Semi-retired Michigan lawyer Paul Biegler takes the case of Army Lt. Manion, who murdered a local innkeeper after his wife claimed that he raped her. Over the course of an extensive trial, Biegler parries with District Attorney Lodwick and out-of-town prosecutor Claude Dancer to set his client free, but his case rests on the victim's mysterious business partner, who's hiding a dark secret.
The main lawyer has a friend and colleague who is an alcoholic. He's shown as fixated on alcohol and at one point he drives drunk and crashes his car. By the end, he decides to give up drinking.
Central to the film, though not shown, is an incident in which a woman is sexually assaulted and the rapist is murdered. The assault and the circumstances leading up to it are described in detail. During the trial, the woman's account of the assault is questioned and the prosecution lawyer implies that she invited it (however, it should be noted that the audience is supposed to side with the woman). Lots of potential triggers even though the sexual assault is not shown on screen.
A married woman flirts with other men, but she insists that she's always been faithful to her husband. Her husband is said to be very jealous. It's implied that she may have cheated on her previous husband with her current husband.