Better Call Saul

Like ‘Suits’ Meets ‘Mad Men’ But With Fraud Charges Because It’s Real Life

Fake law degree ends up in real court.

Morning Docket: 04.19.21

* A prominent Dallas attorney is accused of agreeing to launder drug money for a share of the profits. Is his name Saul Goodman? [Dallas Morning News] * A billionaire was purportedly able to cheat on his taxes without going to jail even though his lawyer faces serious charges and possible prison time. [Daily Beast] * A disbarred New Jersey lawyer has been connected to a company that was at one time worth $100 million despite owning one single deli. Maybe the valuation was based on the quality of its Reuben... [CNBC] * A lawsuit claims that Jerry Falwell, Jr.'s accuser has compromising photos and communications that would be damaging to Falwell's family. [Newsweek] * An Oregon lawyer may be suspended from practice for alleged misconduct during a high school soccer coach dispute. Guess he could be getting the red card... [Oregonian]

Morning Docket: 11.16.20

* Judge Judy's lawsuit against a former broadcast partner about allegedly unpaid profits is heating up. Maybe they can resolve their differences on The People's Court... [Deadline] * A lawyer for the first woman to face a federal execution in decades is seeking a delay of the execution because the attorney is battling COVID-19. [Yahoo News] * It has been recently revealed that one of Jeffrey Epstein's defense lawyers, who got Epstein a "sweetheart" plea bargain in 2009, previously dated a top prosecutor involved with the deal. [New York Post] * New Jersey policymakers have moved to name a building at Rutgers University after Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who taught at Rutgers Law between 1963 and 1972. [New Jersey Law Journal] * A lawyer has been sentenced to four years in prison for allegedly smuggling meth to clients in jail. Going to refrain from making a lazy Breaking Bad or Better Call Saul joke here... [Texarkana Gazette]

Morning Docket: 11.02.20

* A North Dakota lawyer has been disbarred for trying to sell drugs. This might be the perfect mix of Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad. [Bloomberg Law] * Attorney General Barr has reportedly told friends he would like to remain Attorney General if President Trump wins reelection. [Washington Post] * A former Virginia lawyer has been indicted on federal charges related to financial misconduct. [ABC News] * The Attorney General of New York is reportedly preparing a list of Trump actions for Joe Biden to undo if he wins the upcoming election. [NBC News] * Canada Dry has settled a lawsuit alleging that the company falsely claimed health benefits for its ginger ale. They should have advertised how it makes a good chaser instead... [Fox News]

‘Better Call Saul’ Is The Most Accurate Legal Show On Television

When you finish with The Paper Chase series, get ready to binge Better Call Saul.

Morning Docket: 05.28.20

* Three members of a $31.7 million fraudulent slip-and-fall ring have been sentenced to prison. Wonder if they got the idea from Slippin' Jimmy. [Insurance Journal] * Former presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard has abandoned her short-lived defamation lawsuit against Hillary Clinton. [CNN] * A Louisiana attorney who was suspended from practice for chest bumping a prosecutor has been reinstated as a lawyer. Apparently the chest bump was not like the kind seen in football. [Advocate] * The Los Angeles City Attorney has sued a company for selling allegedly fake COVID-19 tests. [Orange County Register] * There is some hope that a TV series based on The Lincoln Lawyer will be produced after all. Thought I already saw the reboot, but realized it was just a Matthew McConaughey car commercial. [Hollywood Reporter] * Since this website has not published a Lawyerly Lairs article in a while, just wanted to report that a top Chicago criminal lawyer has listed his posh pad for sale. [Crain's Chicago]

Standard Of Review: ‘Better Call Saul’ Excels With ‘Chicanery’

Last week's episode may be the first truly memorable Better Call Saul episode.

Non-Sequiturs: 05.17.17

* Congratulations to Erwin Chemerinsky, the next dean of Berkeley Law! [How Appealing] * Speaking of deans, this Yale dean -- note, not a dean at the law school -- "loves diversity, except for ‘white trash.’" [Instapundit] * The latest entrant into the FBI director sweepstakes: former senator Joe Lieberman, now senior counsel at one of Donald Trump's "go-to" law firms, Kasowitz Benson. [Newsweek] * "Americans like piece of paper? I have piece of paper!" [Althouse] * In case you were wondering, "Did Rosie O'Donnell ever study constitutional law?" [NewsBusters] * Legal nerds, let's get ready to rumble! Professor Gerard Magliocca asks: "Is Justice Story overrated?" [Concurring Opinions] * Shearman & Sterling partner (and podcaster) Richard Hsu is joining the Major leagues -- legal recruiting firm Major, Lindsey & Africa, that is. [LinkedIn] * Randy Maniloff interviews celebrated lawyer/author Scott Turow, whose new book, Testimony (affiliate link), just came out. [Coverage Opinions] * An argument in favor of protecting your cellphone with your thumbprint and a password. [Katz Justice] * "If you had to choose a law partner from the characters in Better Call Saul, who would you choose?" [Guile is Good] * If you're a law student interested in ediscovery, check out this contest, sponsored by kCura. [kCura via PR Newswire]

Standard Of Review: ‘Better Call Saul’ Returns With An Old Friend In Tow

Better Call Saul is a very good show, but it has something of an identity problem.

Standard Of Review: Handing Out Some Awards For 2016

Here are the awards (which run the gamut from serious to irreverent).

Non-Sequiturs: 05.09.16

* Drugs, sex, and death. A lawyer lands in hot water after his teenage lover dies. [CNN] * The Good Wife took its final curtain call, and it was pitch perfect. [Slate] * Properly preparing for the LSAT might make you a little difficult to take in social situations. But you probably knew that already. [Pre-law Guru] * Should this lawyer tone down his ads? They're very... Better Call Saul. [Law and More] * A lawyer's run for a Florida state judgeship is cut short over 20 cents. The devil is indeed in the details. [Miami Herald] * Where did that case come from? An analysis of where cases before the Supreme Court originate. [Empirical SCOTUS]

Standard Of Review: On ‘Better Call Saul,’ Characters Are Blowing In The Wind

Despite a few narrative bumps, the fact that our TV critic Harry Graff can write an entire column on Better Call Saul that focuses on two non-leads shows the care the show takes with each and every character.

Non-Sequiturs: 04.05.16

* Students at Villanova Law School got the day off to recover after Kris Jenkins's epic buzzer beater and the school's first NCAA men's basketball championship in 30 years. [NBC Philadelphia] * University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law has a great plan to help students deal with stress: puppies! [Daily Utah Chronicle] * Tracing Mahatma Gandhi's peace disobedience protests, which began 86 years ago this week, back to his roots as a lawyer. [Guile is Good] * If you send a text, and the person you send it to reads it while driving, could you be found liable for an injuries they cause while driving distracted? This scenario, seemingly taken from a law school fact pattern, just might be true. [Personal Injury Attorney Blog] * An in-depth look at how Zubik v. Burwell relates to other First Amendment free exercise cases. [Empirical SCOTUS] * Are there actually practice pointers you can pick up from watching Better Call Saul? [Reboot Your Law Practice]