Animals were harmed in these films
Lawyer Atticus Finch (Gregory Peck) addresses the court as he defends a black man and his children against prejudice, in the Depression-era South in this critically acclaimed adaptation of Harper Lee's 1960 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name.
In this key courtroom scene, Lieutenant Junior Grade Daniel Kaffee (Tom Cruise) faces Colonel Nathan Jessup (Jack Nicholson) as the young lawyer from the JAG Corp attempts to goad the senior officer into admitting that he gave a "code red" order: a violent extrajudicial punishment.
Defense lawyer Jack Brigance (Matthew McConaughey) questions Carl Lee Hailey (Samuel L. Jackson) about the circumstances that led him to kill two white men accused of assaulting and attempting to murder his 10-year old daughter, Tonya.
A parable that fictionalizes the 1925 Scopes "Monkey" Trial as a means to discuss McCarthyism, 'Inherit the Wind,' which is set in the southern United States, stars Spencer Tracy as lawyer Henry Drummond who defends school teacher Bertram Cates (Richard York), on trial for teaching Darwinism, which is a violation of state law. Drummond is seen during his cross-examination of Matthew Harrison Brady (Fredric March), who's assisting with the prosecution of Cates. His fan reads: Complements Mason's Funeral Parlor.
Down-on-his-luck alcoholic defense lawyer Frank Galvin (Paul Newman) accepts a medical malpractice case. Despite facing a formidable prosecution team, Galvin is surprised and delighted when the jury finds in favor of his clients. He's pictured during closing arguments.
Chicago defense attorney Martin Vail (Richard Gere) accepts a case involving an altar boy (Edward Norton in his film debut) who's accused of murdering an influential Catholic archbishop. Vail is seen with his client, who's not all he appears to be.
Andrew Beckett (Tom Hanks) is a senior associate at the largest corporate law firm in Philadelphia. He's also homosexual and an AIDS patient. Shortly after being fired by the firm, he hires lawyer Joe Miller (Denzel Washington). Beckett claims he was shown the door because of his diagnosis. The pair are seen here in the judge's chambers during a pause in the subsequent trial for discrimination and wrongful dismissal.
Mickey Haller (Matthew McConaughey) is known as the 'Lincoln Lawyer' after his habit of working out of a chauffeur-driven luxury Lincoln Town Car rather than an office. He's hired to represent wealthy playboy Louis Roulet (Ryan Phillippe). Haller is seen listening carefully to prosecution claims that his client is lying and is in fact guilty as charged.
Young and ambitious Florida defense attorney Kevin Lomax (Keanu Reeves) is invited to work for a top New York City law practice. What he doesn't realize is that John Milton (Al Pacino), the owner of the firm, is the Devil in disguise. Lomax's harsh cross-examination techniques are encouraged by Milton, who has a propensity to laugh out loud in the courtroom (pictured). But Lomax is about to learn who his boss really is, and why he's been summoned.
Christine Vole (Marlene Dietrich) is the witness in question in this courtroom drama, set in the Old Bailey in London. She testifies against her husband Leonard (Tyrone Power), who's charged with murder and is being defended by master barrister Sir Wilfrid Robarts (Charles Laughton).
Small-town lawyer Paul Biegler (James Stewart) is tasked with defending a US Army Lieutenant accused of murdering a man he says attacked his wife. Conflict ensues in the courtroom as Biegler clashes with the local district attorney (Brooks West) and prosecutor Claude Dancer (George C. Scott). "Now listen! This is a cross examination in a murder case, it's not a high school debate!" is the famous exchange between Biegler and the district attorney (pictured) as Dancer looks on.
This film about the early life of President Abraham Lincoln stars Henry Fonda as Lincoln, whose first case as a young attorney is defending two brothers accused of murder. Here, Lincoln stands up in the crowded courthouse, the two accused seated to his left. The film has as its basis the murder case against William "Duff" Armstrong, which took place in 1858 at the courthouse in Beardstown, Illinois, the only courthouse in which Lincoln practiced law that is still in use.
A juror on the inside and a woman on the outside manipulate a court trial involving a major gun manufacturer. Nicholas "Nick" Easter (John Cusack) is the juror in question, Marlee (Rachel Weisz) the woman. Pictured addressing the jury is the man in the middle, defense attorney Durwood Cable (Bruce Davison).
Based on the infamous 1924 Leopold and Loeb murder trial, 'Compulsion' is the story of close friends Judd Steiner (Dean Stockwell) and Artie Strauss (Bradford Dillman) who kill a boy on his way home from school in order to commit the "perfect crime." The pair escape the noose after their attorney, Jonathan Vilk (Orson Welles), makes an impassioned closing argument against capital punishment.
Elle Woods (Reese Witherspoon) triumphs as a successful lawyer through unflappable self-confidence and fashion/beauty know how. While doing so she overcomes stereotypes against blondes—and eventually nails Chutney Windham (Linda Cardellini), who accidentally killed her own father after he married someone the same age as her.
A fictionalized version of the Judges' Trial of 1947, where 16 German jurists and lawyers were tried for implementing and furthering Nazi eugenic and racial laws, 'Judgment at Nuremberg' sees Judge Dan Haywood (Spencer Tracy) preside over a military tribunal convened in Nuremberg. German defense attorney Hans Rolfe (Maximilian Schell), seen here in black robes, argues that the defendants were not the only ones to aid, or at least turn blind eyes to, the Nazi regime.
Professor Charles Kingsfield (John Houseman), a brilliant and demanding contract law instructor, takes James Hart (Timothy Bottoms), a first-year law student at Harvard Law School, under his wing during class and study groups as his young charge prepares himself for the real courtroom.
Emma Thompson portrays real-life British solicitor and human rights activist Gareth Peirce in this gritty courtroom drama, based on the true story of the Guildford Four—the four people falsely convicted of the 1974 Guildford pub bombings in England. Daniel-Day Lewis (pictured) plays Gerry Conlon, one of the four men who were wrongly convicted of being Provisional IRA bombers, denying the charges in court.
Defense attorney Arthur Kirkland (Al Pacino) is seen here being dragged from the courtroom after his infamous outburst where he yells, "You're out of order! You're out of order! The whole trial is out of order! They're out of order!"
'Just Mercy' tells the true story of Walter McMillian (Jamie Foxx), who was wrongly convicted of murder in 1988 and sentenced to death. His lawyer, Bryan Stevenson (Michael B. Jordan), successfully appealed the conviction. In a scene from the movie, Stevenson is seen preparing his case before going to the Supreme Court of Alabama.
Deputy district attorney Kathryn Murphy (Kelly McGillis) defends Sarah Tobias (Jodie Foster) after she's assaulted in a bar. She offers the three men who carried out the attack a plea bargain to a lesser offense, making them eligible for parole sooner. Sarah, however, feels betrayed by the concession. Murphy then opts to prosecute three onlookers for their solicitation in encouraging the other men to violate Sarah. She wins, and with all three onlookers convicted, Sarah's attackers will likely not be paroled.
Rusty Sabich (Harrison Ford) is a prosecutor charged with the murder of his colleague and mistress. He calls on Sandy Stern (Raul Julia), a top defense attorney, to fight in his corner. Stern, seen here with Rusty and Stern's wife Barbara (Bonnie Bedelia), eventually uncovers an uncomfortable truth.
Two brothers, Mark and Ricky, witness Mafia lawyer W. Jerome Clifford take his own life. The mob later realize that Clifford may have told Mark where a Louisiana senator, murdered by underworld criminals, is buried. Lawyer and recovering alcoholic Regina "Reggie" Love (Susan Sarandon) agrees to represent Mark, and the pair (pictured in court) embark on a dangerous and perilous journey to uncover the truth.
Vincent Gambini (Joe Pesci) has only recently passed the bar exam, after several unsuccessful attempts, when he is asked to defend two young men arrested on suspicion of murder. Vinny is the cousin of one of the accused, and the film follows his attempts to discredit apparent witnesses, get all charges dropped, and keep his errant fiancée, Mona Lisa Vito (Marisa Tomei), in check.
Underdog prosecution lawyer Rudy Baylor (Matt Damon) takes on a fraudulent insurance company, but is pitted against a team of highly experienced defense attorneys. In this scene, Baylor uses information obtained from the company's employee manual to substantiate his accusations of fraud.
Duplicitous, greedy, smooth-talking lawyer Billy Flynn (Richard Gere) comforts Roxie Hart (Renée Zellweger) in the courtroom as she stands trial for the murder of her deceitful lover Fred Casely (Dominic West).
This biographical drama, which chronicles the rise of pornographic magazine publisher Larry Flynt and his subsequent clash with religious institutions and the law, sees Flynt (Woody Harrelson), paralyzed and in a wheelchair after being shot by a would-be assassin, and his lawyer, Alan Isaacman (Edward Norton), who was wounded in the same attack, fighting for their First and Fourteenth Amendment rights.
Josie Aimes (Charlize Theron) and other female employees working at a mine are constant targets for harassment and humiliation by most of their male co-workers. Aimes seeks the help of lawyer Bill White (Woody Harrelson), who advises her to recruit other women to form a class action lawsuit. White is seen in court questioning one of the accused, Robert "Bobby" Sharp (Jeremy Renner).
Jack Forrester (Jeff Bridges) is arrested on suspicion of murder after his wife is found dead in bed at their home. He hires Teddy Barnes (Glenn Close), who ends up having an affair with Forrester. At the same time she uncovers evidence that starts pointing the finger at her apparently innocent lover. The two are seen conferring during the trial.
Law professor David Blake (Glenn Ford) gains much-needed courtroom experience by agreeing to defend Angel Chavez (Rafael Campos), a Mexican-American teenager accused of murder. Blake finds himself at odds with his employee, Barney Castle (Arthur Kennedy), a communist sympathizer, whose propaganda purposes would be best served by a verdict of guilty. Blake is seen in court with the youngster during proceedings.
Sources: (Nuremberg Trials) (Smithsonian) (Britannica)
Danny Snyder (Dustin Hoffman) is the alcoholic, washed-up lawyer drafted in to defend two men accused of murder. He's part of a ploy put together by assistant district attorney Michael Sullivan (Brad Pitt) to botch the prosecution's case and win the pair their freedom.
Boston attorney Jan Schlichtmann (John Travolta) risks all to take on two giant corporations it's claimed are responsible for polluting the water supply in a region of Massachusetts. He's up against the formidable Jerry Facher (Robert Duvall).
Over the years, cinema has provided some notable examples of courtroom drama, some fictional, some based on real-life criminal cases. Helping to set the scene inside the halls of justice are the lawyers, those who defend or prosecute the accused. Along the way, legal plotlines can twist and turn towards an often surprising verdict. And sometimes, just sometimes, the guilty literally get away with murder.
If you have no objections, click through the following gallery and bear witness to these courtroom movies, and the lawyers making their case.
Movie courtroom scenes with memorable lawyers
November 1st is Love Your Lawyer Day
MOVIES Law
Over the years, cinema has provided some notable examples of courtroom drama, some fictional, some based on real-life criminal cases. Helping to set the scene inside the halls of justice are the lawyers, those who defend or prosecute the accused. Along the way, legal plotlines can twist and turn towards an often surprising verdict. And sometimes, just sometimes, the guilty literally get away with murder.
If you have no objections, click through the following gallery and bear witness to these courtroom movies, and the lawyers making their case.