Will Denton, 62; Trial Lawyer Advised Novelist Grisham

Will Denton, 62, trial lawyer and advisor to best-selling novelist John Grisham, died Friday in Houston, a day after undergoing a heart transplant.

Denton, a former Air Force judge advocate, was an expert on maritime law and personal injury cases. His court victories helped refine the Jones Act involving maritime litigation. He served as attorney for the Biloxi, Miss., Port Commission, was a Biloxi city judge and co-wrote a book on bad-faith insurance litigation.

He also served as background researcher for several Grisham novels about lawyers and litigation. Grisham stated in his novel “The Rainmaker” that as a trial lawyer, he always wanted to be like Denton.

“Will has fought diligently for the rights of consumers and little people,” Grisham wrote.