With the second half of Better Call Saul's sixth season underway, fans are bracing themselves to enjoy the final adventures of a protagonist who has rarely lived a dull moment. From dodging bullets while collecting cartel bail money to being sabotaged by his elder brother, Jimmy McGill, aka Saul Goodman, has seen it all.
But where does Jimmy rank among other fictional TV lawyers who have appeared over the years? Legal practitioners might have their conflicting opinions, but fans who have tuned in simply for the entertainment know who they like to watch in and out of court. And they've made this quite clear on Ranker.
Note: Ranker lists are fan-voted, live, and continue to accrue votes, so some rankings may have changed after this publishing.
Gomez Addams (The Addams Family)
Addams family patriarch Gomez Addams not only gets client paychecks on the regular but also has dozens of assets. The eccentric millionaire is known to be an extreme spendthrift, always splashing money on meaningless items.
Addams is a different kind of lawyer because he rarely wins cases. That's an intentional strategy from him to make sure criminals end up where he believes they belong: in jail. But what awes fans the most about him is that despite his streak of failure in the courtroom, he always manages to convince new offenders that he has their best interests at heart.
Professor Annalise Keating (How To Get Away With Murder)
High-profile criminal defense attorney Annalise Keating doubles as a law professor at Middleton University. Throughout the series, she works closely with her favorite students to solve a number of cases.
Proof of how good someone is at their craft can be determined by how well they are able to pass the knowledge to others, and teaching is something Annerlise does very effortlessly. Through her tutelage, a number of formidable young lawyers emerge. And she doesn't just know how to win cases but also how to cover scandals. Moreover, Annalise is a very relatable character who faces common problems such as relationship failures and bureaucratic obstacles at work.
Casey Novak (Law & Order: SVU)
After a lengthy career as a criminal defense attorney, Casey Novak gets appointed the Senior Assistant District Attorney at the Manhattan DA's office. She thus spends her days prosecuting criminals nabbed by the NYPD's Special Victims Unit.
Casey's brilliance cannot be disputed as she is said to have a 71% success rate. That's commendable considering the fact that the defendants are often represented by high-profile attorneys in New York. And just like the viewers, she never hesitates to express her disgust at the sex crimes she witnesses. Casey is demanding by nature too, an attribute that has resulted in some entertaining clashes between her and the detectives.
Ben Matlock (Matlock)
Folksy lawyer Ben Matlock has a long resume, having represented over 400 plaintiffs and defendants throughout his career. And he charges a flat fee of $100,000.
Matlock is a fascinating protagonist because he is both a lawyer and a detective rolled in tone. Never quite convinced by the investigations of the law enforcement officers, he prefers visiting crime scenes on his own time to piece things together. He is a great team player too, and always works closely with private investigators to enable him to do a better job. Failure isn't part of his DNA either s he has only ever lost three cases.
Mike Ross (Suits)
Mike Ross has had stints as a junior partner, a legal consultant, and an investment banker. Thanks to his unique traits such as a photographic memory and a great fashion sense, he maintains his status as one of the most popular Suits characters throughout the show.
Passing the bar exam without ever attending law school? It's a feat that remains unmatched. Even though he always finds himself tied up in capitalism, Mike's dream has always been to help those who aren't wealthy enough to afford the best legal representation. Despite being a golden boy, Mike's life isn't all smooth-sailing either. Among his most difficult moments is serving time at the Federal Correctional Institution in Connecticut.
Perry Mason (Perry Mason)
Perry Mason starts out as a private investigator but soon becomes an attorney because he feels he is the only one who can argue out his cases well in court. He practices in 1930s Los Angeles.
As a jack of all trades, Mason earns and maintains the respect of fans throughout the series. Not only has he served as a P.I. but he was also an infantry captain during World War I. And as he shines in the courtroom, he gets to deal with multiple personal issues that trigger sympathy in the viewers. One of those is a nasty divorce from his wife.
Saul Goodman (Breaking Bad Universe)
Jimmy McGill, aka Saul Goodman, has had a big part to play in the major events of Vince Gilligan's fictional Albuquerque. It's he that gives Walter White the connections to enable him to "peddle meth" properly, hence resulting in Walter's rise as a kingpin in Breaking Bad. And in the prequel series, Better Call Saul, he represents both clean clients and dirty ones.
No other lawyer on the list has been one of the main characters in two different critically acclaimed shows, so Saul is in his own league in that regard. And what fans truly appreciate about him is that he beat all odds to be where he is. Despite a difficult start as a scam artist to having an influential brother who never wants him to succeed, Saul still manages to become a superstar lawyer.
Harvey Specter (Suits)
Harvey Specter has served as a partner at the law firms Specter Litt Wheeler Williams, and Pearson Hardman, as well as an Assistant DA for the New York County District Attorney's Office. He is also a friend and mentor to Mike Ross.
A multi-dimensional character, Harvey can be charming, overbearing, arrogant, and sweet all at the same time. But what really sets him apart is that he attracts success everywhere he goes. Every law firm he has moved to has ended up posting great returns. During his time as an assistant DA, he had a near-perfect record too.
Alexandra Cabot (Law & Order: SVU)
Alexandra Cabot mostly works with the SVU team as an assistant DA. Additionally, she has briefly served as the homicide bureau chief at New York's DA's office.
While the time of most fictional lawyers is limited to the courtroom and the law firm office, Cabot has had way more adventures. She knows what it's like to live in fear for years as she has had to spend many months in Witness Protection after an assassination attempt by a Colombian cartel. Her passion is admirable too, so much that she once opts to get a job at the International Criminal Court so that she can prosecute sex offenders in war-torn countries.
Jack McCoy (Law & Order)
Jack McCoy is introduced in Law & Order's fifth season as the executive assistant district attorney (EADA). A brilliant legal mind, he enjoys bending the rules to get convictions.
McCoy thrives because he is a risk-taker. He has been found in contempt of court a whopping eight times but it's things like this that make him a worthy character for fas to invest in. Even rival attorneys acknowledge his brilliance, with one describing him as "the top of the legal food chain" in season 13's "Chosen."