The legal thriller

genre Genre () is any form or type of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially-agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other for ...

is a type of

crime fiction Crime fiction, detective story, murder mystery, mystery novel, and police novel are terms used to describe narratives that centre on criminal acts and especially on the investigation, either by an amateur or a professional detective, of a crime, ...

genre that focuses on the proceedings of the investigation, with particular reference to the impacts on

courtroom A courtroom is the enclosed space in which courts of law are held in front of a judge. A number of courtrooms, which may also be known as "courts", may be housed in a courthouse. In recent years, courtrooms have been equipped with audiovisual ...

proceedings and the lives of characters. The courtroom proceedings and legal authorship are ubiquitous characteristics of the legal thriller genre In the genre, lawyers as legal professionals are featured as the supreme hero. Their actions in the courtroom affect the quality of character's lives, as they determine

innocence Innocence is a lack of guilt, with respect to any kind of crime, or wrongdoing. In a legal context, innocence is to the lack of legal guilt of an individual, with respect to a crime. In other contexts, it is a lack of experience. In relation ...

prevailing against injustice. Many legal professionals such as judges and lawyers constitute the primary authorship of the genre, providing their own relevant experiences The legal authorship experience is certified through the novel, Presumed Innocent written by the lawyer and author,

Scott Turow Scott Frederick Turow (born April 12, 1949) is an American author and lawyer. Turow has written 13 fiction and three nonfiction books, which have been translated into more than 40 languages and sold more than 30 million copies. Turow’s novel ...

. American writers such as

Harper Lee Nelle Harper Lee (April 28, 1926February 19, 2016) was an American novelist best known for her 1960 novel ''To Kill a Mockingbird''. It won the 1961 Pulitzer Prize and has become a classic of modern American literature. Lee has received numero ...

experienced her father's dealings as a lawyer. The author,

John Grisham John Ray Grisham Jr. (; born February 8, 1955 in Jonesboro, Arkansas) is an American novelist, lawyer and former member of the 7th district of the Mississippi House of Representatives, known for his popular legal thrillers. According to the Am ...

as a lawyer also contributes to the development of the legal thriller genre.

Legal language Legal English is the type of English as used in legal writing. In general, a legal language is a formalized language based on logic rules which differs from the ordinary natural language in vocabulary, morphology, syntax, and semantics, as well ...

is also another characteristic of the legal thriller. The television shows, Suits and

How to Get Away with Murder ''How to Get Away with Murder'' is an American legal thriller television series that premiered on ABC on September 25, 2014, and concluded on May 14, 2020. The series was created by Peter Nowalk, and produced by Shonda Rhimes and ABC Studios. Th ...

embody the legal thriller, characterised by legal language. Novels and television shows of the legal thriller genre have impacted education. Many address complex social justice issues such as

racial discrimination Racial discrimination is any discrimination against any individual on the basis of their skin color, race or ethnic origin.Individuals can discriminate by refusing to do business with, socialize with, or share resources with people of a certain g ...

and the

death penalty Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that t ...

Television

In Australia, Denmark, and Poland, 62% of law and justice shows were imported from the United States”. Legal thriller television is mostly sourced from the

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

jurisdiction. As American shows dominate the legal thriller genre, the characteristic of legal language has emerged. In the American legal drama, Suits, the character, Harvey mentions the term, “subpoena” consistently. The legal language, commonly French and Latin expressions is central to courtroom proceedings in legal thriller television. There is also other legal language used in the show including terminology such as “affidavit”, “plaintiff”, “defendant”, “malfeasance” and “in lieu”.

How To Get Away with Murder ''How to Get Away with Murder'' is an American legal thriller television series that premiered on ABC on September 25, 2014, and concluded on May 14, 2020. The series was created by Peter Nowalk, and produced by Shonda Rhimes and ABC Studios. Th ...

is an American television series, categorised in the genre of legal thriller. In the courtroom proceedings of Episode 1: Pilot found within the List of How to Get Away with Murder episodes, legal language such as the term, “mens rea” is utilised. The television series features a legal professional as the leading teacher and a group of law students who devise tactics to combat a range of criminal cases and murder mysteries. There is a difficulty for characters to balance personal life and professional success as women, people of color and marginalised individuals in legal thriller television shows. Other legal thriller television in America also consisted of the show

The Defenders (1961 TV series) ''The Defenders'' is an American courtroom drama series that ran on CBS from 1961 to 1965. It was created by television writer Reginald Rose, and stars E. G. Marshall and Robert Reed as father-and-son defense attorneys. Original music for the seri ...

. Social justice themes were prevalent within this show and police procedural elements in subsequent shows such as

Arrest and Trial ''Arrest and Trial'' is a 90-minute American Crime film, crime/legal drama series that ran during the 1963-64 United States network television schedule, 1963-1964 season on American Broadcasting Company, ABC, airing Sundays from 8:30-10 pm North ...

. The development of these television shows led to the famous 1990's T.V show creation,

Law & Order ''Law & Order'' is an American police procedural and legal drama television series created by Dick Wolf and produced by Wolf Entertainment, launching the '' Law & Order'' franchise. ''Law & Order'' aired its entire run on NBC, premiering on ...

. There were different categories of legal thriller shows also developed such as courtroom drama, ensemble shows and police, detective dramas. The characters in these shows displayed ardent personality traits when investigating and dealing with complex legal issues of the justice system. Australian legal thriller shows developed in the 1980s and 1990s are classed into categories of

adjudication Adjudication is the legal process by which an arbiter or judge reviews evidence and argumentation, including legal reasoning set forth by opposing parties or litigants, to come to a decision which determines rights and obligations between the p ...

and

punishment Punishment, commonly, is the imposition of an undesirable or unpleasant outcome upon a group or individual, meted out by an authority—in contexts ranging from child discipline to criminal law—as a response and deterrent to a particular acti ...

The television shows concerning adjudication and punishment consist of the soap opera,

Carson's Law ''Carson's Law'' is an Australian television series made by Crawford Productions for the Ten Network between 1982-1984. The series was a period piece set in the 1920s and starred Lorraine Bayly as progressive solicitor Jennifer Carson. The ep ...

and

SeaChange ''SeaChange'' is an Australian television program that ran from 1998 to 2000 on the ABC and in 2019 on the Nine Network. It was created by Andrew Knight and Deborah Cox and starred Sigrid Thornton, David Wenham, William McInnes, John Howar ...

. Both shows feature female lawyers who experience

prejudice Prejudice can be an affective feeling towards a person based on their perceived group membership. The word is often used to refer to a preconceived (usually unfavourable) evaluation or classification of another person based on that person's per ...

from males in their legal careers. There are thematic ideas of justice and equality associated with the female lawyer protagonist's fight for change to break the glass ceiling. The inequality of men and women prevalent in the set time of the 1920s contribute to these themes present. In 2014, Australian legal thrillers developed were limited, compared to previous years that are tabulated with “45%”. In Britain, the most dominant form of legal thriller show is in the category of police and detective shows. Examples of these include the

Dixon of Dock Green ''Dixon of Dock Green'' was a BBC police procedural television series about daily life at a fictional London police station, with the emphasis on petty crime, successfully controlled through common sense and human understanding. It ran from 19 ...

and

The Sweeney ''The Sweeney'' is a 1970s British television police drama focusing on two members of the Flying Squad, a branch of the Metropolitan Police specialising in tackling armed robbery and violent crime in London. It stars John Thaw as Detective Ins ...

. Women also played a role in these television shows as evident in

Juliet Bravo ''Juliet Bravo'' is a British television police procedural drama series, first broadcast on 30 August 1980, that ran for six series and a total of 88 episodes on BBC1. The theme of the series concerned a female police inspector who took over con ...

and C.A.T.S. Eyes. Courtroom drama in Britain featured the series

Justice (1971 TV series) ''Justice'' is a British drama television series that originally aired on ITV in 39 hour-long episodes between 8 August 1971 and 16 October 1974. Margaret Lockwood stars as Harriet Peterson, a female barrister in the North of England. It was m ...

as a prominent show, where the courtroom drama played a big role in its characteristic of the legal thriller. As Britain has three legal systems, this distinction was made apparent in the television shows, also highlighting barristers and advocates in wigs as part of the show.

Books

Books of the legal thriller genre include the memoir,

Just Mercy (book) ''Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption'' (2014) is a memoir by American attorney Bryan Stevenson that documents his career defending disadvantaged clients. The book, focusing on injustices in the United States judicial system, alternate ...

Bryan Stevenson Bryan Stevenson (born November 14, 1959) is an American lawyer, social justice activist, law professor at New York University School of Law, and the founder and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative. Based in Montgomery, Alabama, h ...

and the novel,

To Kill A Mockingbird ''To Kill a Mockingbird'' is a novel by the American author Harper Lee. It was published in 1960 and was instantly successful. In the United States, it is widely read in high schools and middle schools. ''To Kill a Mockingbird'' has become ...

Major authors

Major authors of this genre include the following: *

Michael Connelly Michael Joseph Connelly (born July 21, 1956) is an American author of detective novels and other crime fiction, notably those featuring LAPD Detective Hieronymus "Harry" Bosch and criminal defense attorney Mickey Haller. Connelly is the bes ...

Linda Fairstein Linda Fairstein (born May 5, 1947) is an American author, attorney, and former New York City prosecutor focusing on crimes of violence against women and children. She was the head of the sex crimes unit of the Manhattan District Attorney's offi ...

Paul Levine Paul J. Levine (born January 9, 1948) is an American author of crime fiction, particularly legal thrillers. Levine has written 22 mystery novels which include two series of books known by the names of the protagonists. The ''Jake Lassiter'' ser ...

Patrick Hoffman Patrick Hoffman (born 25 July 1974 in Munich) is a German curler. He is a former World men's silver medallist and a two time European men's champion. He competed at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially t ...

Vish Dhamija Vish Dhamija is a British Indian crime-fiction writer. According to the Indian Press he is India's Best Page-Turner and one of the ten most popular Indian thriller authors. He is the only writer of Indian origin listed among the major legal thri ...

Jilliane Hoffman Jilliane Hoffman is an American writer of legal thrillers. She was born on Long Island and attended both undergraduate and law school at St. John's University in Queens, New York. Career Before starting to write, Hoffman experienced the true l ...

* Mark Gimenez *

Marcia Clark Marcia Rachel Clark (' Kleks, formerly Horowitz; born August 31, 1953) is an American prosecutor, author, television correspondent and television producer. She is known for being the lead prosecutor in the O. J. Simpson murder case. Early li ...

James Grippando James Grippando is an American novelist and lawyer best known as the 2017 winner of the Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction.L. Rawles, ''2017 Harper Lee Prize awarded to Boies Schiller lawyer's novel Gone Again,'' ABA Journal (July 12, 2017). Biog ...

Films

Legal thriller films provide introspection into the life of a lawyer and legal professionals. Within films, the central character is often engaged in professional work and experiences an obstacle that they have to overcome such as a client's case. The character confronts problems with their personal life and work, as it is under threat by the complex case, creating a series of action and courtroom battles. The problems that characters faced are evident within reviews of films such as '' The Judge'', where family dynamics are strained after a lawyer returns home for his mother's funeral. Reviews from the New York Times comment on the film's transformation into a crime story, characteristic of the legal thriller. The film itself unfolds the legal thriller's ideal courtroom drama style and the film is taken place in what is deemed as a "nostalgia-tinged town". Further films such as ''

The Lincoln Lawyer ''The Lincoln Lawyer'' is a 2005 novel, the 16th by American crime writer Michael Connelly. It introduces Los Angeles attorney Mickey Haller, half-brother of Connelly's mainstay character Detective Hieronymus "Harry" Bosch. It was adapted as ...

'' have also met similar reviews from Roger Ebert, commenting on the love of three elements in the film: courtroom scene, old cars and tangled criminals. The 2019 film, '' Dark Waters'' raises an ethical dilemma of lawyers often choosing sides within films, as the defence lawyer has to switch sides to defend a poisoned community. He risks his own future, community and life through dealing with the case, characteristic of the legal thriller. By combining the elements of film and law together, the relationship becomes central to the audience. It is through film techniques, images, symbols and social functions that legal thriller films can make an impact on the audience. The film ''

Mangrove A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows in coastal saline water, saline or brackish water. The term is also used for tropical coastal vegetation consisting of such species. Mangroves are taxonomically diverse, as a result of convergent evoluti ...

'' shows the inequalities and injustices prevalent through Britain's Caribbean history.

Steve McQueen Terrence Stephen McQueen (March 24, 1930November 7, 1980) was an American actor. His antihero persona, emphasized during the height of the counterculture of the 1960s, made him a top box-office draw for his films of the late 1950s, 1960s, and 1 ...

was the first black director of an Academy winning best picture with '' 12 Years a Slave''. The five-part anthology, featuring ''Mangrove'' as the first visualises courtroom drama and heroism, characterising the legal thriller genre. McQueen made his film resemble a landmark of the civil rights trial against black activists. The film uses the characteristics of the legal thriller genre through a powerhouse courtroom drama and focusing on racial justice. The power divide between two opposing sides is intended to shape transformative victory, as audiences can learn about diversity. ''

A Fall from Grace ''A Fall from Grace'' is a 2020 American thriller film produced, written, and directed by Tyler Perry and his first to be released by Netflix. The film follows a woman who finds a dangerous new love and the novice attorney who defends her in a se ...

'' also features the challenge often taken by lawyers in legal thriller films. For example, a young public defender has to handle the challenging case of a woman charged with murdering her husband. The film features elements of a conventional courtroom drama such as the heroic lawyer, shady characters and a law firm setting. Within the film, there are plot twists, characteristic of the legal thriller genre. Furthermore, the film ''

Law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vario ...

'' has ample court scenes and features a character taking on the fight for justice. The film defies the stereotypical expectations of women through featuring the main character as a woman who wants to speak openly about gang rape victimisation. The recognition of injustice is another emerging aspect of legal thriller films. ''

Marshall Marshall may refer to: Places Australia * Marshall, Victoria, a suburb of Geelong, Victoria Canada * Marshall, Saskatchewan * The Marshall, a mountain in British Columbia Liberia * Marshall, Liberia Marshall Islands * Marshall Islands, an i ...

'' is another example of a legal thriller film, where the lawyer is feature as the main character, travelling the country on behalf of the

NAACP The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is a civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E.&nb ...

to defend black men who are accused of crimes. The film features a courtroom scene where violence occurs in retrieving the confession of a client and the difficulty to obtain the truth. Flashbacks are used as a key film technique to craft outrage as revealed by a film review. The courtroom scenes are considered suspenseful and the setting of the 1940s shows a stage where people threw a facade with fake costumes and bright lights. Racism is exposed as a key social justice issue explored where the truth demands a voice. The following table summarises films that are categorised in the legal thriller genre:

Impact of genre

The legal thriller genre has impacted culture, schools, and universities. As an example, the novel, ''To Kill A Mockingbird'' is acclaimed for inspiring American culture. Harper Lee has provided a new understanding of the Southern women voice, as Eichelberger, Professor of Southern Literature at the College of Charleston stated people “didn’t really understand the South and looked down upon it…” In addition, the novel as a legal thriller worldwide sale topped 40 million and won numerous prizes such as the

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prize () is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made h ...

. The novel also translated into a film, receiving nominations in various categories such as best actress, music and cinematography and won the 1963 Oscars. It has impacted schools through becoming a part of the syllabus reading list for learning, as it addresses timeless concepts of

racism Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one race over another. It may also mean prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism ...

and

social injustice Social justice is justice in terms of the distribution of wealth, Equal opportunity, opportunities, and Social privilege, privileges within a society. In Western Civilization, Western and Culture of Asia, Asian cultures, the concept of social ...

, relevant to America. Scott Turow's novel, Presumed Innocent was an explosive bestseller in 1987. His story introduced the sub-genre of the legal thriller through incorporating aspects of the

criminal trial Criminal procedure is the adjudication process of the criminal law. While criminal procedure differs dramatically by jurisdiction, the process generally begins with a formal criminal charge with the person on trial either being free on bail ...

process. The core inspiration of Turow's work is the examination of a witness during a trial, the story stemming from the lawyer's own experiences. Legal thriller books instigate the need for equality. The National Public Radio provides coverage of the legal thriller memoir,

. Brian Stevenson provides insight into shaping the need for equality within America, as there has been a hundred years of supremacism and violence against black people in America. The film, ''

Just Mercy ''Just Mercy'' is a 2019 American biographical legal drama film co-written and directed by Destin Daniel Cretton and starring Michael B. Jordan as Bryan Stevenson, Jamie Foxx as Walter McMillian, Rob Morgan, Tim Blake Nelson, Rafe Spall, an ...

'' raises the themes of equality and justice for the racial injustice against black African Americans in the United States of America. It has introduced the

social Social organisms, including human(s), live collectively in interacting populations. This interaction is considered social whether they are aware of it or not, and whether the exchange is voluntary or not. Etymology The word "social" derives from ...

issue of the death penalty, as American people disapproved of it after watching the film. The legal thriller enlightens hope that complex social issues such as the death penalty have the potential to change. Suits, as a legal thriller has shaped “interpersonal loyalty” wrecked by American pursuits of

power Power most often refers to: * Power (physics), meaning "rate of doing work" ** Engine power, the power put out by an engine ** Electric power * Power (social and political), the ability to influence people or events ** Abusive power Power may a ...

and

wealth Wealth is the abundance of Value (economics), valuable financial assets or property, physical possessions which can be converted into a form that can be used for financial transaction, transactions. This includes the core meaning as held in the ...

. There is progressive impact on depicting

race Race, RACE or "The Race" may refer to: * Race (biology), an informal taxonomic classification within a species, generally within a sub-species * Race (human categorization), classification of humans into groups based on physical traits, and/or s ...

and

gender equality Gender equality, also known as sexual equality or equality of the sexes, is the state of equal ease of access to resources and opportunities regardless of gender, including economic participation and decision-making; and the state of valuing d ...

, as they made the head an African American woman and use female lawyers. The television show,

depicts the complexities of race and the LGBTQ community. Characters in the series such as the African American lawyer,

Annalise Keating Annalise Keating Esq. (née Anna-Mae Harkness) is a fictional character in the legal drama series ''How to Get Away with Murder''. Series creator Peter Nowalk is responsible for creating and developing the character, and American actress Viola Dav ...

, played by the actor,

Viola Davis Viola Davis (; born August 11, 1965) is an American actress and producer. The recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and two Tony Awards, she is the only African-American to achieve the Triple Crow ...

represents

racial diversity A race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 1500s, when it was used to refer to groups of variou ...

. The character,

Oliver Hampton ''How to Get Away with Murder'' is an American drama television series that premiered on ABC on September 25, 2014. The series was created by Peter Nowalk, and produced by Shonda Rhimes and ABC Studios. Viola Davis stars as Annalise Keating, a l ...

, (

Conrad Ricamora Conrad Wayne Ricamora (born February 17, 1979) is an American actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Oliver Hampton on the ABC television series ''How to Get Away with Murder'' (2014–20). As a stage actor, he is noted for his roles in th ...

) advocates for the marginalised members in the LGBTQ community. The film, ''

'' was based on the history of a lawyer named Marshall who created the NAACP Legal Defence fund. He was devoted to identifying cases that would change history. The film has made a great impact on audiences, as it has a turned a real-life hero to the all-time star of a courtroom drama. This is revealed in a film review, where it states the legal thriller has a created a real-life superhero for audiences to gain inspiration. Furthermore, using the idealistic approach of a young lawyer creates a compelling courtroom drama. The elements of historical racism embedded within the film dates back to the 1950s and has created a riveting, touching tale on audiences. Throughout the popular culture of legal thriller films, there have been variations in the character representations of lawyers. The character representation of lawyers affect audiences both negatively and positively. The positive impact is the level of heroism performed by lawyers in saving their client's case. Negative representations are associated with the representation of lawyers as villains and distrustful. The representations are reflective of lawyers declining after the American Revolution. As many films, novels and shows are produced within the genre, audiences have the ability to choose the images of the lawyer that they like. The process of revealing these images is through showing the beginning action, the action itself and the consequences of the lawyer's actions.

References

External links

10 Best Legal Thrillers That Bring The Courtroom Drama

15 Must-Read Legal Thrillers
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20 Best Legal Thrillers of the Last 20 Years

The best legal thrillers (that aren’t by John Grisham)

Be Guilty Of Reading The Best Legal Thrillers of 2019
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How To Write a Legal Thriller

Elements of a Legal Thriller

Law and Literature: Legal Thrillers

Redefining the Legal "Thriller"

Brief History of the Legal Thriller

When Is A Legal Thriller Not a Legal Thriller?
{{DEFAULTSORT:Legal Thriller Legal Thriller films Legal films by genre Legal television series Crime fiction Film genres Thriller genres Thrillers