ABBIE CARMICHAEL

'Abbie Carmichael' is a fictional character on the TV drama ''Law & Order'' created by Rene Balcer and portrayed by model/actress Angie Harmon. The character was regularly featured from 1998 to 2001.

Contents

In ''Law & Order''

In ''Law & Order'' spinoffs

In ''Law & Order''

Abbie Carmichael, the series gradually revealed, attended law school at the University of Texas at Austin. She joined the New York County DA's office in the episode "Cherished." She transferred from the Narcotics Bureau to replace Jamie Ross as Jack McCoy's assistant.
Unlike her predecessor, Carmichael is characterized as a staunch political conservative. She is pro-life, opposes gun control, favors the death penalty, and has little to no faith in criminal rehabilitation programs. These political beliefs often put her in conflict with McCoy and Adam Schiff and Nora Lewin, all of whom are of a more liberal stripe.
The first case to affect her political outlook takes place in the 1998 episode "Punk," in which she prosecutes an incarcerated woman who had murdered a corrections officer she claims had forced her into a sexual relationship. Carmichael, who had prosecuted the woman before on a drug charge, has no sympathy for her and seems hell-bent on putting her in prison for life — until she cross-examines the woman, who reveals that she blames herself for being raped. This strikes a chord in Carmichael, who suddenly arranges a lenient plea bargain for the woman. Carmichael later reveals to McCoy that she had been raped as a freshman in college by a law student she had been dating. From this point on, she softens her prosecutorial politics somewhat.
Another significant development in her life takes place in the 1999 episode "Refuge," in which her friend and fellow ADA, Toni Ricci, is murdered by the Russian mobsters she was prosecuting. It is the only time during Carmichael's tenure in the DA's office that she lets anyone see her cry.
Despite changes in her life and (to a much lesser degree) legal philosophy, she remains an uncompromising, zealous prosecutor more likely to seek the highest penalties than make plea bargains. Even though they often disagree, she and McCoy grow to like and respect each other.
The character makes her final appearance in the 2001 episode "Deep Vote." In the episode, she accepts an offer to join the US Attorney's office in New York. She is replaced by Serena Southerlyn.

In ''Law & Order'' spinoffs

Carmichael also appeared in the spinoff series '' until 2000, when Alexandra Cabot was introduced as a regular character.