6 Best Civil Lawsuit and Legal Justice Movies

By Vlad Zakh · June 2, 2026

Civil lawsuits don’t have the glamour of criminal trials, but the best legal dramas find huge stakes in them. On the Basis of Sex follows a young Ruth Bader Ginsburg taking on a gender discrimination case, Erin Brockovich has an unemployed single mother exposing a corporate cover-up, and Marshall has a young Thurgood Marshall defending a wrongly accused chauffeur. The Rainmaker, A Civil Action and Class Action complete the six.

On the Basis of Sex (2018)

TMDB ★ 7.1

A young Ruth Bader Ginsburg takes on a groundbreaking gender discrimination case early in her legal career.

Directed by Mimi Leder · 2h 00m · Rated PG-13

Where to watch

Stream: Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Marshall (2017)

TMDB ★ 7.0

A young Thurgood Marshall defends a Black chauffeur wrongly accused of a crime in a racially charged trial.

Directed by Reginald Hudlin · 1h 58m · Rated PG-13

Where to watch

Stream: Philo, Starz Amazon Channel, Starz, Starz Apple TV channel, Shout! Factory Amazon Channel · Rent or buy: Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Erin Brockovich (2000)

TMDB ★ 7.4

An unemployed single mother builds a case against a utility company poisoning a small town's water.

Directed by Steven Soderbergh · 2h 11m · Rated R

Where to watch

Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, FlixFling · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Rainmaker (1997)

TMDB ★ 6.9

A newly minted lawyer takes on a powerful insurance company that denied a dying young man's medical claim.

Directed by Francis Ford Coppola · 2h 15m · Rated PG-13

Where to watch

Stream: fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, MGM Plus · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

A Civil Action (1998)

TMDB ★ 6.4

A personal injury lawyer takes on two corporations accused of poisoning a town's water.

Directed by Steven Zaillian · 1h 55m · Rated PG-13

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Class Action (1991)

TMDB ★ 6.5

A father and daughter, both attorneys, end up on opposing sides of a dangerous corporate lawsuit.

Directed by Michael Apted · 1h 45m · Rated R

Where to watch

Buy: Amazon Video

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Streaming availability data from JustWatch, via TMDB. Availability changes often, so check the service before you plan a movie night.

Vlad Zakh

Founder, Movieix

Founder of Movieix. He started the site because most recommendation pages felt like noise. Here, lists are sorted by who's in the film, where it's from and what mood you're in tonight.

6 Best Civil Lawsuit and Legal Justice Movies

On the Basis of Sex (2018)

Marshall (2017)

Erin Brockovich (2000)

The Rainmaker (1997)

A Civil Action (1998)

Class Action (1991)

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