Legal eagles Saul Goodman, Vincent Gambini and Harvey Specter are worth their weight in gold
SLOUGH, ENGLAND:
No one has worked harder to romanticize the American legal system than John Grisham toiling away at his typewriter (or keyboard, as the case may be) in the ’90s. With A time to kill and The Chamber At the urging of the average millennial, learning about things like the Fifth Amendment and which states preferred the gas chamber to the electric chair in the Bible Belt was much more enjoyable than memorizing boring schoolwork about covalent bonds or the cosine rule.
Similarly, when it comes to legal eagles in film and television, the world has come leaps and bounds. Where we once had Jackie Chiles doing everything she could to dispel Kramer’s legal problems in SeinfeldWe now have Annalize Keating on hand during difficult times in How to get away with it. Let’s take a closer look at three more unforgettable on-screen lawyers.
Saul Goodman (‘Breaking Bad’)
If you are looking for devious ways to get around a legal problem, Saul will be at your service. Saúl may be self-centered, but he also has no scruples, a vital quality when there are troubling legal problems that need attention. Walter White, chemistry professor turned methamphetamine dealer, had endless legal problems until he hired Saul’s services. Without Saul, Walter’s drug empire would never have reached its robust proportions. For criminals, do as advertised. Call Saul.
Vincent Gambini (‘My Cousin Vinny’)
Vinny is not the lawyer anyone would voluntarily call. He has no idea how to cajole a judge. He had to take the bar exam six times before passing it. He is easily frightened by owls in the desert and is sadly unaware of his fiancée’s ticking biological clock and her desire to have children. No one can understand how short, stocky, and washed up Vinny has managed to hold on to this beautiful, raven-haired fiancée. Until Vinny works his magic in the courtroom and destroys his opponent’s witnesses with hard-to-miss logic, saving two innocent children destined for the electric chair (despite his unconventional attire). Vinny may not be the male model of the year, but he has two things that women find irresistible: impeccable street smarts and a talented mind.
Harvey Specter (‘Suits’)
Harvey Specter is not only tall, affable and elegant, but he also owns the most fabulous apartment ever. If you want to hire a lawyer for any reason, Harvey is your man, if only for the fabulous view from the endless stream of windows in his apartment (which he definitely doesn’t have the time or inclination to clean). Harvey is sick of fawning and ingratiating law students and agrees to take on the brainy Mike Ross, a move that proves to be a headache for both him and Mike for a long time. Mike may have an excellent legal brain and an encyclopedia-like memory, but his lack of legal credentials gets in the way on more than one occasion. Luckily, Harvey is also talented in the brain department and maneuvers around this little problem as many times as necessary. Like many of his peers, Harvey has the unnerving ability to take one look at a blue folder and immediately decode the legal mumbo-jumbo found inside. Harvey is loaded with intelligence, beauty and wealth. He is the one who must win.
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