| GRISHAM | John -; author of legal thrillers including The Firm, The Pelican Brief and The Client (7) |
| JOHNGRISHAM | Writer of The Pelican Brief and The Client (4,7) |
| FORSYTH | Frederick -; author of thrillers including The Day of the Jackal, The Fourth Protocol and The Cobra (7) |
| LECARRE | John -, author of thrillers including The Spy Who Came in from the Cold and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2,5) |
| ROBERTS | Julia of "The Pelican Brief" |
| HOLDOUT | Stand firm the old ring was found in the shed (4,3) |
| ACCOUNT | The client of an advertising agency or public relations consultancy (7) |
| ORCHARD | Boast endlessly about firm, the place for fruit (7) |
| COMRADE | A firm "The dream is shattered, pal" (7) |
| GRIS | Author of such bestsellers as The Firm and The Pelican Brief. (7) |
| SCALLOP | A proportion of the clients call openly for shellfish (7) |
| TUROW | Best-selling author of legal thrillers |
| JOHN | - - - Grisham, author of legal thrillers |
| ENDURING | "The firm, the ____, the simple, and the modest are near to virtue" (Confucius) |
| ATTRACT | Tart act could lure the clients (7) |
| PAKULA | Alan J., director of the 1993 film The Pelican Brief (6) |
| FACELIFT | A surgical operation to smooth and firm the tissues in the front of the head (8) |
| INCOHERENT | In the firm the hire charge he entered was unclear (10) |
| RENFRO | "Tom and Huck" (1995) and "The Client" (1994) star Brad |
| DEANKOONTZ | Prolific US writer of thrillers, including Odd Thomas (2003) and Demon Seed (1973) |
