Halloween is here and if you’re scrambling for a last-minute costume and you still want to play the role of an attorney, then here are a few famous fictional attorneys for you to consider. They’ll not only leave a great impression at any party, but also teach you something invaluable about the legal practice. Each of the following attorneys either encapsulate a truly desirable trait that all clients seek in their counsel or demonstrate what not to do if you want to be a successful and well-respected attorney.

Enact Goodwill

During the day, Matt Murdock is a blind, mild-mannered Manhattan-based criminal defense attorney whose unique lie-detection skills help him win some of New York’s toughest cases. At night, he prowls the rooftops as Marvel Comics’ Daredevil—a swashbuckling masked vigilante sworn to protect the neighborhood of Hell’s Kitchen with his world-class ninjutsu skills and acrobatics.

Matt and his partner Foggy Nelson can teach you a lot about being better involved in your local community. They are known for their pro bono work and continue to offer free consultations once they wind-up becoming New York City’s premiere legal firm. Their charity and goodwill have firmly cemented them as the most compassionate law firm throughout the Five Boroughs, enabling Matt to do as much good in the office and courtroom as out in the crime-infested streets of Midtown.

You too can be a hero by not only constantly striving to provide your clients with the best possible representation, but by giving back to your community. The best possible ways of doing this are by sponsoring local charities relevant to your practice type or donating your time to a local soup kitchen or food bank. For example, if you predominantly handle Social Security and specialize in representing both children and adults, then donate your time to a local charity that helps families of children with disabilities.

So, grab a pair of red-tinted sunglasses and get ready to protect your community.

Embrace a New Community

Vincent LaGuardia "Vinny" Gambini is the lovable, wisecrackin’, back talking protagonist of the hit 1992 comedy My Cousin Vinny. He’s a Brooklyn native, transplanted to rural town in the fictional county of Beechum, Alabama, where he must defend his cousin and his cousin’s best friend in a first-degree murder trial. Despite being a newly licensed attorney trying his first-ever case in a hostile town with a strong prejudice towards outsiders, he and his fiancée Mona Lisa manage to prove their clients’ innocence.

So, what can you learn from Vinny? Throughout the course of the movie, you get to see Vinny’s transformation from Brooklynite to Southerner. He learns to live with the passing of a daily 5:00 AM train, learns how to eat and cook grits, and most importantly, endears himself to the residents of the small town natives. He gets to know locals on a first-name basis, frequents the town diner, and gains the confidence to build and present an amazing defense, all because he’s accepted that he must embrace his new surroundings.

If you’re a recently transplanted attorney setting up shop in a new region or if you’re a native of your current town or city, you can always further engage your local community and do more to learn about your area’s culture and history. Some ways to do this include regularly attending local artisan fairs and neighborhood or volunteering your time at seasonal festivals and school fundraisers. You can also make frequent visits to local museums or community theaters.

To complete this ensemble, all you’ll need is some hair product and a black leather jacket to wear over your suit.

Create Brand Awareness

Jimmy McGill (DBA “Saul Goodman”) is not a particularly good person, but he’s a highly gifted and tenacious lawyer. Yet, despite his natural talent, this con man has repeatedly impeded his own legal career. He’s so self-sabotaging that he’s forced to operate his practice out of a small room behind a nail saloon and resorts to using a tacky slogan, Better Call Saul, which he plasters across billboards throughout Albuquerque.

Obviously, Jimmy’s involvement with the cartel, the suspension of his license and his dysfunctional relationship with family and friends aren’t things that any attorney should strive to emulate, but his efforts to cultivate brand awareness via traditional methods of marketing and advertising is admirable, (although does he certainly form an over-reliance on them and his word-of-mouth reputation rarely serves him much better either). So, what can you learn from him about how to potentially better your legal practice? Well, unlike Slippin’ Jimmy, you can take advantage of online case lead generation!

Lead generation can be a cost and time effective way to expand your caseload. If you’re interested in learning more about eGen’s legal leads, give us a call at 617.800.0089. Our leads also come with our lead management system, eLuminate, that can help you improve your intake process, free yourself of the time required to manage a hands-on marketing campaign, and more efficiently generate and organize your office’s documents.

Everybody loves a villain (or in this case, an anti-hero), so grab a wireless Bluetooth earpiece and get ready to repeat the phrase, “It’s all good, man!”