Better Call Saul is in the midst of its final season, wrapping up more than 13 years with our favorite seedy-yet-lovable bottom-barrel lawyer, Saul Goodman. But fret not — some of that same spirit lives on in the eccentricities of today’s TikTok-famous lawyers. With their ring-clad fingers and flashy, faux-opulent offices, some lawyers are bringing everything we enjoy about Saul to the real world in viral, 15-second increments.
To be clear, there’s absolutely no evidence that any of these lawyers engage in illegal practices or shady dealings like Saul Goodman does throughout Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. For all we know, they’re perfectly upstanding lawyers who uphold the values of their profession to the best of their ability. But there’s something about their style that evokes the best of Saul and his personality — particularly, their commitment to the little guy.
Take lawyer Kevin Kennedy, who posts on TikTok under @kennedylawfirm. Most often, he shares legitimately useful information that benefits those who may be exploited by police or employers. In one video, he explains a few examples of what employers are legally not able to ask of their employees, such as requiring hourly employees to work more than 40 hours a week without paying time-and-a-half for excess hours. In another, he tells viewers that if they’re pulled over for a suspected DUI, the police officer should ask whether they have a mental or physical disability that would impact their ability to perform a field sobriety test. It’s implied that a failure to ask this can potentially result in charges being dropped. In both of these videos, he ends by saying “Now remember, you’ll hear ‘em say, ‘Kev’s got you covered.’”
Kennedy’s aesthetic is a bit different from Saul’s — his style is a bit flashier, with large rings on every single finger and a penchant for pinstripe and pastel suits. But his slightly over-the-top videos are reminiscent of Saul’s melodramatic ads, and his ornate furniture harkens Saul’s famous cocobolo desk and Constitution wallpaper. In almost all of Kennedy’s videos, Saul is mentioned in the comments. “Bro is literally Saul Goodman,” the top comment on the DUI video reads.
Other TikTok lawyers have a similar style, utilizing actors and snazzy edits to share information and promote their law firms. @LawByMike, for example, may not have the same drip as Kennedy, but his content and the way it’s presented are suggestive of the theatrical commercials and billboards of Saul, too. In his videos, he offers up legal advice on topics like when you can file a small-claims case against your landlord and whether you’re legally allowed to flip off a cop (the answer, by the way, is yes).
Like Saul, both @LawByMike and Kennedy’s videos most often demonstrate a desire to defend the Davids of the world versus the Goliaths, which is part of what makes them so likable. Sure, it’s probably the fact that the Goliaths will have to pay out big bucks in a settlement that makes the Davids the ideal clients, but still.
Saul certainly wasn’t perfect, but he had a charm about him and a willingness to take on the cases no one else would, and he did so with flair. The lawyers of TikTok may not be a direct parallel, but in the absence of Saul Goodman, they’ll have to do.
Magdalene Taylor
Magdalene Taylor is a staff writer at MEL. She covers internet culture, sex and the online adult industry. She lives in Brooklyn but is from God's Country, Western Massachusetts.
