Laverne Cox to play transgender attorney in new pilot

Laverne Cox(Photo: Instagram/Laverne Cox)

"Orange is the New Black" actress Laverne Cox is preparing for another leading role. 

The transgender star will play a no-nonsense, transgender defense attorney in the upcoming CBS drama "Doubt."

Cox's character is Cameron Wirth, an Ivy League-educated lawyer at a boutique firm, whose experiences with injustice make her fight harder to win for her clients. 

Wirth becomes romantically involved with one of her clients, whose innocence is questionable. 

"Doubt" will be the first time a transgender actor has portrayed a transgender series regular on broadcast television. Cox is also the first transgender person to be nominated for an Emmy.

She discussed the broader significance of her achievements in a 2014 interview. 

"When we get to know people as people, then all the misconceptions that we might have about folks who are different from us get knocked away," Cox told Glamour

"And I think that's what's happening with [my character on 'Orange Is the New Black']. So much of the year I've had is historic, but this is a moment that is bigger than me. 

"I meet people who say that my role has given them the courage to say, 'This is who I am' and 'I can transition and be successful and be out as a trans person.'"

According to the Hollywood Reporter, offers are out to several "big-name" celebrities to co-star in the drama.