Posts Tagged ‘cost of living’

On the new spy series Covert Affairs, Auggie Anderson (Christopher Gorham) is a good guy to have watching your back. A Technical Operations Officer for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Auggie provides invaluable assistance to new recruit Annie Walker (Piper Perabo), despite the fact that he is legally blind.

From Special Ops to Tech Ops

Originally a member of a Special Ops team stationed in Iraq, Auggie made a bad judgment call that, in his words, turned him into Ray Charles. Now stationed at CIA Headquarters in Langley, VA, Auggie is a fixture in the computer room, at least until Annie needs his help out in the field. For his normal day-to-day duties, Anderson uses a mechanical Braille reader that lets him read computer displays by touch.

While at work, Auggie is practically never without his Grado RS2 Headphones, a favorite accessory of audiophiles because of their ingenious wooden earpieces. Anderson tells Annie that he uses his headphones to get immediate feedback on his typing or to simply listen to his favorite band, Mingus. Auggie also carries a talking watch and a cutting-edge, experimental laser “cane” that helps him navigate the halls of the CIA.

Living on Technical Operations Salary

According to the official CIA website, Technical Operations Officers make $60,669 - $89,365 per year, depending on their years of service and experience. Because he joined the CIA while he still had his sight, Auggie has served long enough to be at the top of his pay scale, especially since he can afford a $500 pair of high-end Grado RS2’s.

CIA Headquarters is located in Langley, a community in the affluent city of McLean, VA. According to City-Data.com, the median 2008 apartment rent in McLean was $1456; condos and townhomes were priced significantly higher. A ladies man, Auggie definitely is a popular guy at the local watering holes, but renting an apartment in McLean would take a large bite out of his take-home pay. Anderson probably saves money by living in a less-expensive Washington suburb or, as his friend Annie does, he may stay with relatives.

Auggie and His Credit Cards

Because it is difficult to identify different denominations of U.S. currency by touch without first labeling or folding the bills, many blind consumers prefer to use credit cards instead of cash. Even with technological improvements, many automated teller machines and point-of-sales terminals are not equipped with audio prompts or other cues for the sightless. This leaves many people vulnerable to scams and financial fraud.

For a busy working people like Auggie, a designer named Yongsuk Kim came up with a concept for a Braille credit card that contains both Braille readouts and a built-in speaker. Sight-impaired shoppers would have two ways to double-check exactly how much their credit card has been charged for a purchase.

As a technophile and a CIA Agent, Auggie would be first in line to get a Braille credit card as soon as they are commercially available. In the meantime, Auggie will have to rely on trusted friends when he uses his credit cards at stores and only use ATM’s that have convenient audio jacks where he can plug in his trusty Grado headphones.

Steven Bryan

Sometimes viewed as distant and uncompromising by his team, Aaron Hotchner is nonetheless an integral part of the Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) of the FBI, maintaining close relationships with the other profilers while leading them in organized hunts for serial killers all over the United States. Aaron “Hotch” Hotchner is the Unit Chief and a Supervisory Special Agent, often introduced as “SSA Hotchner.”

Family Finances

Hotch was married to his high school sweetheart, Haley, until the middle of the third season of “Criminal Minds”, and they have a son together named Jack. Haley gets tired of raising Jack alone while Hotch travels around the country in search of evil, and she finally serves him with divorce papers following their separation.

Divorce is always expensive, but it is obvious from the occasions when we see Hotch’s home that he does not want for money. FBI agents, according to PayScale.com, make between $54,000 and $109,000 per year, including bonuses and other adjustments. It is reasonable to assume that Hotch’s salary is on the higher end of the spectrum because of his supervisory position.

SSA Hotchner has a law degree and came to the BAU following a career as a prosecutor. Following the divorce, he would have had to pay child support at a minimum, and perhaps spousal support, in addition to covering his own living expenses.

Life on the Road

It is implied that the BAU team spends a significant portion of their time away from home, chasing serial killers in such locales as Boston, Houston and San Francisco. Hotch might not spend much money on entertainment, and he likely fills out an expense report for the money he spends on the road.

Professionals who travel for their jobs frequently use credit cards in order to keep their expenses straight. This means that while he racks up receipts to submit to the Bureau, he can earn frequent flier miles, cash rewards and other benefits from his credit cards.

Single Parenthood

Hotchner’s ex-wife dies in the middle of season five, at the hands of the Boston Reaper, whom Hotchner has been chasing with his team. Hotch is left the single father of Jack; he takes a temporary leave of absence from the FBI and considers retiring completely to take care of his son.

Washington D.C. has a high cost of living and high real estate prices, but Hotch doesn’t have to pay for ’round-the-clock care for Jack. Haley’s sister volunteers to watch her nephew while Hotch is out of town or on assignment, which relieves a significant financial burden.

Because Hotch does not lead an expensive lifestyle, he could easily profit from lucrative investments that supplement his current income.

Steve Thompson

Thomas Wolfe once wrote a novel called “You Can’t Go Home Again,” whose title emphasizes how much people and places change, no matter how fondly we remember them or how much we wish they would remain as we once knew them. For Deputy U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens, the antihero of the FX original series “Justified,” going home entails discovering how much he, his hometown and his credit score have changed.

From Florida to Kentucky in One Shot

The son of a notorious con man, Givens left his home in Harlan County, Ken., as a young man, hoping to escape life in the coal mines. As a U.S. marshal, Givens specialized in fugitive retrieval in Miami until he shot a known gun thug in a restaurant.

During the media frenzy that followed, Givens’ angry superiors sent him back home to Harlan County, the very last place that he wanted to go. According to a pay scale published on Indeed.com, Givens was making approximately $51,000 per year in Miami, which is about 5 percent less than the national average.

Since the transfer to Harlan County also is a demotion, Givens probably sees his pay grade reduced to an even lower level. The government pays its marshals based on their geographic location, so Raylan’s annual salary could easily take a $10,000 hit thanks to that one careless shot and his transfer back to Kentucky.

Relocation Costs Can Affect Credit Scores

In a turbulent economy, many people must pack up and move to a different city to take a new job. Relocation is stressful enough, but Givens has to leave Miami in a hurry, which means he may have to leave some essential things behind and have them shipped later. If he takes an apartment or rents a house in Kentucky, that means additional credit checks, and too many of those can lower a credit score to an unacceptable level.

Suits, Stetsons and Sidearms

Even at the top of his game, Givens is a man of simple tastes, with the exception of his clothing. Cultivating a modern cowboy look, Givens is rarely seen without a tailored suit and a well-fitting Stetson hat; his ever-present sidearm and holster complete this ensemble. The Stetson Retro Fedora that Givens favors costs around $50, but a more stylish Stetson Brewer Panama Fedora carries a price tag three times that price.

Raylan also enjoys wearing cowboy boots and, depending on the material used to make them, these can become a pricey accessory. With Givens’ devotion to Cowboy chic, it is a safe bet that he carries at least one credit card from a men’s specialty shop or department store. Department store cards like these tend to carry an annual interest rate that exceeds 20 percent.

Rebuilding a Reputation, Career and Credit Score

In the blink of an eye, Deputy U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens lost nearly everything he had worked for. Given a second chance, Givens has to live on a lower annual income and avoid the credit traps that come with relocation. If he doesn’t scale down his fine taste in clothing, though, he may watch helplessly as his credit score spirals out of sight.

Steven Bryan

It comes as no surprise to today’s moms and dads that parenthood is expensive. Some parenting choices, such as a stay-at-home parent or private-school tuition, can add considerably to the costs of raising a child. “Parenthood,” NBC’s new drama based on the Steve Martin film of the same name, offers a fine example of what it costs to juggle family life with a professional career.

Julia Braverman-Graham is one of the four Braverman siblings around whom the series is based. Julia, played by Erika Christensen, is a high-powered corporate lawyer in Berkeley. Her husband Joel stays home full-time and raises their 5-year-old daughter Sydney. The family lives in a beautiful and immaculate home, send their daughter to an expensive private school, and spend money on expensive meals, auction items and lessons for their daughter.

How Much Does a Lawyer Like Julia Make?

Working in the private sector in California, Julia will make substantially more than her public servant counterparts. SchoolAAH notes that 2007 Berkeley Law School graduates working in the private sector have an approximate starting salary of $160,000 a year. With some experience under her belt, Julia will make at least $200,000 a year.

What Debt Would Julia Have?

A pricey house in Berkeley like the one that Julia and her husband own probably costs at least $1 million. In addition, her law school debt could be upwards of $100,000, though it appears likely that she has paid off some or all of that debt at this point in her career. In addition, Julia and her husband send their daughter to private school, which could run $15,000 to $20,000 a year based on estimates from the Online Guide to Bay Area Private Schools.

What are Julia’s Spending Habits?

Though Julia spends much of her time working or trying to grab a few minutes with her daddy’s-girl daughter, you do see them spending money rather extravagantly. In order to show off in front of a threatening woman at her daughter’s school, Julia spends almost $2,000 on a premium parking space. In addition, the family has their daughter enrolled in various lessons and classes, decorates their home beautifully, drives nice cars and dresses well.

Are Their Spending Habits and Financial Outlook Realistic?

Based on what we see on “Parenthood,” Julia and her husband have some pretty expensive tastes, striving to keep up with the rest of the families on the block and to provide their daughter with the best life possible. Thankfully, Julia’s career choice does allow the family to afford some of life’s finer things. However, they should remember to save money and invest well and use their credit cards only when they can pay off items immediately. Otherwise, expect that when college tuition, retirement or future children arise, they won’t be as comfortable as they are now.

Kelly Herdrich

By all outward appearances, Neal Caffrey of USA Network’s “White Collar” is the guy every man wants to be and every woman wants to date. He’s smart, sexy and he’s a snappy dresser with a quick wit. Unfortunately, he’s a con artist, and not even a good one at that. He’s an art forger on loan to the FBI for the remainder of his prison sentence, and the GPS tracker on his ankle isn’t there for decoration.

He was busted twice by the same FBI agent, Peter Burke, and now he has to help Burke take down white collar criminals like himself. Caffrey is allotted $700 per month for housing, which, in Manhattan, barely covers a roach-infested flop house. True to form, Caffrey charms an old widow into letting him live in the guest room of her downtown mansion and she also outfits him with her late husband’s expensive wardrobe. Within 24 hours of his conditional release from prison, Neal Caffrey looks like a Wall Street fat cat - and has the address to back it up.

There is no doubt that he is a talented forger, and his reputation precedes him in a number of Burke’s cases. However, Caffrey was busted forging stock certificates, which shows very poor judgment. It’s true that a signed stock certificate is as liquid as cash, but every stock certificate contains a CUSIP number, and the company’s transfer agent would spot the fake CUSIP number as soon as the certificate was deposited.

Caffrey’s personal finances suggest the illusion of wealth and the reality of poverty. The one clue he possesses in the disappearance of his girlfriend is a vintage Bordeaux bottle they kept throughout their relationship. A number of Bordeaux wines make up the most expensive in France, with Petrus routinely fetching more than $1,000 a bottle. Unfortunately for Caffrey, his bottle is as empty as the promise he made to his girlfriend to fill it with the good stuff when he finally made a big score. He was forced to fill the bottle over and over again with boxed wine and, upon chemical analysis, his cohort Mozzie pronounced the last wine to inhabit the bottle was “a lovely Franzia from last October.”

Caffrey is clever, and he provides Burke insight into the criminal mind. Normally a by-the-book FBI agent, Burke nonetheless values Caffrey’s ability to close cases by coloring outside the lines. Caffrey’s way with the ladies comes in handy as well, and Burke comes to him for marital advice from time to time. Burke makes about $87,000 per year as an FBI agent, so that’s something for Caffrey to consider when thinking about career moves. Failing that, the average marriage counselor makes $43,210 per year and doesn’t face criminal charges for solving a couple’s problems.

If Caffrey is successful in solving the mystery of his disappearing girlfriend, however, he might consider a career as a private investigator. Top private investigators make around $60,000 per year, and Caffrey would certainly be at the top of that game.

Most likely, though, he’ll go back to being a con artist when he is released. Among the most common cons these days are identity theft and credit card fraud. That is why it is important to protect your identity and credit card accounts.

Guys like Neal Caffrey are out there, and they’re not all handsome rogues with a quick wit and a sly smile. Some are hardcore criminals who never stop to consider the damage they cause to the lives of their victims.

And you can bet none of them are helping the FBI to catch bad guys.

Dave Guilford

He’s an FBI agent living in Los Angeles and at the center of an investigation that has captured the attention of the world at large. Mark Benford of “Flash Forward” has enough on his plate without spending time worrying about pinching pennies. But does this father and recovering alcoholic make enough money to support a pricey West Coast lifestyle?

Who is Mark Benford?

Mark Benford is the husband of Olivia and father of Charlie. Mark is an FBI agent and a recovering alcoholic, both of which play large roles in his day-to-day life. He and his family live in Los Angeles, Calif., though his work has shown him jet-setting across the globe as he tries to make sense of an event that caused the entire world to fall asleep simultaneously.

How much money does Flash Forward’s Mark Benford make?

As an FBI agent with roughly 15 to 20 years of experience (based on his age), Mark likely makes approximately $75,000-120,000 a year, according to Payscale’s career profile. The show gives little to no evidence of credit card or financial struggles for the Benford family, though statistically, alcoholics have a high risk of financial trouble.

In addition to Mark’s salary, his wife Olivia has a high-profile career as a trauma surgeon, where she may make a salary of $300,000 a year, according to the Salary Wizard. With their incomes combined, therefore, the Benford family may bring in around $400,000 a year, substantially higher than the national average.

How much does it cost to live in Los Angeles?

It isn’t cheap to live in Los Angeles. According to City-Data’s comprehensive look at the region, the average income is just under $50,000 a year, the average cost of a single family home like the Benford’s is $670,000 and the cost of living is 162 (very high), whereas the average cost of living in the United States is 100. As such, Mark would be able to survive on his own, but his wife’s salary is the real boon that keeps his family afloat.

Assuming, though, that Mark and Olivia Benford have no outstanding debt or financial troubles, it’s reasonable to assume that they’d be doing quite well for themselves in Los Angeles compared to other residents. With no credit card debt that we know of and secure jobs, even with childcare for their daughter and a high cost of living, Benford just may be able to make his salary (combined with that of his successful wife) stretch far enough to make it!

Kelly Herdrich

For Bella Swan, the main character in Stephenie Meyer’s “Twilight” series and the recently released “New Moon” movie, money and the problems it can cause are a reality. In fact, before she meets handsome and wealthy vampire Edward Cullen, Bella and her divorced parents Charlie and Renee don’t have the luxury of spending frivolously. Concerns about daily expenses, college tuition and retirement are very real for the Swans. Could these Twilight stars have made ends meet raising a daughter on the salaries of a teacher and a sheriff?

What were Bella’s finances like when she lived with her mother?

Charlie and his wife, Renee, divorced when Bella was a baby. He remained in the small town of Forks, Washington, while his ex-wife and daughter moved to Arizona. According to Phoenix Home Zone, the cost of living in Phoenix is higher than the national average, and Bella’s mother would have made approximately $41,000 a year as a teacher, based on data from Simply Hired.

While we know little about Bella and Renee’s financial situation, readers do learn that Bella’s mother, a teacher, and Bella were on a tight budget. We also know that Renee was a free-spirit who was always trying something new–from yoga classes to different churches. This knowledge, based on the cost of living and her salary, leads readers to believe that Bella and her mother may have had some debt, credit card or otherwise.

What was Charlie’s financial situation when Bella moved in?

When Bella moved to live with her father, Charlie, in Forks, Washington, her financial situation may have improved some. According to Simply Hired, the average small town sheriff job in Forks, Washington pays approximately $34,000. When he sent child support to his wife and daughter in Phoenix, he was probably on a tight budget. When Bella moved in, however, his finances likely improved some. Considering the substantially lower cost of living in Forks (almost 20 percent less than the national average according to Simply Hired), Bella and her father may have been able to live a debt-free, though simple, life

In addition, readers and viewers never see Charlie or Bella as big spenders. Content to save their pennies and eat out at a local diner once a week, the Swans probably had little to no credit card debt.

What about college for Bella and retirement for Charlie?

Readers know that the college situation was a prickly one for Bella and her father. Bella had some money put away for college, but expressed concerns about taking too much from her parents and hindering their retirement. Luckily, Bella was content with a less expensive university in Alaska, and later considered Dartmouth, paid for by her wealthier husband.

Though Twilight reads as a bit of fiction and fantasy, there’s nothing fictional about the financial situation that author Stephenie Meyer paints. The Swans were, for the most part, able to keep their credit card debt down with their conservative spending habits, and as a result, are one of the few fictional families in books and movies that provide a good example for real life folks.

Kelly Herdrich

Living in Miami can be expensive, especially if you’ve been burned. Just ask Michael Westen, a disgraced spy living in Miami and trapped there by his “Burn Notice” (USA Network).

Life on Easy Street

Before he was sold out by someone more powerful than he, Michael Westen was an international field agent - presumably for the CIA. Based on his level of technical proficiency and the sensitivity of the jobs he was given, it is safe to assume he made a nice living. The base pay for a top non-supervisory field agent is around $79,000 annually, and with Miami locality pay, the number increases to $98,000. That buys a lot of Cuban sandwiches.

But base pay is only part of the picture. As a jet-setting international man of espionage, Westen had access to a nearly unlimited expense account. On-scene weapons procurement, bribes and elaborate escape plans all require serious capital. Not to mention any “bonuses” he may have earned by neutralizing a particularly troubling target. All in all, he was sitting pretty.

Feel the Burn

After escaping death when his cover is blown, Westen was dumped in Miami, where he grew up. It was there he discovered just how bad a burn notice could be. No job, no identity, no social security number, no credit or personal history and a frozen bank account.

He managed to find a loft above a bar in a seedy part of town. Based on current rental information, a loft in Miami like Westen’s rents for around $800 per month. He grabbed his father’s old muscle car for wheels, so he saved some money there. But paying off the right people to find out how and why he was burned costs money, so Westen has to take a few “odd jobs” off the books.

Like any business, Westen’s requires start-up capital. For openers, a Sig Sauer P226R 9mm pistol (the gun preferred by special ops guys the world over) retails for $1,200. Given the current shortage of ammunition, Speer Gold-Dot Hollow Point 9mm rounds are selling for $1.50 each. Multiply that by 5,000 or so and, well, you get the picture.

Westen runs with a sketchy crowd, too. There’s Sam, a former SEAL turned FBI informant who is a bit of a shlub, but who always manages to come through for Michael whether he needs inside information or a good trigger man. There’s his on-again, off-again girlfriend Fiona, an ex-IRA assassin and demolitions expert who never met a mercury detonator she didn’t like. His brother Nate is a born con man. And his friend Barry is an international money launderer and identity thief.

Identity theft is actually Westen’s stock-in-trade. In the variety of assignments he accepts, he always impersonates someone else, sometimes with full credentials provided by Barry the money launderer. While he is always a good guy, Westen illustrates just how easy it is to have your identity compromised and why it is a good idea to take the necessary steps to avoid identity theft.

By helping the right people out, Westen manages to make enough money (all cash, of course) to keep yogurt in the fridge for himself, beer on ice for Sam and miles of detonation cord for Fiona. Though he’s trying desperately to get back in the good graces of his former employer, he may discover that the security of a government paycheck might not equal the freedom and profitability of freelance spy work.

Dave Guilford

Although most people work to live, some folks are lucky enough to have jobs that they truly love. Will Schuester, the central character in the Fox’s series “Glee,” enjoys his teaching duties so much that he actually pays for the privilege of taking over a high school glee club.

The Opposite of a Salary

Schuester, nicknamed “Mr. Shoe” by the students, owns a car with a muffler that hangs so low it scrapes the road. Although his true passion is performing music, Schuester makes his living teaching Spanish classes to the students at McKinley High School. After the faculty adviser to McKinley’s Glee Club is fired for inappropriate behavior, Mr. Shoe asks to take over his duties. Unfortunately, the penny-pinching principal makes him agree to pay $60 each month to cover the costs of this extracurricular activity. Schuester also must monitor after-school detention for several months without pay to guarantee practice space for the Glee Club.

Teaching in Lima

“Glee” is set in Lima, Ohio, a town where the average salary for a teacher at Schuester’s level is $39,470, according to Salary.com. Thanks to his devotion to the Glee Club, he has to forfeit $720 of his annual gross salary, plus any additional money that he could have made during the hours he spends in detention.

Spending Habits
If Terri’s spending behaviour is a reflection of her spending habits, at best the Schuester’s likely carry a balance and at worst are in debt. Balance transfer or low interest interest credit cards would be a smart move, but not without a change in how the money is managed.

Schuester’s wife, Terri, works four hours a day, three days a week at “Sheets and Things,” which sells bedding and other household goods. Based on Ohio’s hourly minimum wage of $7.30, she contributes $87.60 to the household income before taxes. Unfortunately, Terri also takes her Pottery Barn credit card for regular outings, which forces the Schuesters to live paycheck-to-paycheck.

Her husband, on the other hand, is a pretty conservative spender as witnessed by his dangling muffler. The only time he shows any plastic in the pilot episode is when he uses a credit card to scrape gum off the shoe of a pretty, germ-phobic co-worker named Emma.

A Planned Pregnancy and a Career Change

Just when Mr. Shoe has rounded up some truly talented kids for Glee Club, Terri discovers that she is pregnant, which, along with finding a reliable glue gun, has been one of her life’s ambitions. A new baby costs quite a bit of money each month, which means that his teaching salary just won’t cut it anymore. At Terri’s insistence, he applies for a lucrative accounting job.

Waiting for the Other Financial Shoe to Drop

To stay at McKinley and do the work that he loves, Schuester is going to have to make some hard choices. With a wife that spends way above their means and a baby on the way, he must find ways to make additional money. Schuester is devoted to his Glee Club kids, but he’s also an honorable husband and father.

However, there is a very noticeable attraction between him and the cute, wide-eyed Emma, which is bound to cause some marital friction down the road. If he happens to end up in divorce court, he can expect Terri to take him to the cleaners financially.

Watch “Glee” online at Fox.com/glee today, and on Wednesdays this fall.

Steven Bryan

At one time or another, everyone wishes they had a second chance in life, but aspiring model Deb Dobson (Brooke D’Orsay) actually gets a “do over” on the new Lifetime original series “Drop Dead Diva“. Unfortunately, Deb has to take her second chance in the plus-sized body of a workaholic female attorney.

Deb Becomes a Model Attorney

After Deb crashes her car into a grapefruit truck, she arrives in the afterlife, a place where Fred (Ben Feldman) tells her that she’s neither a good nor a bad person. While he’s deciding her ultimate fate, Deb sends herself back to Earth, but she lands in the recently deceased body of Jane Bingum (Brooke Elliott).

Unlike Deb, Jane has, in the words of Fred, an IQ that’s off the charts. An associate at a successful Los Angeles law firm, she works in a corner office and has a very efficient assistant named Teri Lee (Margaret Cho). As the new resident soul, Deb now has Jane’s brains, her job and her body plus the memories of her former life as a skinny model.

A Lane Bryant Wardrobe, a House and a Porsche

In one episode, Jane celebrates her 32^nd birthday, which means that she’s been out of law school for about seven years. With her brains, Jane probably was hired right out of school and has been an associate lawyer for at least five years. According to the website Infirmation.com, an associate with her experience in the Los Angeles area stands to make a base salary between $160,000 and $230,000 each year, not counting incentives and bonuses.

A Wider Fast-lane
As an associate, Jane also gets to take clients out on her expense account. Her six-figure income and monthly spending makes her an excellent candidate for the American Express Platinum–and may even qualify Jane for the exclusive and elusive AMEX Centurion Card.

With her disposable income and earning potential, Jane invested in a nice starter house, which, by the looks of it, set her back at least $500,000. After reading one of her many self-help books, Jane also bought herself a treat—a hot little Porsche convertible. Deb may have issues occupying Jane’s body, but she loves driving that fast sports car.

Because she spends almost all her waking hours at the law firm, Jane keeps a complete wardrobe in her office closets. When Deb balks at the Lane Bryant labels on the clothes, Teri reminds her that “she loves Ms. Bryant.” It’s a safe bet that Jane has a Lane Bryant credit card in her purse, but Deb will never use it. The former model may, however, upgrade the “Plain Jane” wardrobe with some snazzy new outfits.

Doughnuts and Other Comfort Food

As an aspiring Price is Right model, Deb was extremely calorie conscious, eating only a grapefruit half that was sweetened with two packets of Splenda each morning. Jane’s body, on the other hand, craves doughnuts with sprinkles and chocolate. During her first few hours as an attorney, Deb tries a doughnut and likens it to a religious experience. The law firm also keeps a well-stocked refrigerator for associates and partners, which trims Jane’s food budget quite a bit.

The Future Earnings of Deb/Jane

Surprisingly enough, the merger of Deb’s compassion and Jane’s brains has produced a highly successful lawyer on the fast track for a partnership. As the weeks go by, though, Deb feels herself slipping into Jane’s personality more and more. It’s hard to tell if Deb’s personality traits will disappear completely, but for now, this Drop Dead Diva is a Los Angeles lawyer who’s hard to beat.

Steven Bryan