Who Plays Donna Paulsen In Suits?

Doing everything she can to protect her loved ones. That's Donna Paulsen (Sarah Rafferty), Harvey Specter's (Gabriel Macht) fierce legal secretary at Pearson Hardman, a major law firm on the hit legal drama "Suits." The duo meets Mike Ross (Patrick J. Adams), who uses his photographic memory to help people cheat on the bar exam. Despite not attending law school, Harvey hires Mike as the firm's new lawyer. While keeping Mike's secret, Donna juggles the regular day-to-day happenings around the office, including going toe-to-toe with Louis Litt (Rick Hoffman), an attorney who sees Harvey as his rival. 

Before she was Donna, Rafferty was briefly appearing in dramas centered around law firms and crime-solving. She would make her first appearance on "Law & Order" during Season 9, Episode 21, "Ambitious," playing Jennifer Shaliga. She would later appear in "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" as Sandra Dunbar in Season 8, Episode 12, "Passion." She's also appeared in "CSI: Miami," "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," and "The Practice."

Since closing the last case on "Suits," Rafferty has been spotted on big medical dramas, including playing patient Suzanne Britland during Season 16 of "Grey's Anatomy." She would then join the cast of "Chicago Med," playing Dr. Pamela Blake, who appears during Season 7, Episode 5, "Change is a Tough Pill to Swallow." She would leave the role during Season 8, Episode 1, "How do You Begin to Count the Losses."

As Rafferty looks toward new projects, she is also reflecting on her time as Donna Paulsen.

Netflix took to Twitter to announce that "Suits" would be returning to the streaming platform on June 17, 2023. Sarah Rafferty took to her Instagram to share a photo of herself standing alongside Patrick J. Adams and Gabriel Macht while thanking fans for their support. 

As first-time watchers and longtime fans binge the series, they may notice that Donna's quick wit and compassion make her a scene-stealer throughout the show. Rafferty told DISH in 2019 that her character's care for others makes her stand out, noting that empathy is her superpower. "And I think people have responded to Donna's heart. She's always led with her heart. Her emotional intelligence is amazing," she said, adding that it could be the reason why Donna and Harvey's relationship wasn't always on solid ground.

The show ended on USA Network in 2019 with Season 9, Episode 10, "One Last Con," which finds the law firm in a tight spot while Harvey Specter and Donna Paulsen tie the knot amid Louis Litt's marriage to longtime love interest Sheila Sazs (Rachael Harris). Amid the series' finale, Rafferty told Entertainment Tonight in 2019, "It was an eight-season build-up, so you can certainly feel the pressure of that. ... But I think knowing that there were 10 [episodes] left, it's much less scary to do it."