Professional Experience
Career History
From Cicero to a courtroom to a strip mall to a Cinnabon. The trajectory is unconventional but never boring.
Managing Partner — Full-Service Legal Solutions
Saul Goodman & Associates
Albuquerque, New Mexico (strip mall adjacent to Nail Artistry & Burrito Bonanza)
- Founded and operated a thriving legal practice specializing in criminal defense, elder law, asset protection, and 'situations'
- Maintained 24/7 availability via billboard, bus bench, and late-night television advertising across all Albuquerque metro area channels
- Achieved a client acquisition rate that would make a used car lot weep with envy
- Installed inflatable Statue of Liberty on roof to attract foot traffic — ROI: immeasurable
- Pioneered the 'free consultation' model, which technically never ended because every conversation was a consultation
- Built a referral network so extensive that clients found me before they even knew they needed a lawyer
- Successfully represented clients in cases involving controlled substances, money laundering, and creative interpretations of property law
- Maintained a perfect record of never asking clients where the money came from
Solo Practitioner — Elder Law & Estate Planning
James M. McGill, Esq. (doing business as Jimmy McGill)
Albuquerque, New Mexico (operating from the back of a nail salon)
- Served the elderly community of the Sandpiper Crossing assisted living facility with dedication and genuine care
- Uncovered a multimillion-dollar fraud scheme targeting elderly residents — the one time the system actually worked
- Built a client base through Jell-O, patience, and actually listening to people who had been ignored
- Operated on a shoestring budget that makes public interest law look lavish
- Passed the bar on the third attempt, proving that persistence beats talent (or at least ties it)
- Drove a yellow 1998 Suzuki Esteem, which is both a car model and a personal aspiration
Public Defender — Volume Operations
Bernalillo County Public Defender's Office
Albuquerque, New Mexico
- Handled 314 consecutive cases with zero preparation and an enthusiasm that confused the judiciary
- Negotiated plea deals so fast the court reporter asked me to slow down
- Earned $700 per case, which works out to roughly $4.50/hour when you factor in the crying in the parking lot
- Developed the ability to read a case file, identify the angle, and deliver a closing argument in under 90 seconds
- Received the unofficial title of 'Best Lawyer a Public Defendant Could Afford' from grateful clients
Independent Contractor — Various Enterprises
Slippin' Jimmy
Cicero, Illinois
- Demonstrated early aptitude for persuasion, negotiation, and rapid improvisation
- Will not elaborate further on this period
- No further questions, please
Skills & Proficiencies
Core Competencies
Note the inverse relationship between legal skill and ethical restraint. This is a feature, not a bug.
Cover Letter
Application Letter
Starts strong. Gets stronger. By paragraph three he's selling you something. By the P.S. he's offering burner phones.
Dear Hiring Committee,
Let me stop you right there. I know what you're thinking. 'Another lawyer.' 'Another resume.' 'Another guy in a suit promising the moon.' But here's the difference between me and every other candidate in your pile: I deliver. I deliver in court. I deliver on billboards. I deliver at 3 AM from the parking lot of a Denny's because that's where my client needed me. You're not hiring a lawyer. You're hiring a force of nature in a pinstripe suit.
My credentials speak for themselves, but since I never let anything speak for itself when I can speak louder — let me walk you through them. I am the founder and managing partner of Saul Goodman & Associates, the most visible law firm in Albuquerque. And when I say visible, I mean it literally. You cannot drive two miles in this city without seeing my face on a bus bench, a billboard, or a late-night TV commercial. That's not ego. That's market penetration.
Before that, I was Jimmy McGill — solo practitioner, elder law specialist, champion of the underserved. I uncovered a multimillion-dollar fraud scheme targeting elderly residents at Sandpiper Crossing. Did it make me rich? No. Did it make me feel good? Briefly. Did it teach me that the system only works when someone is willing to fight it? Absolutely. I have been fighting it ever since, in increasingly creative ways.
I should address the elephant in the room. Yes, I changed my name. Twice. The first time was for branding purposes. The second time was for — let's call them 'logistical' purposes. I am now fully committed to whichever name is on this letterhead. The point is: I adapt. I evolve. I survive. That's what you want in outside counsel.
I am available for a free consultation at any time. Nights, weekends, holidays, during your nephew's baptism — I don't judge, and I don't keep banker's hours. Call me. Actually, call me right now. Why are you still reading this? Pick up the phone.
Better Call Saul,
Saul Goodman, Esq.
J.D., University of American Samoa (Go Land Crabs!)
P.S. — I also do excellent work with a prepaid cell phone, should your organization require discretion. Ask about our 'Mike Package' for enhanced privacy solutions.
Interview Transcript
Candidate Interview
Started as an interview. Became a sales pitch. Ended with a business card and a free consultation offer. HR was impressed despite themselves.
Q: Thank you for coming in, Mr. Goodman. Tell us about your practice.
Saul: First of all — and I say this to everyone — you're making a smart choice just by talking to me. Most people wait until they're in trouble. You? You're ahead of the curve. Now, my practice is full-service. Criminal defense, elder law, asset protection, corporate restructuring, and what I like to call 'creative problem-solving.' You got a problem? I got a guy. You got a bigger problem? I got a better guy. You got a problem that doesn't technically have a legal solution? [leans in] I know a guy for that too.
Q: Can you walk us through your approach to client relations?
Saul: Absolutely. My clients are my family. And like family, I never ask where the money comes from and I always show up when they call. I have a 24-hour hotline. I have bus benches. I have billboards — you've seen the billboards, right? 'Better Call Saul'? That's not just a slogan, that's a promise. I had a client call me at 3 AM from a ditch and I was there in twenty minutes with a suit, a briefcase, and a constitutional argument. That's service. That's commitment. That's Saul Goodman.
Q: Your record as a public defender is... unusual. 314 cases?
Saul: Three hundred and fourteen. Back to back. No prep, no breaks, and frankly, no lunch most days. You know what that teaches you? Speed. Efficiency. The ability to find the one legal argument that matters while simultaneously eating a breakfast burrito. Some lawyers prepare for weeks. I prepare in the elevator on the way to the courtroom. And you know what? My clients got the same result either way. The system is the system. I just learned to work it faster than anyone else.
Q: Tell us about the transition from Jimmy McGill to Saul Goodman.
Saul: Rebranding. Pure and simple. 'Jimmy McGill' is a guy who works out of the back of a nail salon. 'Saul Goodman' is a guy who has an inflatable Statue of Liberty on his roof. Which one do YOU want representing you in court? Exactly. It's all about perception. Also — and this is between us — 'S'all good, man.' Say it fast. It's a guarantee built right into the name. Marketing genius? I'll let you be the judge. [winks] Speaking of judges, I know several. Personally.
Q: How do you handle ethical dilemmas in your practice?
Saul: Ethically. [long pause] Look, the law is a living document. The Constitution is a living document. Ethics? Also living. Growing. Adapting. What was 'ethically questionable' ten years ago is 'creative lawyering' today. I don't break rules. I find the spaces between rules that nobody else noticed. Is it a loophole if it was there the whole time? That's not a loophole, that's a door. I just happen to be the guy with the key. And the door is always open. First consultation is free, by the way.
Q: Can you provide references from past clients?
Saul: I can provide references from SATISFIED past clients. I've got a filing cabinet full of thank-you notes. Well, not literally thank-you notes — more like unsigned letters from PO boxes. But the sentiment is there. One client — I won't name names, big guy in the local restaurant industry — told me I was 'a surprisingly useful person.' That's a direct quote. Another client — real science-oriented fellow — said I 'got results.' I'll take that. Results are what I sell. Results and billboards.
Q: Where do you see yourself in five years?
Saul: [extremely long pause] ... Managing a Cinnabon in Omaha. [laughs nervously] I'm kidding. That's — why would I say that? Five years from now? Bigger office. More billboards. Maybe a TV show — not about the law, about ME. 'Better Call Saul.' Has a ring to it, right? I'm also exploring some opportunities in the vacuum cleaner industry, but that's — forget I mentioned that. Five years. Top of the game. That's the plan.
Q: One last question — why should we hire you?
Saul: Because I will outwork, outthink, and out-hustle every other candidate you're talking to. Because I started with nothing — less than nothing — in the back of a nail salon, and I built a practice that has billboards visible from the interstate. Because when everyone else said 'you can't do that,' I said 'watch me.' Because I know the law, I know the angles, and more importantly, I know people. And if I don't know someone? [points at you] I know a guy who does. Hire me. You won't regret it. [slides business card across table] First consultation's free. Call me.
References
Endorsements
The references range from cryptic to terse to nonexistent. One of them is still waiting in a room somewhere.
"He got results. I won't say how."
Walter White
Former Client / Chemistry Enthusiast / It's Complicated
"He talks too much. But he's not wrong. I've seen a lot of lawyers in my time. Most of them are useless. Goodman is not useless. He's annoying, he's loud, he dresses like a circus act, and he never shuts up. But when it matters — when it actually matters — he delivers. I wouldn't trust him with my granddaughter. I would trust him with a legal problem. And in this business, that distinction is important."
Mike Ehrmantraut
Security Consultant / Former LEO / Grandfather
"[Declined to comment.]"
Kim Wexler
Attorney / Former Partner / Former... Everything
"Saul's good people. He always made sure I got paid, made sure I had somewhere to sit, and never once asked me to do anything I wasn't reasonably comfortable with. Well, almost never. But he's a good boss. Very generous with the snacks in the office. I'd work for him again. If anyone knows where he is, tell him Huell's still waiting in that room."
Huell Babineaux
Personal Security / Logistics / Sitting Patiently in Rooms
"I once told a judge that the Constitution was a living document and he said 'so is my patience, Mr. Goodman.' I took that as a compliment."
— Saul Goodman, Esq., during a "routine status conference"
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