Guilty! 10 Riveting Legal Dramas

This 1990 film that landed Jeremy Irons the Best Actor Oscar is based on the true story of Claus von Bulow (Irons), who was tried for the murder of his rich socialite wife Sunny von Bulow (Glenn Close). Accused of sending Sunny into a permanent coma with an overdose of insulin at their Newport, Rhode Island estate, Claus was convicted of the murder – and hired defense attorney Alan Dershowitz (Ron Silver) to represent his appeal in the headline-making case.


Get 'Reversal of Fortune'

Based on the John Grisham novel, this 1997 film directed by Francis Ford Coppola casts Matt Damon in this sometimes amusing tale of Rudy Baylor, an inexperienced University of Memphis Law School grad (Damon) who teams up with a paralegal (Danny DeVito) who has failed the bar six times to create their own practice. The pair decides to represent a couple whose son is dying of leukemia and has been denied a bone marrow transplant by their insurance carrier, setting up a court confrontation between the inexperienced Rudy and a group of showboating lawyers led by Jon Voight. Mickey Rourke, Claire Danes, Dean Stockwell and Danny Glover also star.


Get 'The Rainmaker'

John Travolta headlines this riveting 1998 drama based on the book of the same name. Travolta plays Jan Schlichtmann, a successful attorney who takes on a class action case after he discovers a major environmental issue involving groundwater contamination linked to the leukemia deaths of people in a Massachusetts city. The case practically ruins Jan and his firm when he goes up against the deep pockets of two giant corporations and a judge rules against him. Robert Duvall, John Lithgow, James Gandolfini, William H. Macy, Kathleen Quinlan and Tony Shalhoub also star.


Get 'A Civil Action'

Hilary Swank and Sam Rockwell star in this compelling drama based on the true story of Betty Ann Waters, a high-school drop-out and working mother who put herself through law school during an 18-year quest to help clear the name of her wrongly-accused brother and win back his freedom. Minnie Driver, Juliette Lewis and Peter Gallagher also star.


Get 'Conviction'

Based on the Scott Turow bestseller, Harrison Ford stars in this 1990 film as Rusty Sabich, a married prosecutor who becomes the prime suspect following the rape and murder of his colleague (Greta Scacchi) when it is discovered that she was his former mistress. With few friends in his corner save for his former courtroom opponent (Raul Julia), the jury must determine if Rusty is guilty -- or if he was framed for murder.


Get 'Presumed Innocent'

Based on a true story, Jodie Foster won an Oscar for her portrayal of Sarah Tobias, a blue collar woman of "questionable character" who summons the courage to face the men who gang-raped her on a pinball machine in a bar in this 1988 film. Kelly McGillis plays Kathryn Murphy, the district attorney who sets out to bring the men to justice – along with those who stood by and cheered them on -- despite the testimony that Sarah was promiscuous, had taken drugs and was acting provocatively that night.


Get 'The Accused'

Nominated for four Oscars including Best Picture, this 1994 Rob Reiner film (based on the stage play) cast Tom Cruise as Lt. Daniel Kaffee, a Navy lawyer, inexperienced in the courtroom, tasked with defending a pair of Marines accused of murdering their colleague in a prank that got out of hand. With the help of his team (Demi Moore and Kevin Pollack), Kaffee learns that the soldiers were acting under the unofficial orders of Col. Nathan Jessup (Jack Nicholson), leading to a courtroom confrontation.


Get 'A Few Good Men'

Julia Roberts nabbed a Best Actress Oscar for her role as the real-life title character, a no-nonsense, unemployed single mother who talks her way into becoming a legal assistant. Although no one takes her seriously, she pursues a suspicious real estate case and discovers that an industrial company is polluting a California town's water supply with toxic waste – resulting in one of the biggest class action lawsuits in American history. The 2000 Steven Soderbergh film was nominated for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Screenplay, and Albert Finney was nominated for Best Supporting Actor.


Get 'Erin Brockovich'

Tom Hanks won his first Best Actor Oscar as Andrew Beckett, an up-and-coming attorney who is fired after his conservative law firm learns that he has contracted AIDS. With the help of a homophobic, small-time lawyer (Denzel Washington), Beckett sues the firm for wrongful termination. Bruce Springsteen also won an Oscar for his song from the 1993 film, "Streets of Philadelphia."


Get 'Philadelphia'

This 1996 film based on the John Grisham novel casts Matthew McConaughey as Jake Tyler Brigance, a young lawyer and family man who defends a father (Samuel L. Jackson) accused of murdering the men who raped his 10-year-old daughter in Canton, Mississippi. With the help of an eager law student (Sandra Bullock), Jake risks the safety of himself and his family at the hands of the KKK as he tries to get the man a fair trial.


Get 'A Time to Kill'