Snarf's Unwarranted Repose- Lazy Law Explained Badly

[Pedantic]

I quite like the idea of a lawyer on retainer being an essential adventuring party expense. I imagine they have a lot of the same legal troubles as penetration testers, to say nothing of all the contracts they get involved in.

 

[Joshua Randall]

What would a game world look like in which trial by combat attorneys were commonplace, indeed legally required?

 

[Maxperson]

Please do not request detailed advice regarding your personal legal situation. I do not care, and I will not offer good advice. And no, “You won’t believe what happened to, um, my best friend when he slipped in the shower, and I’d like to know if he has a claim against the shower head company,” isn’t a good enough dodge, Derek.

• I am more likely to address general questions about the law, the court system, or ways to kill bards and get away with it.
• Finally, if the question is legal AND RPG related, then I am very likely to be interested.

Snarf out.

You won’t believe what happened to, um, my RPG when it slipped in the shower, and I’d like to know if it has a claim against the shower head company.

 

[Staffan]

What would a game world look like in which trial by combat attorneys were commonplace, indeed legally required?

Judicial Champion

A Judicial Champion is a warrior who has been legally designated to carry out trials by combat on behalf of the state. A number of realms in the Old World legally allow a criminal defendant to prove their innocence through trial by combat. The accused are usually pitted against the local...

warhammerfantasy.fandom.com

 

[Ryujin]

Judicial Champion

A Judicial Champion is a warrior who has been legally designated to carry out trials by combat on behalf of the state. A number of realms in the Old World legally allow a criminal defendant to prove their innocence through trial by combat. The accused are usually pitted against the local...

warhammerfantasy.fandom.com

Today I think that we just call our cannon fodder "paralegals."

 

[Squared]

So, while I concur with @Staffan (the show Angel has some interesting takes on the supernatural law firm Wolfram & Hart .... love that name), lawfare can be used in mundane ways if there are evil attorneys.

Some ideas-
1. Do the PCs own any land? Well, they can place liens and quiet title and find ways to take the land.
2. Do the PCs have family members? They can do all of the evil law activities against them, effectively making them penniless. In some jurisdictions, they can even get them jailed.
3. They can gin up some kind of involuntary commitment proceeding, and get the PCs committed against their will.
4. They can file civil lawsuits and tie them up in court dates. And discovery / depositions.
5. They can get additional TROs that involve not just the place, but all the people. They can also do it as harrassing / stalking. If they're really evil, they can have other witnesses file false criminal complaints.
6. In combination with the TROs, they can get orders to prevent the PCs from carrying weapons. Or owning them.
7. If the PCs are licensed investigators, the law firm can have their license revoked.
8. If the PCs have a PI business, the law firm can get their business license revoked so they can't operate the business.
9. If the business is on land that the PCs own, see (1). If they are tenants, then the law firm could work with the landlord and evict them.

Thank you for the ideas. I was never able to get very far into Angel, though I am aware of Wolfram and Hart.

I had previously considered attacking their PI license but that would be a pretty serious escalation, hadn't considered the business license. The TRO was really a shot across the bow, a "don't mess with us." message.

I like the idea of trying to get one of the PCs committed.

What kind of civil lawsuits would be good to throw their way?

None of the PCs have a weapon, they have superpowers.

Two new PCs are from eastern Europe and probably don't have their paperwork in order.

The PCs do have a legal firm on retainer to handle this kind of thing. After all this is the kind of thing that happens in the background, the PCs are not actually going to court and filling out paperwork. Don't need a lawyer episode. While they can make plenty of TV shows about lawyers it ignores just how much boring foot work, and time, is needed behind each of those scenes. The PCs also have federal, military, and local governmental contacts that can help them. They have plenty of friends.

^2

 

[Ryujin]

Thank you for the ideas. I was never able to get very far into Angel, though I am aware of Wolfram and Hart.

I had previously considered attacking their PI license but that would be a pretty serious escalation, hadn't considered the business license. The TRO was really a shot across the bow, a "don't mess with us." message.

I like the idea of trying to get one of the PCs committed.

What kind of civil lawsuits would be good to throw their way?

None of the PCs have a weapon, they have superpowers.

Two new PCs are from eastern Europe and probably don't have their paperwork in order.

The PCs do have a legal firm on retainer to handle this kind of thing. After all this is the kind of thing that happens in the background, the PCs are not actually going to court and filling out paperwork. Don't need a lawyer episode. While they can make plenty of TV shows about lawyers it ignores just how much boring foot work, and time, is needed behind each of those scenes. The PCs also have federal, military, and local governmental contacts that can help them. They have plenty of friends.

^2

Is it fairly well known that they have super powers? If so then they could run the same risk as someone who is a trained martial artist, for example. ADW doesn't necessarily require that a weapon be used and that could elevate both the possible repercussions, and the pre-trial bail conditions over simple assault. I think that it might also be easier to falsify evidence against someone who is, for example, a pyrokinetic than it would be to falsify ballistic evidence.