Legally Blonde is a 2001 novel by Amanda Brown, which was adapted into a film directed by Robert Luketic in the same year. The film largely follows the book, except that the action takes place at Harvard Law School rather than Stanford and that the protagonist, Elle Woods, is a more intelligent and driven character.

Elle is dating Warner Huntington III, who breaks up with her because he intends to pursue a political career and does not believe she is serious enough to be a politician's wife. Elle is determined to prove him wrong and, after studying hard, gains admission to Harvard Law School and joins Huntington there.

At Harvard, Elle gains a position as an intern working for one of the faculty, Professor Callahan, on an important case, defending a celebrity fitness instructor called Brooke Windham, who has been charged with murdering her husband. After Callahan tries to seduce Elle, Windham dismisses him and decides to allow Elle to take his place, under the supervision of another attorney, Emmett Richmond.

Elle's astute questioning of Windham's stepdaughter, Chutney, reveals that she killed her father by mistake. Elle wins the case, and Huntington asks her to take him back, but Elle rejects him and begins dating Emmett Richmond instead. By the end of the narrative, Emmett has founded his own law firm and plans to marry Elle.