Claire Kincaid was an Assistant District Attorney on Law & Order, played by Jill Hennessy, from 1993 to 1996. She replaced ADA Paul Robinette.
History
After graduating law school, Kincaid got a job clerking for appellate judge Joel Thayer, with whom she subsequently had an affair that lasted for three months out of the two years that they worked together. Kincaid joined the DA's office, and she was promoted to felony assistant remarkably soon afterwards. She eventually ended up working under Ben Stone.
During her time working with Stone, charges were brought against Judge Thayer and Kincaid was forced to reveal their affair. She resigned from the DA's office and was censured by the disciplinary committee, but the censure was lifted and she was allowed to practice law once more. Once the case against Judge Thayer ended, Kincaid rejoined the DA's office.
Ben Stone was later replaced by Jack McCoy, and, due to his reputation for sleeping with his assistants, the first thing Kincaid told him was that she would not be sleeping with him. The two argued multiple times over trial strategies, but eventually became lovers. The nature of their relationship was hinted at, but was not confirmed until after her death.
Kincaid died just as she was considering leaving the DA's office; her car was struck by a drunk driver as she took an inebriated Detective Lennie Briscoe home from a bar. Following her death, Briscoe re-entered Alcoholics Anonymous and remained sober for the rest of his life; it is implied that he felt his drinking was responsible for her death. Her death also haunts McCoy, who in a later episode violates his legal ethics to convict a drunk driver of murder. (L&O: "Under the Influence")
In one episode of Season 6, "Corpus Delicti", Kincaid was played by Jill Hennessy's identical twin sister, Jacqueline Hennessy. This was because Jill was filming in Baltimore for the crossover episode of Homicide: Life on the Street which was broadcast a few weeks later. Jacqueline Hennessy's performance was uncredited.
Appearances
- Law & Order (3 seasons, 67 episodes) - Jill Hennessy:
- Season 4: "Sweeps" • "Volunteers" • "Discord" • "Profile" • "Black Tie" • "Pride and Joy" • "Apocrypha" • "American Dream" • "Born Bad" • "The Pursuit of Happiness" • "Golden Years" • "Snatched" • "Breeder" • "Censure" • "Kids" • "Big Bang" • "Mayhem" • "Wager" • "Sanctuary" • "Nurture" • "Doubles" • "Old Friends"
- Season 5: Second Opinion" • "Coma" • "Blue Bamboo" • "Family Values" • "White Rabbit" • "Competence" • "Precious" • "Virtue" • "Scoundrels" • "House Counsel" • "Guardian" • "Progeny" • "Rage" • "Performance" • "Seed" • "Wannabe" • "Act of God" • "Privileged" • "Cruel and Unusual" • "Bad Faith" • "Purple Heart" • "Switch" • "Pride"
- Season 6: "Bitter Fruit" • "Rebels" • "Savages" • "Jeopardy" • "Hot Pursuit" • "Paranoia" • "Humiliation" • "Angel" • "Blood Libel" • "Remand" • "Trophy" • "Charm City" • "Custody" • "Encore" • "Savior" • "Deceit" • "Atonement" • "Slave" • "Girlfriends" • "Pro Se" • "Homesick" • "Aftershock"
- Law & Order (1 seasons, 1 episode) - Jacqueline Hennessy:
- Homicide: Life on the Street (1 season, 1 episode) - Jill Hennessy:
- Season 4: "For God and Country"
 Law & Order - Main Characters
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Senior Detectives: Max Greevey • Phil Cerreta • Lennie Briscoe • Joe Fontana • Ed Green • Cyrus Lupo • Kevin Bernard • Frank Cosgrove • Jalen Shaw Junior Detectives: Mike Logan • Rey Curtis • Ed Green • Nick Falco • Nina Cassady • Cyrus Lupo • Kevin Bernard • Frank Cosgrove • Jalen Shaw • Vincent Riley Commanding Officers: Captain Donald Cragen • Lieutenant Anita Van Buren • Lieutenant Kate Dixon Executive Assistant District Attorneys: Benjamin Stone • Jack McCoy • Michael Cutter • Nolan Price Assistant District Attorneys: Paul Robinette • Claire Kincaid • Jamie Ross • Abbie Carmichael • Serena Southerlyn • Alexandra Borgia • Connie Rubirosa • Samantha Maroun District Attorneys: Adam Schiff • Nora Lewin • Arthur Branch • Jack McCoy • Nicholas Baxter | |