Criminal lawyer's ad is subversive, sarcastic and pretty awesome

Move over, Saul Goodman. Step aside, Lionel Hutz

Busted for a crime in the Steel City? Plan to call Dan.

Daniel Muessig, the criminal defense lawyer whose cheesy, over-the-top ad went viral yesterday, says Saul Goodman from "Breaking Bad" was definitely an inspiration for the commercial.

"As a criminal defense attorney and as somebody who is a cinefile and film buff, I'm aware of the trope, which is why I decided to do the sendup of the trope," Muessig, a 2012 graduate of the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, told Yahoo News.

In the ad, while there are cheesy re-enactments of crimes being committed, Muessing lets potential criminals know, “I pick up the phone, I answer calls, I return letters and I make jail visits. Because I’ll probably be there visiting my friends anyway."

Of course, the Internet took notice. The ad quickly went viral, racking up thousands of views on YouTube and coverage from Slate, Deadspin and more.

"People's reactions to the video seem to break down along professional and generational axises," Muessig said. "Even lawyers are all for it, but the people who seem to get pissed are older lawyers who don't understand how the Internet works and the concept of meta-humor."

"People under the age of 40 in America communicate primarily by showing each other content that is ironically funny."

So is the ad working? "Taking away the notoriety and the controversy and the Web metrics and all that stuff, from a strictly traffic in the door, people sitting down as prospective clients, it more than justified itself."

Trust him. He's a lawyer.

Follow Mike Krumboltz on Twitter (@mikekrumboltz).

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