ADA Casey Novak
Warning: Contains spoilers for seasons 5-7
Novak is a no-nonsense prosecutor, rarely showing her emotions and giving little sympathy for criminals. She does have compassion for the victims though. After dealing with the first case in a very hands-on manner (much to the annoyance of Benson and Stabler), she wasn't actually sure she could handle the horror of what the job would show her. She asked District Attorney, Arthur Branch, to reassign her, but he refused, stating that he thought she was perfect for the job. She stuck with it and hasn't regretted doing so.
At first, Novak had a shaky start with the detectives, particularly Benson and Stabler, as she took a hands-on approach and second-guessed their work. She quickly learned that they had to work as a team though and took a step back. However, the detectives took a while to warm to her. Now, the detectives respect her and she gets along well with both detectives Benson and Stabler in particular. Novak and Benson regularly talk things over and have confided secrets in each other. Novak told Benson in episode 7.22 "Influence" that in college, she had been engaged to a man who subsequently developed schizophrenia and refused help. She stuck by him for as long as she could, but eventually felt she had to break it off. As a result of this, she shows a lot of empathy towards people with mental illness.
Like her predecessor, Novak has been a victim as a result of her work. She received a brutal beating from the brother of a rape victim, as he believed that his sister's openly talking about her attack was a shame to the family. Novak was not able to pursue the sister's case.
One of Novak's greatest successes was in getting a biased judge removed from the bench. She managed to prove he communicated ex-parte with a woman of wealth accused of murdering her adopted child. She also uncovered a wrongful conviction he made involving an unwealthy woman's baby's death and helped a former judge (whom she clerked for) free her.
