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Lawyer Ads Today: Better Call [Insert Your Name Here]

By Casey C. Sullivan, Esq. | Last updated on

Saul Goodman isn't exactly the type of lawyer most of us aspire to be. Goodman was made famous as the desperate, slimy, and completely endearing attorney in "Breaking Bad." Played by Bob Odenkirk, Goodman was the bumbling accomplice to Walter White's meth-making mastermind. And the character was so popular he got his own spin-off, in the form of "Better Call Saul," a prequel which chronicles the ways a down-on-his-luck lawyer remains very much down on his luck.

But Saul Goodman has become an unlikely inspiration to many lawyers, at least when it comes to advertising. As the Wall Street Journal's Law Blog points out, "Better Call [Me]" has become a recurrent template for attorney advertising.

Before "Better Call Saul" was a T.V. show, it was a tagline for the in-episode advertising of Saul Goodman in "Breaking Bad." The "Better Call Saul" ads were the epitome of "so bad it's good" lawyer advertising, with Saul asking "Did you know that you have rights?" in a commercial that was definitely put together on a 2002 Macbook.

It's not exactly the Platonic ideal of lawyer T.V. ads, but it has woven its way into the cultural zeitgeist enough to inspire a host of imitators. Jacob Gershman of the WSJ Law Blog collected four examples of the trend and our two favorites are below.


Of course, lawyers aren't the only ones who've taken inspiration from Saul Goodman.

BETTER EMAIL BRAULIO from Thundertiger on Vimeo.

Better Like Mike? Better Retain Jane?

So, what if you want to join the "Better Call" club, but your name doesn't exactly fit the rhyme scheme? Fear not. Gershman recommends taking a few liberties with the catch phrase:

A Kyle, for instance, could try to get traction with "Go to trial with Kyle." You could see local TV lawyer ads advising viewers to "Phone Joan," urging them to "Cast your fate with Kate," "Meet with Pete," or "Get Bjorn on the horn!" or to "Retain Elaine" or...well, you get the idea. Bourassa, though, might be a little tricky. Maybe, "Que pasa, Bourassa?"

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