Better Call Saul

Quetion for Jambase Saul Goodman. Jimmy bounced from public defender work to elderly law and then to criminal law - all fairly easily and seamlessly. Could it actually work like that? I'd think an attorney would have to immerse themselves in study and case law to change their speciality - esp. from something more contracts based like doing wills for older people, to litigation. Lalo's up on some serious charges yet he goes with Jimmy. I guess he just needed someone skilled enough to get him out and loose enough to do his bidding and pick up his bail money. Wasn't really looking for any legal representation past that. But still curious how true that whole aspect of the show is.


I'd say it is more accurate than not. Particularly in a small state like New Mexico, lawyers aren't as likely to specialize. In fact, main reason yours truly has never tried private practice is that i found myself so very uninterested in the civil law subjects I learned in law school. I, for the most part, only want to do crim law, but it's hard to get enough business in a single area to effectively run a business/practice, especially an area where most folks who need a lawyer can get 1 for free.

Still, you make a good observation about it seeming unlikely to jump from a contract type area to a litigation area. Most folks i see doing crim law in private practice like to combine it w/ something like personal injury because both are courtroom based practices--that & both frequently draw from the same client base.

The short answer is yes, lawyers can and do jump between practice areas, but the ease or difficulty in doing so hinges on getting the early few guinea pigs to trust the attorney in an area s/he lacks experience. That usually depends on word of mouth from past clients. Good word of mouth results in strangers contacting you to ask if you can take a case despite your lack of experience in that area.

With Saul, he gets hired for crim law gigs despite low experience because the cartel guys are more interested in his ethical flexibility than his legal expertise.

I don't think it's as good as breaking bad, (to put it politely.)

but if you loved BB, you're likely to dig it. 

i did dig last night's episode after feeling the season was off to an inauspicious start.

"small heart attack" according to his twitter.