The Pelican Brief (1993), features Julia Roberts as Darby Shaw, a Tulane University law student investigating the murders of two Supreme Court Justices. Shaw turns to Gary Grantham (Denzel Washington), an investigative writer, to help uncover the truth. Grisham had Julia Roberts in mind for Darby Shaw even before casting of the future film.

In The Client (1994), Susan Sarandon plays an attorney protecting a young boy who witnessed the suicide of a Louisiana attorney and who holds information about a mob leader. The film also features Tommy Lee Jones and Mary-Louise Parker. The movie was directed by Joel Schumacher who had already directed A Time to Kill and The Firm. Sarandon was nominated for an Academy Award for "Best Actress in a Leading Role" and by the Screen Actors Guild for "Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role." The Client was also turned into a miniseries in 1995, but lasted only one season.   [go to page 3 >>]