John Grisham (born February 8, 1955) is an American novelist, attorney, and former Mississippi state legislator best known for popularizing the modern legal thriller. After earning an accounting degree from Mississippi State University and a law degree from the University of Mississippi, he practiced law for nearly a decade before publishing A Time to Kill in 1989. His breakthrough novel, The Firm (1991), launched a remarkably successful writing career that has produced numerous bestsellers—including The Pelican Brief, The Client, and The Rainmaker—and many major film adaptations. With hundreds of millions of books sold worldwide, Grisham is one of the most commercially successful authors of contemporary fiction.