I Ranked Every Lawyer on TV (Tier List) 

👮‍♂️ I don't even want to look at the comments to see all the lawyers I missed (who should I add in round 2?) 🚀 Get the Law & Order tier list on Nebula for 26% OFF! legaleagle.link/curiositystream

Saul deserves S tier. Chuck was known to be the best lawyer in the area, and Saul always got the one-up on him in court. Even in breaking bad if you watch closely nothing bad ever happens because of Saul’s advice. Bad things only happen when people ignore it. So if he could keep Walt’s mess out of court then he’s a 10/10

“I’d hire this guy(Saul Goodman) you don’t want a criminal lawyer, you want a “criminal” lawyer” - Jesse Pinkman

The fact that Matt Murdock wasn’t on this list is a federal crime.

Timestamps because why not: 00:00 Pre-show 00:15 Introduction 00:42 TierZoo explains Tiers 01:41 Criteria for ranking 02:05 Phoenix Wright (Ace Attorney) 02:56 Ted Buckland (Scrubs) 04:00 Bob Loblaw (Arrested Development) 04:35 Maggie Lizer (Arrested Development) 05:09 Eli Stone (Eli Stone) 05:37 Saul Goodman (Breaking Bad/Better Call Saul) 06:24 Barry Zuckerkorn (Arrested Development) 07:06 Annalise Keating (How to Get Away With Murder) 07:59 Harvey Spectre and Mike Ross (Suits) 09:12 Unfrozen Caveman (Saturday Night Live) 10:23 Bobby Donnell 10:37 Lionel Hutz (The Simpsons) 11:36 Cast of Ally Mcbeal (Ally McBeal) 12:00 Perry Mason (Perry Mason) 13:30 Ben Matlock (Ben Matlock) 14:01 Marshall Eriksen (How I Met Your Mother) 14:50 Harvey Birdman (Harvey Birdman) 15:47 Jackie Chiles (Seinfeld) 16:30 Gerri Kellman (Succession) 17:23 Jeff Winger (Community) 18:20 Denny Crane and Alan Shore (Boston Legal) 18:44 Alicia Florrick (The Good Wife) 19:07 Jack McCoy (Law and Order) 20:10 Nebula/Curiosity Stream Sponsor spot/End Only a year late :) but we just started watching this video

The fact that the A tier is filled with lawyers who do a lot of shady shit is pretty telling.

Aww, no Charlie Kelly. Probably saving him for the Tier List about Bird Lawyers.

Objection. Mike and Harvey from suits were judged on their performance from the first two episodes. Those episodes set their story arc from where they evolve as characters. If you'd assess their abilities across the series, an/or nearing the end of the series, you'd find they belong on A or S tear (depending which character we judge).

That might be true for Phoenix in the first AA game, but he has been buffed since. He even had to be nerfed after Apollo Justice, where no one can question his law knowledge and skills. Even since the beginning his passion and justice spirit are the biggest on the list. Also we should take into account the weird law world he lives in, where trials only last 3 days and your client is "guilty until proven otherwise". He literally has to catch the real authors of the crimes just so his clients are declared not guilty. Not to mention the magatama, but you could say it's Maya's power and not entirely his. Thought I have to recognize a lot of the time relies on pure intuition and luck. Taking all this into account, he should be B tier at ABSOLUTELY WORST. I guess 🤔

OBJECTION! Ace Attorney is based on the Japanese legal system, in which opposing council is allowed to conceal evidence. In fact this was the point of the original games

The fact that Matt Murdock wasn't on this list is criminal.

Saul was able to reduce a 100+ year sentence to 7 years and in a good prison too. He did all that just to show that he is indeed still good at his job to Kim.

I was hoping to see the chicken lawyer from Futurama. I know how badly he'd be ranked, I just wanted to hear you discuss the merits of a space chicken as a lawyer.

Jeff Winger convinced 12 people that when Professor Duncan did a U-Turn on the freeway and tried to order chalupas from the emergency call box that his only real crime was loving America

"this man has never won a case, including one where the law broken wasn't even a thing. B tier." WTF bro

Objection! Jeff claims that he has never lost a case when he was practicing law. He also has strong examples like when he convinced an arson victim he preferred his house burnt.

I’ve been watching your channel for a while now and Tier Zoo for even longer. Watching you two colab was fantastic. All your stuff is gold DJ, but this is my favorite episode so far!

Unfrozen Caveman lawyer is also a direct ancestor of Lionel Hutz.

Tier Zoo legit just showed up to say “yeah, I can’t help you with this, buddy”. Then dipped.

Before this video I had never seen a tier list with E as a tier. And he didn’t even use it 😂

One of Australia's Funniest ever cult movies is "The Castle" (1997). It's about a fictional Australian government's compulsory acquisition of a family man's home. The defendant's lawyer is Dennis Denuto (played by Tiriel Mora). I would be interested to see in the comments, how people who have seen the movie think he ranks as a theatrical Aussie lawyer.

"why should you go to jail for a crime somebody else noticed?" A question right up there with and equally as valid as "Are we alone?" and "where do we go after we die?

*LegalEagle:* Phoenix Wright is F Tier. *Marvel Vs Capcom 3 Players:* You have never known the terror that is Turnabout Mode...

@LegalEagle I just wanted to say that I have been watching your LegalEagle channel for couple years. And I really enjoy what you're doing here. For people who are interested to learn more about law as hobby but never went into the life path into law, this content is really great. I sometimes lean too much on fictional entertainment to learn how things work in the real world but it's true that one cannot lean on fiction for this. You fill this niche gap. you tell us like it is , without having to hire and pay a lawyer huge money for their time. You make this knowledge available to the masses and empower them to know some of their rights and laws. And you are building a public persona that appears to be ethical and have alot of law knowledge . The suits you wear are also a delight to see with varying color schemes. Kudos to your wardrobe designer or you whoever does it. Thanks so much for your content. For your awareness of who is writing this, I'm a software product owner/business analyst and former software engineer. And I always wondered how I would do as a lawyer being extroverted, passionate, and smart enough to learn and apply problem solving skills to lawyer in a case. Anyway thank you so much for your insights on every RU-vid video. LegalEagle, please reply that you read this.

Oh my god! I've love this channel, and I've also loved Tierzoo for a long time. So seeing this collab video is gold!

Objection! Phoenix Wright works in a satirized future version of the Japanese legal system, where defendants get basically no time to prepare for trial. He has won virtually all his trials, a large number of them having maybe a single night to prepare. Given that he's severely disadvantaged in a grossly broken system and still comes out on top, I think he has earned a bit higher than an F.

Objection: Phoenix Wright is markedly different in the anime, and their interpretations of some of the cases is a bit...spotty. Beyond that, the legal system he's working in has several quirks that aren't really his fault: The world he lives in prioritizes speed and efficiency over accuracy, and thus several things are outright at his disadvantage. Each trial takes place over a maximum of three days, including all investigation of the case. As a defense attorney in the AA universe, you are not entitled to the findings during a police investigation until it's presented during trial; in fact, you are entitled to no evidence unless it's presented this way or found elsewhere, such as being provided by the client or finding it yourself. Thus, this means that almost all evidence in the AA universe is surprise evidence, as the rules preventing such things have been stripped away to support the need for speed and efficiency. Who has time for things like discovery? Is this system completely insane and unrealistic? Absolutely, it's bonkers crazy and is obviously designed to support Ace Attorney's particular style of narrative and gameplay. But, it's the system Phoenix Wright _has_ to deal with to be a defense attorney in the context of his universe. So how well is he able to deal with this system that is so obviously geared to ensure a guilty verdict? He is, without a doubt, one of the best defense attorneys (if not the best) operating within the system. He toppled a prosecutor who abused the system's quirks to maintain a *_40 year_* undefeated streak. And despite how it's set up, he has lost a grand total of 2 cases in his career (that we know of). He got disbarred for a little while after getting framed for falsifying evidence, but eventually his innocence was proven and he came roaring back. He has regularly pushed his way through this system's quirks by his own ability and understanding, and his dedication to his clients. He goes digging around crime scenes himself to figure out what happened, because he _has to_ in the system he works in. Not to mention that on top of this, he has the literal mystical ability to see through someone's lies and force secrets out of them that would have otherwise remained hidden. Whether or not this is allowable in a court of law is debatable, but he has it. So it's not like he doesn't have an understanding of how evidence works; the system he's in deliberately hides it from him and he has to wander through his cases in the dark. With all of this in mind, if you put him in the actual American legal system instead of the crazy one he has to deal with, and he had adjusted and learned to apply what he knows how to do to this system, I have _no doubt_ that he would be even more successful and regarded as an insanely good defense attorney. I know it's a matter of looking at this from the perspective of the American legal system, but it still seems to me that his situation does give him some leeway.

He should have just ranked all the lawyers in all the Law & Order shows in a separate video.

I think the fact that Saul Goodman is unscrupulous makes him S tier. He'll do anything and everything to get his clients off...that's a lawyer anyone would want!

Ted may be a D tier lawyer, but he's an S tier character.

Objection. Lionel Hutz represents Marge in “Marge in Chains” where she’s given prison time after being convicted for shoplifting. He tries to submit a fake verdict which is: 1. Written on a cocktail napkin 2. Still says guilty 3. Guilty is spelled wrong.

Wow. Nice link up!!!!!! I love the content you choose to cross with.

Nice list. Notable omissions, Douglas Wambaugh from Picket Fences. The first 2-3 seasons had some court-centric episodes that are fascinating. If you're able to at some point, I'd recommend finding the interesting court episodes because they get pretty deep in places.

"I have appeared in most courts in this state, sometimes even as a lawyer." Oh, and "Denny Crane!"

Objection: Where is Matt Murdoch (Daredevil), and that dude from bull.

I just love that you have your pop culture knowledge updated. 😃

IMO Jeff Winger is deserving of S-Tier, he can convince anyone of literally anything. The proof is in the scene where he convinces the group that having Chang in the group is better than Rich. And his entire argument is that because they KNOW how terrible of a person Chang is, he must be better than Rich, who's more perfect than humanely possible and therefore hiding something. His closing statement puts it perfectly: "I only know one thing, nobody is this good a person (Rich), and no one can get worse than this (Chang)."

Saul is still S tier in my heart

Lionel Hutz: Weakness: Repeatedly ran over a judge's son, and likes to downplay it.

Wow! This tier list was a mouthful!

I love this. Excellent stuff.

Objection! Why is Kim Weller of “Better Call Saul” not ranked? She’s top-tier! For that matter, how about Howard “Hamlindigo Blue” or tight-ass, fuss-budget Chuck McGill from the same show? These omissions are unconscionable. Get out of my courtroom.

Objection: Phoenix Wright's fighting ability should be much higher, as shown in Marvel vs Capcom 3.

Because I love your Channel I decided this was Important to see your take

This was great. Your videos are always good. I'm going to go look at Nebula now. This was not an endorsement, but rather a genuine compliment. Onward.

Fun fact: in German, “Tierzoo” literally means “animal zoo,” which is redundant but somehow still sounds like an actual German word.

Matt Murdock? Special Ability: Dare-Devil. Midling fight ability due to _being_ Dare-Devil.

Objection, your honor! Saul Goodman needs to be entered as S-tier lawyer! You forgot to mention, that he has absolutely the best TV-commercials that money can't buy! And yes, your honor, I have called Saul already.

Fun video! If this ever gets an update, I'd love to see Mickey Haller from the Lincoln Lawyer TV series ranked

"Oh! Ranking fictional lawyers! This should be fun!" "Phoenix Wright is F-Tier-" *silently turns off computer and walks into the ocean...*

Wild to me that he didn’t mention Phoenix Wright’s special ability of seeing someone’s lies. Wright is virtually undefeated, and has the most passion of any lawyer on this list. The only thing keeping Wright down is his lack law knowledge. But he more than makes up for it with his team tactics, logical reasoning, and adaptability. A Tier minimum

I was really hoping to see rankings for Honey Chandler (Mimi Rogers), Harry Bosch's lawyer, and Dan Fielding (John Larroquette) of Night Court

OBJECTION: Perry Mason did indeed represent guilty clients (unknown when he took the case). The first time was in "The Case of the Terrified Typist" in the shows first season. Also, what about Franklin & Bash or The Grinder?

I’m not even a lawyer and I could tell Annalise wasn’t actually good at her job. How? The script kept telling me how amazing/ perfect/ badass she was at her job. That, and she had first years handle her cases, then scolded them when they messed up, which is to be expected since they’re FIRST YEARS.

“This guy has no law experience at all.” “I’ll put them in B tier.”

Nice video! Would've love to see your opinion on Philadelphia

If you do a part 2, I would love to see where you put Diane Lockhart from The Good Wife / The Good Fight on this list

*Immediately puts Phoenix at F tier* So you have chosen violence

“He never lost a trial” *OBJECTION!* Lionel lost the case against Freddy Quimby

Two well noted TV shows you left off: The Defenders (1961- 1965) and LA Law (1986 - 1994) Regardless of the Tier rating, I'll bet Robert Reed wished his legacy was as Ken Preston instead of Mike Brady.

i love these colabs

LegalEagal is Ryan Reynolds best character, yet. Glad he's branching out.

Objection: Hutz abandons Homer during the trial with the devil, as well as loses during Marge in chains.

You clearly had fun making this video... Good for you! :)

The collab I never knew I needed

If Saul Goodman just falls short of S tier, then Kim Wexler should definitely get it!

I don't know if I saw every episode of Perry Mason but, I did see a lot. There was one episode where his client was guilty and he did get a confession from her while she was on the stand. His special skill is actually getting the guilty person into the courtroom so they can confess.

Phoenix Wright: constantly has to be bailed out by the ghost of his old boss, who'd only led _two_ cases before dying.

I had my lawyer on retainer just in case Jack McCoy didn’t make S Tier. Great video!

Would’ve been wonderful to see Ron LaFlamme and Pete Monohan from Silicon Valley ranked!

Great video. What are your thoughts about LA law?

I love your opinion of law & order lawyers

You spend the whole commentary talking about how Harvey and Mike are actually awful, then put them in B tier. My brain is confused by this contradiction.

LegalEagle finding ways to collab with people I would never think he would collab with.

@LegalEagle I just found your channel and maybe you've already talked about this.I was wondering if you've ever discussed the episode of Law and Order where a sex offender served his prison sentence and they they then had him committed to a mental institution because he was likely to reoffend. The prosecutor wanted to refuse to try it on the basis of double jeopardy but the district attorney was adamant that it go forward. I currently live in Oregon where that is legal and done with high risk offenders. I worked, briefly, in a forensic psych hospital with those types of offenders. I've often wondered about the double jeopardy issue of that, despite knowing how incredibly dangerous it would be to have these people back out on the street. I didn't ever really consider it until I saw that particular episode of Law and Order and was wondering if you could either talk about that episode, or talk about the law itself regarding that type of post incarceration in a forensic psych hospital. I don't know if you'll even see this comment, but maybe someone else will and could point me to a video where you discuss this.

The Practice was an amazing show! Honestly I really loved Eleanor, she was a kickass lawyer ❤️

Hope on the extended version he got the lawyers from “Night Court”

you did not account for the special power of "winger speech"

I'd legitimately like a lawyer game where you build your case before the trial

Should have done Louis Litt too. And after going after Mikes inexperience, you didn't actually think to mention that he didn't graduate from any law school and had his name added to the bar after working as an associate at Pearson Hardman (Pearson/Pearson Darby/Pearson Darby Specter/Pearson Specter/Pearson Specter Litt) just in case somebody came after him after people already came after him and didn't check if he was educated or qualified in any way. And that law firm has changed name so much that is brings up the question about if you continue to replace things, until what point is the same law firm?

Nobody in the E tier on this list, which makes the F tier all the lonelier....

Objection! In the episode “Basic Lupine Urology”, we get to see Jeff Winger’s lawyering skills first-hand, and he ultimately wins the case of the murdered yam.

This is so much fun!

My wife and I were actually cheering through this. Loved it.

Can’t believe he missed kyle’s dad from South Park lol

**Anxiously waits for Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer** **Sees rating** LEGIT LIST, MY DUDE.

So glad I can finally hear him talk more about Marshall.

I would've given Jeff Winger an A. How often does your lawyer have a degree from a community College? Or win a trial against Subway? Or teach law at said community College?

I imagine Devin dressing up in a fine Indochino suit on his days off, logging into Twitch, and streaming something classy like Legend of Zelda or Goldeneye

I'm 99% sure Eli Stone was only mentioned because his name was Stone.

thank you for finally talking about "Matlock ". my favorite lawyer. 👍🏽👍🏼👍🏿👍🏻

Love how the logic of the universe is taken into account- with Lionel Hutz ranked alongside Saul Goodman

I still want you to react to a full episode of Boston Legal. Honestly, it's one of the most amazing and weirdly underrated shows I've ever seen. Denny Crane and Alan Shore are two of the best characters in television.

Marshall's special ability is to yell "lawyered" 😂

It does my heart so well to know that I can trust Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer with my legale needs. However, I an fascinated tobsee how the firm of Nelson and Murdock would fair in this battle, as well as Gerin Hogarth.

I would love to see you do a movie lawyer tier list as I want to see where you would put Fletcher Reede from Liar Liar.

Kim Wexler S-tier easily. Hardest working attorney on earth, insanely smart, brilliant con-woman who successfully bends the law for her clients. Does tons of pro bono work, sticks up for the little guy even when they're guilty. She tells a home-invading cartel sociopath to get his shit together and leave her alone...and he was convinced!

Thanks for this. Would be great to see some international flavored shows as well. I would appreciate your thoughts on the Korean show Extraordinarily Attorney Woo please. Acknowledging that it is a different jurisdiction.

Oh, no Vincenzo. Was looking forward to seeing how you ranked him (and the other lawyers in the show).😁

No Nelson & Murdock? Also, I wonder if you would consider Doctor Who: Trial of a Time Lord for a video.