Willy Beachum

Living... alone in an apartment in downtown Los Angeles.

Profession... deputy district attorney who is quickly gaining notoriety in legal circles. Unafraid to get his hands a little dirty, Willy paid his way through law school by writing papers for Princeton kids. His dubious morality carries him to the DA's office and then to his new corporate law firm, Wooton Sims, which promises Willy a bigger office and a hefty salary. However, when Ted Crawford's attempted murder case turns out to be far more complicated than initially presumed, Willy finds his future – and his already questionable integrity – compromised. Suddenly, Willy finds that even his 97 percent conviction rate may not be enough to secure his new job – or finish his old.

Interests... winning. Willy even admits, “I don't like to lose,” and the extent with which he likes to win is manifest in everything that he does. His boss, District Attorney Lobruto, notes that Willy traded his losing cases to other DDAs in order to achieve his high conviction rate. Moreover, his new job with Wooton Sims was secured at the expense of another lawyer. However, his ruthless winning streak quickly becomes his weakness when he comes head-to-head with the genius Crawford, who quickly figures Willy out. After his first day of trial against Crawford stumps Willy, Lobruto calls him out for allowing his success to distract him: “You weren't looking. Your head was in the fast lane on your big salary and what we do here is not important anymore. You were arrogant and sloppy.” Willy's pride becomes his own worst enemy, and he realizes that he may have to re-calibrate his priorities in order to put away the murderer, even if it may mean giving up all that he has worked for.

Relationship Status... single. He's becoming interested in his future boss at Wooton Sims, Nikki Gardner. Using his honed charm, good looks, and confidence, Willy decides to pursue Nikki, ignoring the potential damage that this could do to his (and her) career.

Challenge... defeating Ted Crawford. Once the previously cut-and-dry case becomes convoluted and threatens to overturn Willy's own prospects, Willy becomes obsessed with Crawford. Crawford, a structural engineer who is as brilliant at designing machines as he is at executing the perfect murder, quickly evaluates Willy, exposing his weaknesses and playing them against him. As their egos go to battle with one another, Willy finds that the only person who is better at winning than he is may be the defendant himself.

Personality... arrogant, driven, and ruthless. Willy has gotten to where he is through deception and a lack of morals. Having stepped on many toes to get to Wooton Sims, Willy finds himself at a crossroads where he has the chance to evaluate the decisions he has made and the person he has become. Seeing himself both reflected in and at odds against those around him, Willy realizes that he needs to decide who and what he wants to become moving forward.