, when it comes down to it, unless his subordinates really push the boundaries of the law, Schiff will back them up during controversial trials.
- Team Dad
- Who Needs Enemies?: If a personal friend of his appears in an episode then it's likely they're corrupt and will sell out Schiff and the DA's office at the drop of a hat.
Jack McCoy
Appearances: Law & Order | Exiled: A Law & Order Movie | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Law & Order: Trial by Jury
Other Appearances: Homicide: Life on the Street
Played By: Sam Waterston (Seasons 5-20, Season 21-)
Jack McCoy: Ask me how I sleep at night.
Connie Robirosa: How do you sleep at night?
Jack McCoy: Like a baby.
Ben Stone's replacement. Hot-headed and willingly to bend the law to its limits to win a conviction, he eventually became the District Attorney himself.
- Abusive Parents: As revealed in "Aftershock" Jack's father was a policeman who drove him to succeed at all times and pushed him into law school rather than become a cop like him. He was also a chain-smoking drunk who regularly beat Jack's mother (and its implied he hit Jack as well). Jack still has something of a Broken Pedestal towards him, telling Cutter that he still remembers when he realized that his dad was "a son of a bitch."
- Belligerent Sexual Tension: Downplayed, he and Claire would sometimes disagree during cases but eventually began a relationship.
- Berserk Button: Bigots and children who get hurt are sore spots for him. So when he's prosecuting someone guilty of a hate crime or a crime against children, McCoy gets even more hostile towards the man or woman. Following the events of "Aftershock", drunk driving becomes this for him as well.
- One nasty trigger is those in government or military service abusing their positions and power. As an advocate of the law, betraying the law that holds the country together gives him extreme contempt. And god help you if you terrorized or harmed veterans, to boot.
- Big Good: Becomes this once he becomes the head District Attorney, having to direct Rubirosa and Cutter through their cases from the side and keep order in the precinct.
- Big Ol' Eyebrows: Notable for Sam Waterson's large eyebrows, which helps highlight McCoy's expressions spectacularly.
- Breakout Character: He didn't show up until the 5th season, but he became the face of the franchise, arguably even moreso than Lennie Briscoe. This was helped by the fact that, unlike Orbach, Waterston survived the series and Orbach's death made the District Attorney's office much more important.
- The Chains of Commanding: When he becomes the DA, he's the one calling the shots which means he can no longer afford to take the reckless chances he did when Schiff, Lewin, or Branch had his back and his quick to lay down the law, much to the chagrin of his subordinates, who are well aware of his colorful legal record.
- Character Development: Becomes less reckless and ruthless as he got older, especially when he becomes the District Attorney, and reprimands Cutter's actions, just as other DA's did with him. To wit, in person he actually withdrew a plea deal at a hearing revolving around the surgery of young girl, much to Cutter's fury.
- At Ben Stone’s funeral, the one thing Jack chooses to praise about him was his dedication to prosecutorial ethics. When Jack was first introduced as Ben Stone’s replacement, the main characteristic that distinguished him from Stone was his looser interpretation of such restrictions.
- Commuting on a Bus: After he becomes District Attorney.
- To elaborate: while his screen time got diminished, he still had more of an active role than previous DAs.
- Determinator: The things he will do to get his way legally...
- Everyone Has Standards: In Sympathetic Murderer cases where the killer didn't royally botch things up for others or abuse the law in other ways, he is willing to be lenient on certain elements and plea deals. However, this only applies in the most extreme cases; should the killer genuinely have messed something up, or make a mockery of the law in particular, his standards for the law take precedence. And if they refuse to admit guilt in any way, then he simply recants his mercy and continues the prosecution.
- He'll also put his own job and career on the line to do the right thing. In "Over Here", the government outright pressured him to be silent about the downright horrible conditions in a veteran's hospital ward that had been used regardless and can be attributed to the murderous psychosis the defendant suffered from. He turns around and basically announces it to the world anyway to put everyone involved on full blast and media attention, a move that has feds calling for his head so to speak - which does annoy the hell out of Branch after warning him previously, but he agrees in his own way that it was a good thing overall. Considering McCoy managed to hang onto his job and still get promoted, that says a lot.
- He doesn't hold defense attorneys in contempt either unless they explicitly go out of their way to earn it. When Rubirosa is basically forced by a judge to play a defendant's side, much to her awkward disagreement on the matter, and gets harassed by some of the paralegals about "working for the dark side", McCoy's annoyance over the matter is open contempt for the idea that doing her duty is somehow wrong in his associate's eyes and an open threat to demote the whole lot.
- Foil: The complete opposite of Stone, Jack is known for being reckless, hot-blooded, and willing to bend the law to it's limits to get justice.
- Good Is Not Nice: Think McCoy will play soft when justice is on the line? He doesn't care if you're a teenager, a cripple, gay, a veteran or even a retired old person, if you're an affront to his belief in the law and the case is on his lap he'll prosecute you to the best of his ability.
- Guys are Slobs: A mild case. In “Double Down”, Briscoe, Curtis, Ross, and Van Buren come by McCoy’s apartment at 2 am to discuss a case. It is noticeably disheveled, mostly strewn with books and papers. Ross appears to be reluctant to sit down, though the older and wiser Van Buren is unfazed.
- Heel Realization: The older he gets, he looks back on the more outrageous stunts he pulled that got him chewed out by Schiff, Lewin, Branch or dragged before the Bar Committee with regret. This is especially pronounced when he becomes the DA and he often argues with Cutter, who's just as reckless but less moral. Cutter tries to defend himself by pointing out that Jack did the same thing, only for Jack to retort that his actions had consequences for him and he's trying to stop Cutter from making the same mistakes he did.
- Hero with Bad Publicity: Due to some of the questionable ethics and legality of stunts he pulled by the time he becomes the actual DA he doesn't get that much respect from the Legal Establishment.
- Hypocrite: Before taking the DA's office, if the law worked in his favour he would defend it to death. If those same laws got in the way of a conviction he would complain about them and do everything possible to subvert them.
- Iconic Sequel Character: One of the most synonymous characters with the show, but doesn't make an appearance until the fifth season.
- Irony: In Arthur Branch's last episode Branch says McCoy may one day fill his seat. McCoy responds that he has no mind for politics. The very next episode, McCoy is filling Arthur's seat as District Attorney.
- It's Personal: The deaths of Claire Kincaid, ADA Ricci, and Alexandra Borgia cause him to go on legal Roaring Rampages of Revenge of sorts. All come close to getting him disbarred.
- Specifically: Following Claire's death, McCoy later collaborates with a judge to frame a drunk driver for first degree murder (the driver really killed the people, but was so intoxicated he couldn't form the intent needed for a murder charge. McCoy and the judge collaborated to keep evidence proving that the man was drunk out of court, so McCoy could falsely claim that he wasn't drunk and deliberately killed the people. It is implied that all this was because he was bitter that Claire's killer received a light sentence and wanted to see proper justice done for the victims in this case.
- When a bit character, ADA Ricci, dies alongside an innocent mother in a Russian mafia assassination attempt on a young boy witness, McCoy suspends habeas corpus and hauls their asses to jail well before he has any evidence to actually convict them yet.
- After Borgia dies, McCoy sets up a show trial with fake evidence and perjured testimony to try to trick the killer into a confession.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Deliberately cultivates a reputation as a hardass, but frequently backs down when confronted with a defendant who legitimately deserves sympathy.To Jamie Ross, "Then you can tell him he's dealing with a junkyard dog."McCoy: Four minutes.Defense Attorney: Always have to play the tough guy, don't you.McCoy: Tough has nothing to do with this.Defense Attorney: You feel for the woman, Jack. It doesn't make you weak.McCoy: Three minutes.Defense Attorney: I could win this case, y'know.McCoy: Not when the judge instructs the jury on the definition of legal insanity.Defense Attorney: Ten years is a long time.McCoy: She killed a man.Defense Attorney: A scoundrel. ... Ten years, or until a panel of three medical professionals certifies she's not a threat to herself or others.McCoy: Doctors to be chosen by my office.Defense Attorney: But in the private psychiatric facility of her choice.McCoy: To be approved of by me and located within my jurisdiction. One minute.Defense Attorney: Done.McCoy: I tell the judge. [stands up to leave]Defense Attorney: It's not a bad thing, Jack.McCoy: What?Defense Attorney: Having a heart.
- It is made even more explicit in the episode, "Burned," where McCoy prosecutes a boy who is obviously mentally ill and needs to be committed to a mental hospital. However, the boy's grandfather interferes with the plea bargaining and blatantly would rather risk his grandson being sent to regular prison than have a mental commitment draw attention to his own fragile mental health. At this, McCoy goes out of his way to prevent that when he could have simply stayed out of the way and score an easy conviction win.
- Karma Houdini: He's done things that in real life would get you disbarred at best and imprisoned at worst. Yet, he some how ends up as DA. He does admit as such at times after taking the DA office.
- Knight in Sour Armor: Make no doubts about it, McCoy means well even despite his extreme tendencies. However, after some of the cases he's had to dealt with, never mind particularly harsh ones that he lost, he becomes embittered and cynical. He never quite loses his good intentions compared to some District Attorneys in the franchise though, and even effectively becomes a Big Good once he becomes the DA after Branch.
- Knight Templar: His behavior could dip into this if a case struck close to home or the the cause was justice in his opinion. He's been willing to tear into the First Amendment and equal protection laws if it means a conviction. One infamous situation was "Love Gov" where a murderer hides behind his gay marriage for protection; McCoy outright risks all gay marriages in the state of New York to get the man behind bars, and gains the ire of Serena in the process.
- May–December Romance: Heavily implied with Claire; confirmed a couple of seasons after Claire's death.
- My God, What Have I Done?: In his pursuit of enforcing the law, there's times where he's so rabid in pursuing a case that he may have the wrong person nearly convicted or even totally fail to catch it before it goes through. While this reaffirms his attempt to catch the culprit for real if there's time left in an episode, it hits him hard nonetheless.
- Noodle Incident: In 2011 he's been replaced, yet he's back in office by 2018. The exact circumstances of this all have never been explained.
- Old-School Chivalry: Subtle, but notice that every time he's speaking with a woman getting into a cab, he opens the door for her. Even if she's opposing counsel, a suspect, hindering prosecution, etc.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: As loud as he can be for the courtrooms and as open in emotion and contempt as he could be in his days as an A.D.A., he only shouts if he's pushed to it in a case or something is downright stupendously offensive to him. The few times he actually raises his voice in unadulterated anger are truly rare, and moments that show that he's either immensely disappointed in you or about to effectively crucify you metaphorically if he gets his way in seeing justice administered.
- Parental Substitute: As noted by Linus Roache, there's a fairly adversarial father-son dynamic between McCoy and Cutter, but generally McCoy acts as a surrogate father to Cutter, who has little-to-no contact with his biological father.
- Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!: The moment someone's somehow managed to truly set McCoy off, from a child killer to those around him being targeted, he'll risk his entire career to bring them down. Unlike most uses of the trope, though, he's only mildly successful and loses several trials because of his indignation, never mind if plea deals and higher government positions force him to stay his hand. He grows out of this, partially.
- In a sense of Irony, however, McCoy also has next to no tolerance for people who pull this trope themselves. In "License to Kill", for example, when a vigilante act kills a mass murderer and the young hostage days later in the medical complications as well as several collateral injuries resulting from the act, McCoy calls upon the law to be followed in abhorrence of rampant vigilantism. The jury doesn't agree. Characters like Branch have called him out on this hypocrisy often, to little avail even as he grew older.
- Schiff One-Liner
- Sleeping with the Boss: Is notorious for having had this kind of relationship with his assistants, all female. When he first came into the District Attorney's office, Claire Kincaid pointed out that he'd slept with all three of his previous assistants (and married one of them), to which Jack replied that all the relationships were mutually consensual. Then Claire declared that nothing of the sort would happen between herself and Jack, to which he agreed...only for them to get intimate later on down the line. After Claire's death, he doesn't get involved with any of his assistants again.
- Team Dad: Once he becomes District Attorney himself, he takes responsibility for the A.D.A.s beneath him and makes sure to cover for them if a case gets particularly controversial.
- What the Hell, Hero?: His actions have been called out by Schiff, his colleagues, the judges, the Bar Association disciplinary committee, and eventually himself.
Nora Lewin
Appearances: Law & Order | Law & Order: Criminal Intent | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Played By: Dianne Wiest
The Interim District Attorney, appointed to finish out Adam Schiff's term after he left the position to work on the Holocaust Project. A former law professor.
- All There in the Manual: Her departure is never explained in the show, but rather in a companion book to the series called Law & Order: Crime Scenes; apparently she found herself disenchanted with the position of district attorney and chose not to run for election when her interim term was up.
- Beware the Nice Ones: A sweet woman who is new to her job and nervous about having to fill the shoes of Adam Schiff. She will also take you down if you threaten her office or anyone in it.
- Pragmatic Hero: Like her predecessor, she is personally against the death penalty but recognizes that completely avoiding it might cause the DA's office to be seen as too soft on crime.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: Applies the law even when it conflicts with her personal beliefs, such as when she has to make the decision to pursue the death penalty against a defendant.
Arthur Branch
Appearances: Law & Order | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Law & Order: Trial by Jury | Law & Order: Criminal Intent
Other Appearances: Conviction
Played By: Fred Thompson (Seasons 13-17)
Dubbed By: William Sabatier (European French)
Nora Lewin's replacement as District Attorney, after she decided not to run for election. A hardass conservative who was elected to make New Yorkers feel safe after 9-11.
- Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: When Fred Thompson decided to return to politics, Arthur was abruptly written out with Jack taking his place as DA. He was mentioned once or twice, afterward.
- Good Is Not Soft: He was elected to make New Yorkers feel safer in the wake of 9/11.
- When district attorneys are getting murdered in "Open Season" due to the episode's Neo-Nazi suspect picking everyone that goes against him off, Arthur is the one that decides to breach usual attorney-client privilege against Danielle Melnick to prevent more murders. Even McCoy is surprised, but then McCoy is mostly protesting because of his personal ties to Danielle. Arthur's rare risk pays off, as Danielle's client was using her as an unwitting patsy to set up the targets.
- Good Ol' Boy
- Iconic Sequel Character: One of the most recognizable characters of the show, but doesn't make an appearance until the thirteenth season.
- Large and in Charge: At 6'6", he was most certainly this (and to date, the tallest character/actor in the Law & Order universe.)
- Team Dad: Neither affectionate nor even really nice, but always ready with encouragement or to make an attempt at convincing before he ordered. Even when he fires Serena, he points out that she has the skills and mindset of a superb defense attorney...which simply don't work for a prosecutor.
- Token Religious Teammate: He is known to regularly attend church, but he doesn't allow it to influence his work. In fact, he's personally offended by any defendant who tries to use religion to justify their crime.
Arthur Branch: I may be pro-life, but I'm even more pro-law.
- Transplant: Sort of. He became a regular cast member on spin off Law & Order: Trial by Jury, but he was still a cast member on the original series at the same time.)
Executive Assistant District Attorneys
Benjamin "Ben" Stone
Appearances: Law & Order
Played By: Michael Moriarty (Seasons 1-4)
Dr. Edward Auster: When you practice medicine, Mr. Stone, sometimes the patient dies.
Ben Stone: And when you're a lawyer, Dr. Auster, some of the people you prosecute are convicted.
The first Executive Assistant District Attorney. Dogged in his pursuit of justice, but always following the letter of the law.
- Beware the Nice Ones: He's warm and cordial, but he's also absolutely ruthless to anyone he has to prosecute.
- Bus Crash: After one of the longest bus rides on record, the character is killed off on Spin-Off Law & Order: Special Victims Unit in February 2018, almost 24 years after his last onscreen appearance. Fittingly, his eulogy is delivered by the character who replaced him, Jack McCoy (whose own bus came back).
- By-the-Book Cop: While dogged in his pursuit of justice, he insists on following the letter of the law, in direct contrast to his successors.
- Career-Building Blunder: When he was a young prosecutor, he accidentally sent confidential information to the defense. Even though it cost them the case, the DA at the time kept him on knowing the mistake would make Stone a better attorney.
- Deadpan Snarker: So deadpan you might not even realize he was snarking. Like the time a defendant proclaims that the charges presented against her don't hold up before God and the defense is about to loop on the matter.Ben Stone: Objection, this case is being judged on the temporal plane, your honor!
- Gentleman Snarker: When he calls you "sir", it means he doesn't like you.
- Glasses Pull: The reigning king of it on the series.
- Opt Out: Resigns when one of his prosecutions results in the implied death of a woman who he had put on the stand as a witness.
- Schiff One-Liner
- The Stoic: Ben had the emotional range of a brick. It made him all the scarier.
- Tranquil Fury: Masterfully portrayed in "Indifference". During the prosecution of a scumbag spousal/child abuser, the look he gives the aforementioned defendant makes it clear that he would beat the crap out of him if he could.
Judith Light
Michael Cutter
Nolan Price
Appearances: Law & Order
Played By: Hugh Dancy (Seasons 21-)
A former defense attorney hired as by McCoy to take a different perspective on prosecution.
- Honor Before Reason: In his first episode, Price agrees with the defense that a confession Cosgrove obtained by lying to the suspect is inadmissable (a legal grey area), making it a lot harder for him to win the case.
- It's Personal: "The Great Pretender" reveals that his brother died of an opiate overdose, which is why he's so adamant to go for the head of a pharmaceutical company.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Jack gives him a single line at the end of 21's "Severance". After Colin is found not guilty by reason of insanity, rather than accept defeat, he tries telling Jack that he still thinks Colin was lying as Jack tries to walk out the door. So Jack tells him something his old boss used to say before leaving, while Nolan can only stand there.Nolan: I still think he's lying.Jack: My old boss, he used to say: "Lawyers who need to be right, lose more cases than those that don't."——
Assistant District Attorneys
Paul Robinette
"Don't tell me that tearing down a 200-year old justice system, no matter how flawed, is going to alter the consciousness of a society. Now, we're past the separate drinking-fountain stage. We're past legal discrimination. We're at the hearts and minds stage. And believe me, there's no quick fix."
Appearances: Law & Order
Other Appearances: Chicago Justice
Played By: Richard Brooks (Seasons 1-3)
Ben Stone once told me I'd have to decide if I was a black man who was a lawyer or a lawyer who was black. All these years, I thought I was the latter. All these years... I was wrong.
From "Custody" (ep.6-14)
The first (and only male) ADA. Working exclusively under Ben Stone, he would leave the District Attorney's Office to go into private practice as a defense lawyer and would return several times going up against Jack McCoy.
- '80s Hair: The Flattop of Justice. The first time Robinette guest starred, Richard Brooks had notably shaved his hair.
- Amoral Attorney: In his return appearances as a defense attorney.
- Hidden Depths: The first episode that he guest-starred in proved him to be a more than competent attorney, competent enough to deadlock a jury. In contrast, when he was a regular Stone mostly had him do leg work.
- Malcolm Xerox: When he comes back as a defense attorney, and slings race cards like Al Sharpton on meth.
- Token Minority: For the first three seasons, the only black character on the show.
- The Whitest Black Guy: Frequently gets accused of this by other African Americans. Probably what led him to become a Malcolm X/Johnnie Cochran parallel.
Claire Kincaid
Appearances: Law & Order
Other Appearances: Homicide: Life on the Street
Played By: Jill Hennessy (Seasons 4-6)
- Great. Now we can all pile into a little clown car and go tell it to the judge. It doesn’t pass the laugh test, guys. Bring me probable cause, then we'll talk.
Paul Robinette's replacement who set the trend for subsequent ADAs to be female. She worked under Ben Stone and then Jack McCoy, and was very idealistic for a prosecutor.
- Belligerent Sexual Tension: Downplayed, she and Jack would bicker a little about some cases and eventually began a relationship.
- Bus Crash: Quite literally. Claire was originally supposed to only be paralyzed in the car crash in the Season 6 finale and then Put on a Bus, but when actress Jill Hennesey declined to return for a final episode in Season 7 she was killed off instead)
- Interestingly, Jill Hennessey has stated that she wanted to return and was not aware that her character was killed off until someone watched the episode and told her.
- Hello, Attorney!
- Iconic Sequel Character: One of the most fondly remembered characters in the show, but doesn't make an appearance until the fourth season.
- Insult Backfire: When McCoy accuses her of "latent feminism," she immediately retorts that it's not latent.
- May–December Romance: With Jack. The actors were born 28 years apart. It's not clear if the characters are the same age as the actors who play them but Claire is clearly in her twenties and Jack is old enough to have been a young adult in The '60s.
- The McCoy: Amusing, given her boss' name.
- Retirony: She debates either resigning from the DA's office or quitting law altogether (and Jack talks her out of it) shortly before she's injured/killed in a car accident. Jack ends up feeling very guilty about this.
- Sleeping with the Boss: Although only indicated through very subtle Ship Tease hints during her time on the show, during an episode sometime after her death, it is confirmed on screen that she had been sleeping with McCoy, after her having told him when they first met that nothing of the sort would happen.
- She once had an affair with a judge she clerked for.
- Wide-Eyed Idealist: Schiff criticizes her for it, but still keeps her on.
- Wham Line: In "Aftershock," Claire has a conversation with a law professor who seems to be a former teacher of hers, talking about the execution she witnessed and her feelings on various aspects of the legal system in general. Then just as Claire turns to leave:Mac: You know, your mother would like you to come by one of these days for dinner.
Jamie Ross
Appearances: Law & Order | Law & Order: Trial by Jury
Other Appearances: Homicide: Life on the Street
Played By: Carey Lowell (Seasons 7-8, 21)
Claire Kincaid's replacement. A former defense attorney who switched to prosecution after a former client she acquitted killed again. She eventually leaves the DA's office to spend more time with her daughter. She returns to private practice, then becomes a judge, then is back as an ADA in Season 21.
- Dark Secret: She may have murdered a serial rapist, or at the very least was an accomplice to his murder, in the Season 21 premiere. We never learn the full truth, as she pleads the Fifth when subpoenaed to testify about it.
- Hello, Attorney!: When interviewing a reluctant witness, she tells him that if he answers her question, she'll owe him a favor. He asks, "As a D.A., or as the most attractive woman to ever set foot in this office?" (She meant as a D.A, but even so, she's the most openly flirtatious assistant McCoy ever had, which several men clearly find appealing.)
- Iconic Sequel Character: One of the most fondly remembered characters in the show, but doesn't make an appearance until the seventh season.
- Mama Bear: Her devotion to her daughter occasionally conflicts with the show, such that she debates quitting more than once and eventually is Put on a Bus because of it. Her Amoral Attorney ex-husband uses it against her to help his client.
- Retool: The character was originally a morally ambiguous ex-defense attorney who became a prosecutor after a client she got acquitted went on to kill again. As such, she was originally a lot more underhanded and devious when it came to court room trickery. Sadly this was quickly dropped and the character was turned into a single mother Suspiciously Similar Substitute of Claire Kincaid.
- Statuesque Stunner: A beautiful woman standing 5'10.
- Transplant: From the original to Law & Order: Trial by Jury, although she was only a recurring guest character in the latter.
- What the Hell, Hero?: She calls out Adam Schiff after he seems gleeful that the horrific rape and attempted murder of a young child happened near an election since a conviction would boost his chances of reelection.
Abbie Carmichael
Appearances: Law & Order | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Played By: Angie Harmon (Seasons 9-11)
Abbie Carmichael: I have a solution that will make us all happy.
Jack McCoy: What's that?
Abbie Carmichael: No deals for anybody. Let's hang 'em all.
Jaime Ross's replacement, a tough as nails prosecutor who spent four years in Special Narcotics with a 95% conviction rate, which impressed Schiff enough to have her promoted to major felonies as McCoy's assistant. She later leaves to work the US Attorney's office.
- Aloof Dark-Haired Girl: Brunette? Check that. Beautiful? Check that. Can be a hard-ass? Definitely check that.
- Blonde Republican Sex Kitten: Albeit a brunette.
- Defrosting the Ice Queen: Starts out very stubborn and aloof, coldly dismissing the detectives leads as "a lot of unverified hunches" . By the halfway point of her first season, she mellows out considerably, even joking with McCoy and the detectives on a few occasions.
- Distaff Counterpart: When Abbie suggested they "hang 'em all" in her first episode, McCoy struggled not to laugh. For those not in the know, McCoy was once dubbed "Hang 'Em High McCoy" for his Draconian approach.
- Everyone Has Standards: An old perp having Alzheimer's causes her to realize that if they get convicted to a New York prison facility that she personally visited, one could arguably apply the Eighth Amendment of "cruel and unusual punishment" with how absolutely terrible the living conditions for mental patients would be there. Of all people, she's the one that tries to talk down Jack from trying to convict them to a full murder sentence, which at least gets them work a halfway house plea bargain.
- Hello, Attorney!
- Iconic Sequel Character: One of the most fondly remembered characters on the show, but doesn't make an appearance until the ninth season.
- Inspector Javert: Often displays a black-and-white view of crime and criminals, to the point where in early season 9 she has zero sympathy towards a young woman she sent to prison on a minor drug charge who is now accused of arranging the murder of a guard who was abusing her (demanding sexual favors from her and threatening to harm her daughter if she didn't comply). It's especially disturbing considering that Abbie is a rape survivor herself, yet her attitude towards the woman is essentially disbelief mixed with, "It's your fault for doing something that put you in jail in the first place".
- She eventually relents and convinces McCoy to set up a good deal for the woman.
- When she's at an arraignment hearing, there's a venom in her voice as she makes the people's case why the defendants should not be given bail as opposed to the other ADA's who did this part of their job with a strict professionalism.
- Knight Templar: She's very keen to push for the highest possible punishment for a crime, including the death penalty if applicable. In short, don't expect any mercy from her. But...
- Know When to Fold 'Em: In her guest appearance in the SVU pilot, she makes a merciful deal with the perp, given the victim's history with said perp and the co-conspirator's suicide. However, it's also unlikely that she would've gotten a conviction should the case go to trial.
- Rape as Backstory: Abbie was date-raped by a law student when she was a college freshman.
- Smug Smiler: Whenever the Prosecution drops the bomb on the Defendants with new evidence or a witness that nails, she loves doing this.
- When She Smiles: Abbie’s default facial expression is usually a varying degree of scowl. When she does manage to crack a smile it brightens up the room.
Ron Carver
Appearances: Law & Order: Criminal Intent
Played By: Courtney B. Vance
The Assistant District Attorney that works with the Major Case Squad from Season One to Season Five.
- By-the-Book Cop: Or attorney, rather. Rarely there is a time where he isn't clashing with the detectives, especially Goren.
- Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: He was written out at the end of season five without a given reason.
- Deadpan Snarker: Not as severe as the others, but it's still seen. I.e., in "The Unblinking Eye" after the suspect is arrested for the crime and bemoans a failed audition he had and said his "mind went blank", he then quips, "Too bad his mind didn't go blank on that street corner" (where he shot the victim).
- Hello, Attorney!: He is a very attractive man who is also an ADA.
- Out of Focus: Even though the District Attorney's office didn't play as large as a part in the series compared to the other series in the franchise, beginning with the latter half of season four, he started to be used less and less. He initially was seen as someone who worked with the detectives and told them what they were allowed to do in the scope of the law, but eventually became someone who showed up once and episode just to block their efforts with little to no compromise.
- Sharp-Dressed Man: As an attorney, he was always seen wearing a collection of nice suits and ties.
- Token Minority: He is the only main or recurring black character in the show's history.
Serena Southerlyn
Appearances: Law & Order
Played By: Elisabeth Röhm (Seasons 12-14, thirteen episodes of Season 15)
"Is this because I'm a lesbian?"
Abbie Carmichael's replacement, chosen by Nora Lewin since her liberal idealism mirrored her own. She had a more strained relationship with Branch, who ultimately dismissed her for being too sympathetic to the defendants.
- Alliterative Name: Serena Southerlyn.
- Gaydar: In an unintentional bit of foreshadowing, she correctly picks up on a Psycho Lesbian (who had been presenting herself as a mere concerned witness) as the real culprit in a murder, rather than the person they actually have on trial.
- Hello, Attorney!
- Lipstick Lesbian
- The McCoy: To the point where it got her fired.
- Shout-Out: Serena is named after one of Dick Wolf's kids.
- Sweeps Week Lesbian Kiss: She didn't kiss anybody, but the effect was much the same.
- Interviews with Dick Wolf suggest that he wrote that scene just to shock the viewers and get them talking, implying that any and all foreshadowing was unintentional. This is reflected in viewer response, which was not 'Oh, that's so edgy' like Wolf expected, but more 'Oh, that's so cheap'.
- Strawman Political: Serena existed as the Fox News Liberal of the show, offering weak liberal talking points only to be invariably slapped down by Branch.
- Wide-Eyed Idealist
Alexandra Borgia
Appearances: Law & Order
Played By: Annie Parisse (Seasons 15-16)
Arthur Branch: So, what now? We pat each other on the back and break out the blue label?
Jack McCoy: Alexandra always hated that.
Arthur Branch: I just assumed she didn't like scotch.
Jack McCoy: The whole old boy ritual. It was a little much for her.
Serena's replacement. A consummate professional who never lets her political views, dictate her conduct.
- Cruel and Unusual Death: She was kidnapped and viciously beaten. The beating caused her to vomit, but as she was gagged she choked on it. She choked to death on her own vomit.
- Dropped a Bridge on Him: In the cruelest way possible.
- Flat Character: She really didn't have much of personality beyond the standard "compassionate" assistant, although her conservatism endeared her to Branch.
- Forgotten Fallen Friend: A meta version. In advertisements for Law & Order: LA promoting the upcoming murder of Rex Winters, it was described as "an event not seen on Law & Order in twenty years" referring to the murder of Max Greevey. Apparently Alex Borgia and Danny Ross didn't count.
- We Hardly Knew Ye: She had the shortest tenure of any ADA — a season and a half totaling only 33 episodes.
Sigrun Borg
Consuela "Connie" Rubirosa
Appearances: Law & Order | Law & Order: LA | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Played By: Alana de la Garza (Seasons 17-20)
The last ADA. A people person, but nevertheless committed to see that justice is done. She eventually moved to Los Angeles to look after her mother and move to one of the spinoffs, and then joined the federal government, leading a joint task force to combat underage sex trafficking.
- The Cameo: Pops up in the 15th season of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit heading a federal joint task force on underage sex trafficking.
- Dude Magnet: Every other episode has a man commenting on her good looks.
- Embarrassing Old Photo: Deliberately invoked in one episode where they're trying to buy time to verify if the suspect (an attractive young woman) is the same person as a suspect in a previous crime (a much frumpier woman). The judge expresses disbelief it could be the same person, at which point Connie whips out her own much frumpier high school photo and makes her point.
- Cutter: Whoo. I might have had a chance with you back then.
- Fanservice Pack: Between seasons 17 and 18.
- Good Is Not Dumb: She's much, much nicer than Cutter, but it's not a weakness; she's incredibly observant and sometimes her people skills allow her to catch things her colleagues miss.
- Hello, Attorney!
- Iconic Sequel Character: One of the most fondly remembered characters of the show, but doesn't make an appearance until the seventeenth season.
- The McCoy: She's not the Wide-Eyed Idealist Serena was, but she tends to moderate Cutter's Amoral Attorney streak.
- Transplant: To Law & Order: LA following the series' (initial) conclusion.
- Twofer Token Minority: As a woman and an Hispanic. She's willing to call out whites for not understanding racism or men for not understanding misogyny. To be fair, she also calls out a Straw Feminist for going over the line.
- UST: With Cutter. She's jealous of his flirting with a legal assistant, and she knows very well that he's in love with her.
Terri Driver
Appearances: Law & Order: Criminal Intent
Played By: Leslie Hope
A Queens ADA.
- Amoral Attorney: She's extremely reluctant to revisit a case where a man may have been falsely convicted, because she doesn't want to tarnish her conviction rate.
Samantha Maroun
