Better Call Saul, Season 1

Kim:
I know this is the last thing you want to hear. I think your chances of getting a favorable ruling from a jury are very slim.

Craig:
What does that mean?

Kim:
We're not in a great position to win at trial.

Betsy:
But we came to you people because we were told you win cases.

Kim:
Winning doesn't always mean "getting a favorable verdict at trial". We try to achieve the best possible outcome for our clients, given each individual case. Frankly, we've worked very hard to stave off an arrest. After the misunderstanding about your, uh, "camping trip", the D.A. was concerned you might be a flight risk.

Betsy:
[scoffs] A flight risk? We–we were practically in our own backyard!

Kim:
That's exactly what we told the D.A. In any case, I think we've managed to come up with a deal that is very favorable under the circumstances.

Betsy:
A deal? I hate that terminology. A deal is what they got O.J.

Craig:
Well, Betsy, maybe we should, you know, hear it...

Betsy:
I'm just saying, it's a terrible term. [to Kim] What kind of deal?

Kim:
If the prosecution decides to file, which is definitely the direction this seems to be headed, and if they choose to stack charges, Craig, you're looking at thirty years in prison.

Craig:
Thirty years?

Kim:
That's the maximum, and given the nature of the charge and the current political environment, I'd say we should expect it. The public outcry in cases like these is a big factor. However, after much discussion with the D.A., who is also invested in keeping the press to a minimum, we have arrived at an arrangement, which would include sixteen months in a county facility.

Craig:
Sixteen months.

Kim:
Down from thirty years. And you most likely wouldn't serve all of it.

Betsy:
But he would have to say he was guilty.

Kim:
Admitting wrongdoing and making the county whole again goes a long way here. Hence the minimal sentence.

Betsy:
Uh, "making the county whole again"?

Kim:
It includes the stipulation that you return $1.6 million in misappropriated funds.

Craig:
Give back the money?

Betsy:
[puts her hand on Craig's arm] But there is no money.

Craig:
There's no money.

Betsy:
We told you, Craig is innocent.

Kim:
I understand. However, I'd like to emphasize again that this deal is Craig's best chance of minimizing jail time.

Betsy:
You're telling us there are drug dealers and murderers walking the streets, but instead of going after them, they want to put an innocent man in jail.

Craig:
There's no other way?

Kim:
I'm sorry. I think, under the circumstances, this is your best option.

Betsy:
Murderers and rapists, and this is how they tr... [inhales deeply] Okay. There is no money. There never was. You have to take this to trial.

Kim:
Look, you have a difficult, but nevertheless straightforward choice to make here. On one hand, you give up the money, plead-

Betsy:
[interrupts] Ah! I just told you, there is no money.

Kim:
...Plead guilty. It's painful, I know. And go to jail for a year and a half. But your other choice? [beat] That is no choice at all. If you go to trial, you'll most likely lose, and Craig goes to prison for decades. Your children will grow up seeing their dad through bars on visiting day. I know what I'd do. I'd take the deal. Two years from now, you can be starting over. It's tough, I know. But you're tough people. And your family is worth it. [beat] Why don't I give you a few moments to discuss this? I know it's a big decision.

Betsy:
We don't need to discuss it. You're fired.