Main characters

Nick Rice

Amoral Attorney: He lets a rapist and child killer get off the hook. That said, rather than outright amoral he's more of an...
Anti-Hero: Nick doesn't care nearly as much about justice as he does about his conviction rate. His flaws and mistakes may have created the villain – but he still tries to protect the innocent as best as he can and does the right thing in the end. But he isn't exactly selfless and fundamentally cares about personal gain rather than idealistically defending other people, such as Shelton after what happened to him.
Hypocrite: Nick justifies his decision to cut a deal with Darby, by claiming that "it's an imperfect system." As the film goes out of its way to demonstrate, that very mentality is why the system is imperfect.
It's All About Me: The reason he chose to cut a deal with Darby was because he didn't want to sabotage his 96% conviction rate. Not at all caring that Clyde lost his wife and daughter.
Jerkass: He didn't really care about Shelton's family nor the fact that he got their murderer off. That being said, he's also a...
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: For all his faults, Nick still loves his family and values his coworkers. This is best shown after Shelton car bombed all his associates, including Sarah. After this point, It's Personal.
Never My Fault: Refuses to admit he was wrong to cut a deal with Darby, even after Clyde killed multiple people because of it.

Clyde Shelton

Affably Evil: Probably helped by his status as an Anti-Villain, though Clyde's a pretty nice guy most of the time. During the climax, he genuinely apologizes to Nick after choosing to detonate the bomb. Not that it matters.
Anti-Villain: His motive is to get revenge on the legal system for letting the man who killed his family get a mere slap on the wrist.
The Chessmaster: He is prepared for several possibilities to come and that's how he manages to stay ahead of Nick and the law enforcement.
The Engineer: Clyde was, until he was attacked by Rupert and Clarence... and his family dying at the hands of the said home intruders.
He Who Fights Monsters: He may have brutally and sadistically killed Clarence Darby, but that was well deserved. Over the course of the film, however, Shelton becomes a much darker character. From killing people who were merely associated with Darby, but otherwise doing their jobs (such as Darby's lawyer), to even going as far as trying to kill the mayor by blowing up city hall.
Pay Evil unto Evil: Considering what Clarence Darby did to him, it's hard to hold Shelton's brutal murder of Darby against him.

Characters / Law Abiding Citizen