Based in Chicago, Alicia Florrick happened to be the wife of a top prosecutor of Chicago. The show “The Good Wife” starts with Alicia’s husband named Peter Florrick announcing his resignation after getting exposed in a corruption and sex scandal which tarnished the reputation of the entire family. Alicia, mad at her spouse for being unfaithful and having extramarital affair notwithstanding continues to stand behind Peter. But now since Peter is going to jail and is at an edge of losing his law license, Alicia has to work to provide for the family. Having being away from law for more than a decade she decides to restart her law practice. After joining a firm named Lockhart, Stern and Gardner, Alicia is back in the scene of law in Chicago which is, apart from its high crime rate, is also popular for politics. New to the firm, Alicia is initially taken aback by the tactics used in law such as prosecutors forcing their witness to commit perjury or rival lawyers using a code to delay proceedings which she not only get used to but also learn.
One of the most striking characteristics in the character of Alicia Florrick is that during the family crisis when reporters were adamant in leaving no stone unturned in defaming their image, she exhibited unimaginable grace and dignity in the face of slanderous campaigns. Alicia exemplifies countless of those women who despite their spouse being unfaithful not only forgive but also bear the brunt of the consequences of their actions. She was immediately put under the microscope due to her husband who made decisions as prosecutor in return for money and sexual affairs. The problem escalated when people started implying that being the wife of former State’s Attorney, she has an unfair advantage in winning cases.
In spite of all these toxic attacks, she took a multitude of cases after joining the firm. As the show progresses, the audience see that her character is learning about the complexities and bizarreness of the law. In order to become a successful and efficient lawyer it is indispensable that feelings have no place in the profession and from the beginning we see that Alicia is quite mature in taking up cases of dangerous and violent criminals. In her career, she comes across a variety of lawyers, clients and judges who never cease to astonish her. From representing plaintiffs in a lawsuit against big corporations and defendants falsely accused of murder to uncovering bias among judges and testifying in her husband’s trial, the character of Alicia Florrick leaves a lasting impression on viewers. She not only has to compete with rival attorneys during trials but also have to keep up with the politics of her office where employees battle against each other for favorable position.
Another unique aspect of Alicia is her willingness to put her career and reputation in jeopardy in order to help her clients when they are most vulnerable. In one case, she has an instinct that a judge might be racist and it turns out she was right because he was indeed sending only Black defendants to jail whereas gave White accused probation.
In her personal life, she has two kids named Zach and Grace and a mother-in-law named who is reluctant to understand the meaning of consent. Her spouse being imprisoned, Alicia turns into almost a single mother who has to balance between work and family. The viewers are surprised with not only the kind of restraint she showed in response to her husband’s embarrassing mistakes but also her relentless effort to get him out of prison.