Law & Order/Characters

Seargent Max Greevey
""Seventeen-year-olds shouldn't be doing the thing that makes babies.""


 * Big Fun
 * Deadpan Snarker
 * Dropped a Bridge on Him: Got shot in the first episode of Season Two.
 * : Season Two's opener.
 * Raised Catholic: '80s Catholic; it can be somewhat bizarre viewed thirty years later.
 * We Hardly Knew Ye: Only one season of the show, which considering its length is absolutely nothing.
 * Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: He hates walk-up apartment buildings.

Detective Mike Logan
"Secretary: Are you in charge of this ape? Max Greevey: My cross to bear."

""She was a bottomless pit. Always 'give me your undivided attention'. And when my old man couldn't take it anymore and whacked her, she'd turn around and whack me. She got this look in her eye- I knew it was coming. And that cold witch in there... she's got that same look.""


 * Abusive Parents: His dad hit his mom. His mom hit him.
 * Alcoholic Parent: His Lady Drunk mother.
 * Breakout Character: Most people with an opinion say it's not Law & Order without Lennie Briscoe, but there's a good number who don't think it's Law & Order without Lennie Briscoe or Mike Logan.
 * Cartwright Curse:.
 * Cowboy Cop: Not so much a cowboy as he his a hothead, but the practical outcome can be pretty similar.
 * Deadpan Snarker: Designated snarker before the arrival of Lennie.
 * Estrogen Brigade Bait: He's played by Chris "Mr. Big" Noth.
 * Fair Cop: See immediately above.
 * Fatal Flaw: Mike has a very short temper.
 * Hot-Blooded: Hot temper, first through the door when it's kicked down.
 * Put on a Bus: After punching out a city council member, he was exiled to Staten Island. The Made for TV Movie Exile: A Law & Order Movie brought him back 5 years later, and he eventually returns as part of the Law and Order: Criminal Intent cast.
 * Quip to Black: Got it started, but Lennie did it better.
 * Really Gets Around: Mike has a lot of girlfriends, given the number of references he makes to them.
 * Transplant: From the original series to Law and Order: Criminal Intent.
 * Really Gets Around: Mike has a lot of girlfriends, given the number of references he makes to them.
 * Transplant: From the original series to Law and Order: Criminal Intent.
 * Transplant: From the original series to Law and Order: Criminal Intent.

Captain Donald Cragen

 * The Alcoholic: In his backstory, at least.
 * Bald of Awesome: Bald. Fairly sarcastic, but awesome.
 * Brother Chuck: They never tell us why Cragen left the Mothership, though Exiled suggests he was working a task force out of One Police Plaza for some period between here and SVU.
 * Da Chief: First head of the 32nd in the series.
 * No Indoor Voice: Particularly in the first season.
 * Team Dad: Not as much here as in SVU.
 * Transplant: From the original series to Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

Seargent Phil Cerreta
""Thirty years...charmed life...I never even...fired...""


 * By-The-Book Cop: Never uses any form of trickery, and is always polite to even the worst of suspects, but is still a very effective detective.
 * Cool Hat: The ushanka of awesome.
 * Cool Old Guy: Same deal as Max.
 * Suspiciously Similar Substitute: For Max Greevey. They look so similar a casual viewer might not figure it out.
 * We Hardly Knew Ye: One season and eight episodes. Replaced with Lennie Briscoe, the man who became the face of the franchise, so most people don't even remember Phil, even though he was on for longer than Greevey.

Detective Lennie Briscoe

 * The Alcoholic: Until.
 * The Atoner: After.
 * Badass Grandpa: Lennie was on the show a long time, so this came to apply, particularly after we got Ed Green.
 * Breakout Character: There is a large group of people who think it's not Law & Order if it doesn't have Lennie Briscoe. He was in many ways the face of the show along with Jack McCoy.
 * Cool Old Guy: Lennie Briscoe was the defining example on '90s television.
 * Deadpan Snarker: Lennie made the Quip to Black trope.
 * Disappeared Dad: Because of his drinking and divorce, he wasn't the best father.
 * Known Only By Their Nickname Lennie's full name isn't seen or spoken until his final episode; it's Leonard J. Briscoe.
 * Papa Wolf: It's implied he had his daughter's murderer killed.
 * Quip to Black: The Trope Codifier.
 * Revolvers Are Just Better: Lennie predates the regular issuing of automatics, so he keeps his .38 to the day he leaves the show.
 * UST: Frequently flirts with Dr. Rogers, though it's hard to say what he actually feels. But he did take her to the opera once, according to her.
 * You Look Familiar: Jerry Orbach played a defense attorney in a Season 2 episode.
 * You Look Familiar: Jerry Orbach played a defense attorney in a Season 2 episode.

Lieutenant Anita Van Buren

 * Black Boss Lady: Black, the boss, a lady. What more can be said?
 * Da Chief: Second head of the house, from Cragen's departure to the very last episode.
 * Iron Woobie:.
 * Don't You Dare Pity Me!:.
 * Never Mess with Granny: You will regret it. Granny has a force of personality and intensity that are enough to make you cower in fear, and she carries a gun.
 * Reasonable Authority Figure: Especially when she first appeared. She replaced Lt. Cragen, who continually harped to his subordinates of what can't be done, she focused on directing her troops on what can be done.
 * Token Minority: Her original role on the show could easily be seen this way.
 * You Look Familiar: S. Epatha Merkerson played a grieving mother in Season 1's "Mushrooms".

Detective Rey Curtis
"Rey Curtis: No, what you've got is a lot of nerve, Lennie, making it sound like I agree with you, partner. Lennie Briscoe: It never occurred to me that you wouldn't, partner. What, you wanna see this scum bounce? Rey Curtis: I wanna see him strapped down with a needle in his arm but I'm not gonna perjure myself to make it happen!"


 * Back for the Finale: In the final season, we saw Van Buren attending his wife's funeral.
 * Bilingual Bonus: His ethnicity and fluent Spanish has enabled him to develop a rapport with similar witnesses, victims, etc, enabling him to garner necessary information they might otherwise not have gotten.
 * By-The-Book Cop: Slight subversion, as he was both young and Hispanic.
 * Fair Cop
 * Happily Married: His wife considers divorce after his affair, but they stay together and the justification for his Put On the Bus is that he needs a desk job so he has more time to care for her because of her MS.
 * Inspector Javert: He has an initially unyielding black-and-white view of crime and criminals, but this softens slightly over time.
 * Raised Catholic

Detective Ed Green
"Defense Attorney: Detective! Put a leash on your partner! Lennie Briscoe: We gave up, he chewed through all of ours."


 * Character Development: From rash, short-tempered Cowboy Cop to mature, wise mentor to his younger partners.
 * Cowboy Cop: At the start.
 * Cunning Linguist: Speaks fluent Spanish, as well as a decent amount of French and some Russian "enough to get a date."
 * Fair Cop
 * The Gambling Addict: It's referred to several times, though it's never known how severe a problem it was. It even comes back to bite him in the ass in during his final episode--he mentions that his despondency over Lennie's retirement and later, his death was enough to trigger a relapse, kicking off a chain of events that led to his downfall.
 * Scary Black Man: He isn't actually, but he'll often pretend to be during interrogations. Which ironically leads to him being Mistaken for Racist when he makes a sarcastic comment to a perpetrator about the perks he gets for beating up black suspects.

Detective Joe Fontana
"Suspect: Is that a threat? Joe Fontana: A threat? No. A threat would be more like... 'If you stonewall this investigation any more I'm gonna break your jaw. And when you're on the ground, I'm gonna kick you 'till you spit blood you cheap shyster.' That would be a threat. This is more of a request."


 * Badass Grandpa
 * Catch Phrase: "We're authorized."
 * Cool Old Guy
 * Cowboy Cop
 * Dirty Cop: Suggested by his high amount of money and expensive tastes for a detective.
 * What Could Have Been: If he'd stuck around long enough for this to be explored.
 * Jack Bauer Interrogation Technique: On more than one occasion. Don't kill a cop or kidnap a kid near him.
 * Rabid Cop
 * Replacement Scrappy: To a degree - although fans did warm to him by the end of his tenure.

Detective Nick Falco

 * The Bus Came Back: For one episode, in which he's a murder suspect. And he's the one who keeps finding all the key evidence, even though he's on suspension..
 * Hilarious in Hindsight: Christopher as a cop? *snerk*
 * Temporary Substitute: He replaced Ed Green for four episodes when Jesse L. Martin was filming Rent.
 * We Hardly Knew Ye

Detective Nina Cassady
"Anita Van Buren: What is your issue Cassidy? You're always leadin' with your chin, always playin' tough. It's not smart. A good cop never takes the bait, never escalates."

""Mr. Glover, if I really had it in for your client, I could have dropped him with a justifiable shooting when I found him stabbing his own daughter to death. But I didn't. Because I exercised the control I learned in my training. That control is why your client is still alive today.""


 * Action Girl
 * Chuck Cunningham Syndrome
 * Cowboy Cop
 * Fair Cop: To a ludicrous degree.
 * Noodle Incident: How Nina got tagged "The Beauty Queen Detective" was barely addressed and only in her debut episode.
 * We Hardly Knew Ye
 * You Look Familiar: Melina Govich played a bartender in an episode in Season 16.

Detective Cyrus Lupo

 * Cool Shades
 * Deadpan Snarker
 * Perma-Stubble
 * Quip to Black
 * You Look Familiar: Jeremy Sisto played a defense lawyer in Season 17.

Detective Kevin Bernard

 * By-The-Book Cop
 * Internal Affairs
 * Perma-Stubble
 * You Look Familiar: Anthony Anderson originally played a different detective on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

Executive Assistant District Attorney Benjamin "Ben" Stone
"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."


 * Beware the Nice Ones
 * Gentleman Snarker: When he calls you "sir", it means he doesn't like you.
 * Lawful Good
 * Raised Catholic
 * 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.

Assistant District Attorney 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.""

- From "Out Of The Half-Light" (ep. 1-11)

"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)


 * Amoral Attorney: In his return appearances as a defense attorney.
 * Your Mileage May Vary as there was nothing remotely "amoral" about him becoming a defense lawyer.
 * Some of his tactics skirt the line, though.
 * As does some of the ADA's
 * Brother Chuck: Although he has come back for the occasional guest appearance, and his departure was explained in a deleted scene in Season 4.
 * But Not Too Black: Frequently gets accused of this by other African Americans.
 * Eighties Hair: The Flattop of Justice.
 * Malcolm Xerox: When he comes back as a defense attorney, and slings race cards like Al Sharpton on meth.
 * Strawman Political: See above.
 * Token Minority

District Attorney Alfred Wentworth
Appeared only in the pilot episode, and thus appears for the fewest episodes out of any regular cast member (1).

District Attorney Adam Schiff
"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."


 * Commander Contrarian: Schiff's style is to appear resistant to any idea. At least this way, he can outsource blame.
 * Grumpy Old Man
 * Jews Love to Argue: He was big on arguing with McCoy especially, sometimes because it needed to be done and sometimes just because.
 * Schiff One-Liner: Trope Namer.
 * Team Dad

Assistant District Attorney Claire Kincaid

 * Interestingly, Jill Hennessey has stated that.
 * Hello, Attorney!
 * The McCoy
 * Retirony: She debates either resigning from the DA's office or quitting law altogether (and Jack talks her out of it) shortly before.
 * Wide-Eyed Idealist
 * Retirony: She debates either resigning from the DA's office or quitting law altogether (and Jack talks her out of it) shortly before.
 * Wide-Eyed Idealist

Executive Assistant District Attorney Jack McCoy (later District Attorney)
"Jack McCoy: Ask me how I sleep at night. Connie Robirosa: How do you sleep at night? Jack McCoy: Like a baby."

"To Jamie Ross, "Then you can tell him he's dealing with a junkyard dog.""
 * Breakout Character: He didn't show up until the fifth season, but he became the face of the franchise, arguably even moreso than Lennie Briscoe.
 * Commuting on a Bus: After he becomes District Attorney.
 * Determinator: The things he will do to get his way legally...
 * It's Personal: The deaths of, , and cause him to go on legal Roaring Rampages of Revenge of sorts. All come close to getting him disbarred.
 * Specifically:, McCoy later.
 * When a bit character,, dies, McCoy.
 * After dies, McCoy sets up a show trial with fake evidence and perjured testimony to try to trick the killer into a confession.
 * Jerkass Facade: Deliberately cultivates a reputation as a hardass, but frequently backs down when confronted with a defendant who legitimately deserves sympathy.

"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."


 * Never Live It Down: "You once hid a witness!"
 * No Indoor Voice
 * Raised Catholic
 * Schiff One-Liner
 * Team Dad: Once he becomes District Attorney.
 * What the Hell, Hero?: His actions have been called out by Schiff, his colleagues, the judges, the Bar Association disciplinary committee, and eventually himself.

Assistant District Attorney Jamie Ross

 * Hello, Attorney!
 * 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.
 * Transplant: From the original to Law & Order: Trial by Jury, although she was only a recurring guest character in the latter.

Assistant District Attorney Abbie Carmichael
"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."


 * Base Breaker: She's either one of fans' most or least favorite ADA's.
 * Blonde Republican Sex Kitten: Albeit a brunette.
 * Hello, Attorney!
 * 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 Abby 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."
 * Knight Templar: See above.
 * Rape as Backstory: Abbie was date-raped by a law student when she was a college freshman.

District Attorney Nora Lewin

 * Brother Chuck
 * The McCoy
 * Replacement Scrappy

Assistant District Attorney Serena Southerlyn
""Is this because I'm a lesbian?""


 * Creator's Pet
 * Hello, Attorney!
 * Lipstick Lesbian
 * The McCoy: To the point where.
 * The Scrappy: She was new and argued with the established characters. A lot.
 * Shout-Out: Serena is named after one of Dick Wolf's kids.
 * Suddenly Sexuality: Looking backwards, you can see the attempts at foreshadowing, but they don't mean anything to anyone without hindsight. When she drops the bombshell in her final scene, it's implied even her bosses didn't know.
 * Wide-Eyed Idealist

District Attorney Arthur Branch

 * Bus Crash: When he left the series to run for President, his character died of a heart attack.
 * Good Is Not Soft: He was elected to make New Yorkers feel safer in the wake of 9/11.
 * Good Ol' Boy
 * Large and In Charge
 * 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.
 * 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.

Assistant District Attorney Alexandra Borgia
"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."


 * Dropped A Bridge On Her
 * You Look Familiar: Annie Parisse played a stripper in a Season 12 episode. Supposedly, she wanted to play the same character and have her backstory be that she was working as a stripper to pay for law school, but the idea was vetoed.
 * You Look Familiar: Annie Parisse played a stripper in a Season 12 episode. Supposedly, she wanted to play the same character and have her backstory be that she was working as a stripper to pay for law school, but the idea was vetoed.
 * You Look Familiar: Annie Parisse played a stripper in a Season 12 episode. Supposedly, she wanted to play the same character and have her backstory be that she was working as a stripper to pay for law school, but the idea was vetoed.

Assistant District Attorney Connie Rubirosa

 * Fan Service Pack: Between Seasons 17 and 18.
 * Hello, Attorney!
 * Token Twofer: 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.
 * Transplant: To Law & Order: LA.

Executive Assistant District Attorney Michael Cutter
"Cyrus Lupo: Is this some sort of sport to you? Michael Cutter: Stick with your law books, detective. On the page, the law is a much purer thing."


 * Awesome McCoolname
 * Berserk Button: Don't EVER threaten Connie.
 * Commander Contrarian
 * Determinator
 * Iconic Item: His baseball bat.
 * Jerk with a Heart of Gold
 * Manipulative Bastard
 * Replacement Scrappy: We're clearly meant to see Cutter as younger, bolder Jack McCoy. But for every case where he comes across suitably Jack-like, there's another where he spends the entire episode being a petulant, arrogant, Jerkass.
 * Rescued From the Scrappy Heap: Once the writers scaled back his contrarian abrasiveness, Cutter's character became much easier to take.
 * Strawman Political: At first, Cutter was portrayed as a Straw Republican, taking the conservative route just to be shot down by Jack. Now his arguments seem to be gaining weight, leading to a few cases of Straw Man Has a Point.
 * Transplant: Shows up on ''SVU' for a few episodes.
 * UST: At least one person tells Connie that Cutter carries a torch for her. He really does.
 * What the Hell, Hero?: Gets called on his more questionable actions often. One time when McCoy chews him out, he points out McCoy did the same thing, and McCoy has to remind him he got chewed out for what he did.

Dr. Elizabeth Olivet
A psychologist who often interviews people that are claiming to have insanity defenses, and who also assists with profiling defendants. She comes from an academic background, having earned her degree in psychology through a graduate research program. Olivet is generally non-confrontational when talking to her patients. Often inclined to believe that a given client is insane (or was during the time of the crime), and has disagreed with McCoy vehemently when she feels obligated to do so. Appears in 87 episodes between Seasons 2-19.


 * Broken Bird
 * Cowboy Cop: When she goes after a Smug Snake gynecologist who raped one of her patients--only to become a victim herself.
 * Fake Guest Star
 * Promotion to Opening Titles: Briefly.

Dr. Emil Skoda
A psychologist who handles the psych workups required when a defendant pleads an insanity defense, and who also assists in creating profiles of suspects. His background is in practicing medicine; he was a physician with a specialty in psychiatry before becoming an expert witness. Often disinclined to believe that a patient is insane, to the point of arguing with other psychologists (such as Olivet, and in one case, the criminal's victim) about it. Appears in 42 episodes between Seasons 8-15, and 3 more in Season 20.


 * Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: Disappeared after the 2004 season as the actor (JK Simmons) got a job on The Closer, but subverted when he appeared again for two episodes in 2010 with no warning.
 * You Look Familiar: The actor playing Skoda has made numerous appearances on the show. Most notably, as the main bad guy for the first Law & Order/Homicide: Life On the Street X-Over.

Dr. Elizabeth Rodgers
"Rogers: You get used to the smell. Det. Ed Green: No you don't."

Wise-cracking doctor who figures out why people died. Blase about her job, to the point of eating lunch in rooms containing corpses. She at least once had to perform an autopsy in a full HAZMAT suit. Appears in 143 episodes throughout Seasons 2-20.


 * Fake Guest Star: She's been on the show longer than any of the regulars.
 * Transplant: Briefly to SVU, permanently to Criminal Intent.

Chief of Detectives Laird
Van Buren's superior. He supports her through her bout with breast cancer. Appears in 3 episodes in Seasons 18-20.

Detective Tony Profaci
Another detective in the 27th precinct. Friendly and affable. . Appeared in 45 episodes in Seasons 1-9.


 * Crowning Moment of Awesome: In "Nullification", when Profaci participates on the massive raid on the militia's homes. It's the first time in 8 seasons that we see him breaking down doors.
 * Exposition Fairy: Typically does the work that's too boring to show on-screen and shows up to give the info to the main duo.
 * Face Heel Turn
 * Fake Guest Star

Detective Morris Lamotte
Detective who worked with the squad in Seasons 9-10. Burly and cheerful. In one episode, he went undercover to a neo-Nazi rally.


 * Brother Chuck
 * Suspiciously Similar Substitute: To some extent, he was a non-Italian Profaci.

Danielle Melnick
McCoy's friend and rival. Zealous, crusading attorney, who often takes on cases to make political points. Appeared 13 times, between Seasons 2-17.


 * Call Back: After "Open Season", where she is shot in The Tag, she disappears for several seasons. When she returns, she's using a cane.
 * Crusading Lawyer: Melnick is a civil rights extremist--she even defended a neo-Nazi who had shot a personal friend, because the principles were that important to her. Only problem is, they weren't as important to the defendant...
 * Well-Intentioned Extremist: ...who asked her to send messages to the outside world, in defiance of a communication ban. She did, believing that the ban was cruel and unusual punishment. The messages turned out to be the next target for her client's associates to kill. Oops.
 * What Have I Done: Once McCoy hit her with the results of her above actions.
 * Worthy Opponent: She and McCoy are on much friendlier terms than he usually is with defense attorneys.

Professor Norman Rothenberg
A law professor who takes cases for rich cliental, Rothenberg delights in setting precedents that will help later cases -- even going so far as to throw one case in order to be able to appeal it and have the appellate court rule certain types of searches unconstitutional. He admits that he only cares about the law, not justice. Appeared in 8 episodes, between Seasons 4-18.

Shambala Green
Generally worked for poor defendants. Was often involved on cases involving systematic oppression such as racism and oppression of mentally disabled people. Appeared in 6 episodes in Season 1-4, and one additional episode in Season 14.


 * Foe Yay: Green was the one of the few defense attorneys you could count on to flummox Ben Stone in court, and there always seemed to be the hint of attraction between them.
 * Worthy Opponent: Ben Stone seems to have have a lot of respect for her, and vice versa.

Lawrence Weaver
Attorney for the rich. Known for being extremely well-prepared. Appeared in 7 episodes between Seasons 4 and 12.

Arthur Gold
Shrewd attorney for the rich and high-profile. Stone had a rivalry with him. Appeared in 6 episodes between Seasons 2-11.


 * Amoral Attorney
 * Batman Gambit: Gold could - and often did - goad Ben Stone into mistakes just by playing up his Smug Snake tendencies.
 * One of these backfires on him when it allows Stone to pull a legal maneuver that wouldn't have been possible if he hadn't been manipulated into his action in the first place.
 * Smug Snake

Randall 'Randy' J. Dworkin, Esq.
A jovial and goofy lawyer, nicknamed 'Squirt', who at first disgusts McCoy but eventually earns his respect. His perpetual irreverence irritates judges, and his creative defenses often frustrate the prosecution. Only appears in 3 episodes in Seasons 13-16, but memorable nevertheless.


 * Bunny Ears Lawyer
 * Large Ham
 * Obfuscating Stupidity
 * Worthy Opponent: After McCoy learns that his Bunny Ears tendencies are an obfuscation for genuine legal talent. He warns his ADA not to dismiss him.
 * During one trial they have a serious ex parte moment. They share a drink, each admitting they feel terrible about the trial. McCoy because he hates that he's winning using evidence produced by torture, Dworkin because he's defending a man who's vile trash and glad that he's losing.
 * During one trial they have a serious ex parte moment. They share a drink, each admitting they feel terrible about the trial. McCoy because he hates that he's winning using evidence produced by torture, Dworkin because he's defending a man who's vile trash and glad that he's losing.

Neil Gordon
Jamie Ross's ex-husband. He started off only defending the innocent, but eventually attracted the attention of a client who was guilty of violent crimes but had very deep pockets. Gordon and Ross got the man acquitted, and he went on to commit more crimes. Gordon is willing to do anything to win a trial, including exploiting the terms of his divorce settlement with Ross (which requires them to spend a set number of hours with their children; Gordon, who runs a big law firm, can delegate to his assistants so he can spend the requisite number of hours at home, but Ross, working for the government, can't, putting her custody of the children at risk).


 * Amoral Attorney
 * Disappeared Dad
 * Evil Sounds Deep
 * Smug Snake

Marcus Woll
A stereotypically oily defense attorney, who's an ex-DA. Turned out be more corrupt than anyone suspected.


 * Amoral Attorney
 * Evil All Along: Arranged to have a defense witness murdered while with the DA's office.
 * Face Heel Turn
 * Smug Snake

Judge Gary Feldman
A judge with political ambitions, who wanted to base his campaign around targeting drunk drivers. He collaborated with McCoy to hide evidence in a case involving a drunk driver that killed three people. When McCoy backed out of the scheme, he vowed revenge and went on to run against Adam Schiff. He was backed by Carl Anderton ("Burned"), who wanted revenge on Schiff for his own reasons. Appeared 3 times in Season 8.


 * Amoral Attorney
 * Corrupt Politician
 * Knight Templar

Judge William Wright
A judge whose defining characteristic was disagreeing with McCoy on everything. Notable appearances included setting aside a 'guilty' verdict for three boys convicted of raping a mentally disabled girl ("Damaged") and setting aside a 'guilty' verdict when McCoy convicted a gun dealer of murder due to his unethical business practices ("Gunshow"). In his final episode "Dissonance", Nora Lewin threatened that she would destroy him unless he judged the trial fairly. Appeared in 4 episodes between Seasons 8-11.


 * Depending on the Writer Whether Wright is reasonable or not varies drastically depending on the episode that he's in. In "Gunshow", the episode takes his side, indicating that the gun dealer, while evil, hadn't actually violated any law, and that McCoy was basically engaging in prosecutorial misconduct by trying to get him convicted for being a bad guy, not for violating any actual statute. In "Damaged", on the other hand, Wright is shown as a heartless and stupid jerk who refuses to even consider that the mentally disabled girl could have been raped, even though McCoy provided ample evidence that the girl was incapable of consenting to sex.
 * "It's Not Rape If You Enjoyed It" Wright's reasoning for why he wouldn't reverse his decision to set aside the guilty verdict in "Damaged".
 * What the Hell, Hero?: Calls out the jury for convicting the three boys of rape.

Carl Anderton
An old friend of Adam Schiff's. When his son was arrested for murder, he refused to allow his grandson to plea to an insanity defense, even though it would get his son better treatment. It turned out that this was because his grandson's insanity was genetic, and if it were known that his son had the illness, people would suspect him of having it too. When Schiff refused to allow him to sacrifice his son, Anderton sponsored Judge Feldman in the forthcoming election for District Attorney. Appeared 3 times in Season 8.

Governor Donald Shalvoy
At first an ally of McCoy, he turned against the district attorney when McCoy said he'd reveal that Shalvoy was seeing prostitutes as part of a case. Shalvoy then sabotaged the case and began trying to destroy McCoy, going so far as to sponsor someone to run against him in the next elections. He appeared 4 times in Seasons 18-19.


 * Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: He tries to bring down former ally Jack McCoy after the latter attempts to expose his use of prostitutes, he then offers to take down new ally Joe Chappel, McCoy's rival for District Attorney, to bribe McCoy, and then sells out his own WIFE to keep from losing his position as Governor.
 * Corrupt Politician
 * Magnificent Bastard/Smug Snake: Your Mileage May Vary on that one.
 * No Celebrities Were Harmed: He started out as a thinly veiled Expy of New York Governor Elliot Spitzer, but in subsequent appearances grew into his own character.
 * President Corrupt and President Playboy

Deborah Curtis

 * Ill Girl
 * Ill Girl

Cathy Briscoe
Briscoe's daughter, who isn't very close to him. Gets caught up in a drug operation, with fatal consequences.

Dr. Valerie Knight
Van Buren's doctor, who treated her when she developed breast cancer. Appeared in 4 episodes in Season 20.