20 Best Women Lawyers On TV, Ranked

20 Best Women Lawyers On TV, Ranked Julianna Marguiles as Alicia Florrick, sitting at a desk and smiling in The Good Wife

By Arielle Port Published 2 minutes ago Arielle Port started as a TV producer, developing content for Netflix (Firefly Lane, Brazen) and Hallmark (The Santa Stakeout, A Christmas Treasure) before transitioning into entertainment journalism. Her love of story went from interest to lifelong passion while at The University of Pennsylvania, where she fell in with a student-run web series, Classless TV, and it was a gateway drug. Arielle Port has been a Writer for Screen Rant since August 2024. She lives in Los Angeles with her boyfriend and more importantly, her cat, Boseman. Sign in to your ScreenRant account Summary Generate a summary of this story follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Thread Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap

There is a rich history of legal shows on TV, with the best TV lawyers doing everything from fighting for the downtrodden to helping the wealthy hide their crimes. While the critically panned All's Fair suffers from wooden characters and tone-deaf outlandish storylines, it's a rare failure in the popular legal drama genre.

This is unfortunate because the all-female main cast of All's Fair had the potential to be excellent TV lawyers on paper. However, the best female lawyers on television show just how brilliant and persuasive each of these women can be in some of the best law shows of all time.

20 Sophia Perez (Eva Longoria)

Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Defense attorney Sophia Perez, played by Eva Longoria in one of her best roles, had a short-lived arc on Brooklyn Nine-Nine, but her impact was huge. In a cop-centric comedy, Sophia served as a much-needed counterbalance, forcing the show — and Jake Peralta — to grapple with perspectives outside the precinct.

As Jake’s love interest, she challenged him intellectually and morally, especially when their relationship was strained by the natural clash between their professions. Sophia made a smart, compelling case for the importance of defense attorneys, even defeating Jake in court, which pushed him to grow beyond his impulsive, badge-first worldview.

19 Jennifer Walters (Tatiana Maslany)

She-Hulk: Attorney At Law

Jennifer Walters drink coffee in her kitchen in She-Hulk

She-Hulk: Attorney at Law proved divisive as a Disney+ series, with some viewers feeling the superhero spectacle didn’t always blend smoothly with the legal-comedy tone. But Tatiana Maslany was a bright spot in She-Hulk, delivering a charming, self-aware performance that brought a whimsical, almost Ally McBeal-esque energy to the MCU.

As Jennifer Walters, attorney at law, she offered a fresh spin on superhero storytelling by treating the granular legal fallout of superpowered incidents. The case-of-the-week episodes stood out in particular, allowing Jennifer to showcase her sharp instincts and empathy while representing enhanced individuals — a world she uniquely understands because she’s one of them.

18 Abby Stone (Melissa Rauch)

Night Court (2023)

Judge Abby Stone with arms crossed in Night Court season 3, episode 14

Melissa Rauch’s Judge Abby Stone in the 2023 Night Court reboot offered a thoughtful gender-flip on the original series while honoring its legacy. As the daughter of the late Judge Harry Stone from the frequently-referenced Night Court original run, Abby stepped into her father’s iconic courtroom with a similar optimism, but a distinctly modern voice.

Abby had an unwavering belief in second chances and an ability to balance compassion with authority. She approached each case with a mix of sincerity, quirkiness, and emotional intelligence, creating a courtroom dynamic that felt both nostalgic and newly progressive. Rauch infused Abby with warmth and sharp comedic timing, making her a worthy successor to the Stone name.

17 Martha Costello QC (Maxine Peake)

Silk

Martha Costello QC, played by Maxine Peake in Silk, is one of British television’s most compelling portrayals of a female barrister. Her journey through the competitive world of the English bar — particularly her pursuit of the coveted “silk” status — highlights the intense pressures placed on women in a traditionally male-dominated profession.

What makes Martha stand out is her combination of moral clarity and emotional depth; she’s idealistic without being naïve, compassionate without losing her edge. Peake brings a steely determination to the role, capturing Martha’s ability to stay grounded even as office politics, grueling cases, and personal challenges collide.

16 Olivia Pope (Kerry Washington)

Scandal

In Kerry Washington's best TV show, protagonist Olivia Pope may be best known as a high-powered fixer, but her law degree was central to how she navigates Washington’s most chaotic crises in Scandal. Olivia approaches every problem with a sharp legal mind, a strategist’s instinct, and an advocate’s heart.

Her legal training informs her precision, her command of ethics (even when she bends them), and her ability to see 20 steps ahead. Olivia became iconic for the way she solved impossible problems with unmatched style. As one of television’s most influential power players, she redefined what a lawyer could look like on screen: fearless, complicated, and utterly unforgettable.

15 Miranda Hobbes (Cynthia Nixon)

Sex And The City

Sex and the City Cynthia Nixon as Miranda Hobbes standing in the middle of the street

Miranda Hobbes captured both the power and the pressure of being a female lawyer at the turn of the century. As she climbed the ranks at her firm, her success often became a liability in her personal life, intimidating the men she dated and forcing her to navigate double standards her male colleagues never faced.

Later, when she chooses to have a baby, her partners judge her commitment based on billable hours rather than talent or dedication — a familiar frustration for many working mothers. As Miranda Hobbes, Cynthia Nixon was sharp, witty, and relentlessly pragmatic.

These traits served Miranda brilliantly in the legal world, but sometimes made her seem prickly in her friendships and relationships. Still, her honesty and loyalty were unwavering, making Miranda a refreshingly realistic depiction of professional womanhood in Sex and the City.

14 Clair Huxtable (Phylicia Rashad)

The Cosby Show

Cliff and Clair Huxtable sat on a couch together in The Cosby Show

Phylicia Rashad’s portrayal of Clair Huxtable on The Cosby Show was one of television's first depictions of a Black female lawyer, and it remains one of the most influential. The family sitcom format meant viewers rarely saw Clair in the courtroom, but the dignity, confidence, and sharp intellect she brought to both her career and her home life communicated everything.

For many viewers, especially young Black girls, she was a formative example of what success, balance, and self-assuredness could look like. Even without frequent courtroom scenes, Clair Huxtable’s presence normalized the idea of Black women thriving as high-powered attorneys and helped inspire an entire generation to imagine themselves in similar roles.

13 Annalise Keating (Viola Davis)

How To Get Away With Murder

Viola Davis as Annalise Keating in How To Get Away With Murder

Annalise Keating, played with ferocious intensity by Viola Davis, stands out among TV’s great female lawyers precisely because she is both brilliant and deeply morally flawed. As a law professor teaching the titular class, Annalise exudes authority, intelligence, and unmatched courtroom skill — yet she’s also an antihero who crosses ethical lines, manipulates evidence, and hides secrets darker than her clients’.

Having a character this morally ambiguous is essential in representation: women, especially women of color, deserve the full spectrum of portrayal, not just idealized role models. Annalise’s contradictions — vulnerable yet formidable, compromised yet compelling — make her someone viewers root for even as she made questionable choices.

12 Casey Novak (Diane Neal)

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

Casey Novak (Diane Neal) standing in court with her arms crossed in SVU.

Known for her tenacity and willingness to take risks in the pursuit of justice, Casey Novak, played by Diane Neal on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, often pushed boundaries that more cautious prosecutors wouldn’t. This boldness made her an exciting, if sometimes controversial, counterpart to the SVU detectives.

She was fiercely committed to supporting victims, and her empathy, paired with her sharp legal instincts, frequently drove her to craft creative arguments and take on difficult cases. Novak also experienced meaningful character growth, especially as her passion occasionally clashed with procedural rules and ethical lines, making Novak one of the most memorable and impactful prosecutors in the SVU canon.

11 Helen Gamble (Lara Flynn Boyle)

The Practice

bobby donnell (dylan mcdermott) and helen gamble (lara flynn boyle) in court in the practice

As an Assistant District Attorney, The Practice's Helen embodied the intense pressure of trying to secure justice in a system filled with gray areas. She was fiercely competitive, often clashing with defense attorneys — including her own friends — when she believed the stakes demanded it.

What made Helen so compelling was her blend of ambition, vulnerability, and ethical conflict; she wanted to do the right thing, but the demands of the job sometimes pushed her into uncomfortable compromises. Lara Flynn Boyle brought sharpness and emotional nuance to the role, showing how Helen’s drive could be both her greatest strength and her Achilles’ heel.

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