The Greatest Movie Lawyers
AMC Movie List

The Greatest Movie Lawyers

Plenty of Hollywood's actors have tried their luck as courtroom contenders, but which of them makes the best legal eagle? Only you can deliver the verdict.

rank title points votes your vote
1 Andrew Beckett (Tom Hanks), Philadelphia
Gay lawyer Hanks takes his employer to court after he's fired for "incompetence," when in fact it's clear they were just homophobic. 155 293
2 Atticus Finch (Gregory Peck), To Kill a Mockingbird
In a segregated southern courtroom, Finch takes on the mammoth task of defending a black man accused of raping a white woman. 102 384
3 Henry Drummond (Spencer Tracy), Inherit the Wind
Drummond defends a school teacher who's on trial for teaching evolution. Oh the ape-manity! 1 225
4 Paul Biegler (James Stewart), Anatomy of a Murder
In this realistic courtroom drama, Biegler acquits an army lieutenant of murder, but learns he may have let a guilty man go free. 0 202
5 Vincent Gambini (Joe Pesci), My Cousin Vinny
He failed the bar exam six times, but Vinny gets the job done… with some help from his girlfriend (Marisa Tomei). -3 253
6 Erin Brockovich (Julia Roberts), Erin Brockovich
Technically she's a paralegal, but Erin Brockovich does a lawyer’s work while still maintaining that busty physique. Hat's off! -4 222
7 Elle Woods (Reese Witherspoon), Legally Blonde
Elle may wear lots of pink, but there are legal cogs aplenty turning in that well-coiffed head of hers. -5 227
8 Fred Gailey (John Payne), Miracle on 34th Street
When Kris Kringle is accused of being cuckoo, attorney-with-a-heart-of-gold Gailey quits his job to defend Santa in court. -6 214
9 Lt. Daniel Kaffee (Tom Cruise), A Few Good Men
Cruise says he wants the truth while nailing arrogant colonel Jack Nicholson on the stand. Oh, he can handle it, too. -18 262
10 John Milton (Al Pacino), The Devil's Advocate
Al Pacino plays the lawyer from hell, literally: As Satan, he tries to lure a newbie lawyer (Keanu Reeves) to the dark side. -75 213