Saul Goodman

Saul Goodman
Saul Goodman (played by Bob Odenkirk) is Walter and Jesse's criminal lawyer, whom they hired after Badger's arrest. His real surname is McGill, but he thinks his clients feel more confident with a Jewish lawyer; the moniker "Saul Goodman" is also homophonous with the expression "[it]'s all good, man". Though Walter had introduced himself to Saul as Badger's uncle, Saul uncovers Walter's true identity and shows up at Walter's school. He corners Walter into making him a silent partner in their operation in exchange for serving as a consigliere. Saul initially appears to just be a sleazy criminal defense lawyer with a cheesy television ad, but turns out to have a more sophisticated understanding of the illegal drug trade than both Walter and Jesse. He has extensive connections within the criminal underworld, which he utilizes to facilitate drug transactions and other misdeeds. Walter and Jesse come to rely on Saul as a trusted adviser and effective problem-solver. In Season 3, Jesse retains Saul to represent him as an anonymous party seeking to purchase his aunt's home from his parents. Saul blackmails them into selling the property for well below its market value by threatening to expose the prior existence of a meth lab on the premises. Worried that Skyler will testify to the authorities about Walter's meth dealings, he asks a private investigator named Mike to bug the White household. A furious Walter fires Saul when he discovers this, forcing Saul to deal with Jesse alone. When Walter goes back to cooking meth, Saul immediately switches priorities, and is hired back by Walter at a much lower rate than before, telling Jesse "you always go with the winner". Still, he does not abandon Jesse, and continues to act as his lawyer/adviser. When Jesse and Walt fall out of Fring's good graces, Goodman still helps them (though not without complaint). Even when Mike threatens Saul with violence, Saul still does not betray his clients. Instead, he leaves a notepad on his desk with Jesse's supposed location in a trailer park in Virginia. He later warns Jesse and Walt of Mike's interest in locating Jesse.