NationStates

Greetings!

This draft is based on the viral story of a Kenyan lawyer with no qualifications who won 26 cases. However, yes, I am not a lawyer myself, so please do correct me if this draft contains unrealistic stuff/inaccuracies/contradictions/incorrect use of terminology etc.

Feedback on effect lines would also be mightily appreciated this time around!

[title] Liar Liar

[desc] Rising legal star Mick Dross, who won twenty out of his first twenty cases, was recently exposed for having no legal qualifications whatsoever and subsequently lying about it.

[validity] has courts, moderate level of corruption, no tuition-free tertiary education

[option] "This conman isn't even the first to try this trick. Many such cases!" fumes @@RANDOMNAME@@, the Chair of the Bar Council, as a thick coat of @@HIS@@ wig powder gets all over your desk. "These grifters make a mockery of our justice system, waste valuable resources and fail the people they represent by not providing expert legal advice, all for a quick buck! Have this disgraceful hustler and anyone else like him imprisoned, and prevent future cases from occuring by strictly scrutinising anyone who claims to be a lawyer."

[validity] has prisons

[effect] forgetting to start legal advice with "IANAL" can land you behind bars

[option] "This conman isn't even the first to try this trick. Many such cases!" fumes @@RANDOMNAME@@, the Chair of the Bar Council, as a thick coat of @@HIS@@ wig powder gets all over your desk. "These grifters make a mockery of our justice system, waste valuable resources and fail the people they represent by not providing expert legal advice, all for a quick buck! Have this disgraceful hustler and anyone else like him exiled, and prevent future cases from occuring by strictly scrutinising anyone who claims to be a lawyer."

[validity] no prisons

[effect] forgetting to start legal advice with "IANAL" can land you in exile

[option] "Or maybe we should consider why people are turning to these methods of practicing law in the first place!" proclaims @@RANDOMNAME@@, an aspiring barrister turned barista who failed the bar exam three times in a row. "Perhaps it's because law school is too expensive. Or perhaps it's because getting a degree means brown-nosing snobs who wouldn't know a creative mind if it slapped them in the face. Or perhaps it's because a degree is a useless waste of time! Mr Dross sure as hell didn't have one, and yet he managed to beat a bunch of people who did. You should allow everyone to choose whoever they want to represent them in court, even if they aren't "qualified" to."

[effect] the "right to counsel" has finally been enshrined in law

[option] "We obviously can't let buffoons run amok in our courthouses, but we also can't let great legal minds slip away because they didn't have the required credentials" says your Minister of Compromises as he attempts to balance your erasers on a model pair of scales. "What if we offered everyone a chance at being a lawyer? Allow aspiring attorneys to take on a maximum of 5 cases without a degree. If they prove themselves to be worthy with their practical skills, we can offer them subsidised legal education and opportunites to be accredited. If they don't show potential, well, tough luck. This way, we can sieve out the bad from the good and maintain a healthy workforce of qualified lawyers."

[effect] people are offered free trials to go to trial

How did he even get in to court without anyone verifying him?

Australian rePublic wrote:How did he even get in to court without anyone verifying him?

I had set the validity to a moderate corruption level to cover possible bases (officials not doing due diligence, guy probably just bribed them, had forged documents made etc).

Don't list possibilities here. Before leader makes any rash decisions are made, there would be an investigation into how it happened. What are the results of said investigation?

Australian rePublic wrote:Don't list possibilities here. Before leader makes any rash decisions are made, there would be an investigation into how it happened. What are the results of said investigation?

I don't think all that is necessary. Based on the first speakers last line, it is implied that the guy could get away with it because the checks on lawyers weren't stringent enough. I think that is enough to explain how the guy could fake being a lawyer for so long.

West Barack and East Obama wrote:

Australian rePublic wrote:Don't list possibilities here. Before leader makes any rash decisions are made, there would be an investigation into how it happened. What are the results of said investigation?

I don't think all that is necessary. Based on the first speakers last line, it is implied that the guy could get away with it because the checks on lawyers weren't stringent enough. I think that is enough to explain how the guy could fake being a lawyer for so long.

Make it clearer

Bump

- No need to add numbers to randomname macros unless you are repeating a name that has been generated elsewhere. The first appearance of any given name should always be without a number. Numberless pronoun macros will always reference the most recent randomname, meaning numbers aren't needed for them either unless an additional randomname has been introduced since the one they're trying to reference.

- Option 1/2 has a couple of missing commas in the "...waste valuable resources..." section. Disbarring (Option 1) isn't something you can do to a person who isn't a lawyer in the first place.

Don't think I've got any other feedback. This looks solid.

Verdant Haven wrote:- No need to add numbers to randomname macros unless you are repeating a name that has been generated elsewhere. The first appearance of any given name should always be without a number. Numberless pronoun macros will always reference the most recent randomname, meaning numbers aren't needed for them either unless an additional randomname has been introduced since the one they're trying to reference.

Okay... I think I got it now. How's my randomnamerandomcoding

West Barack and East Obama wrote:

Verdant Haven wrote:- No need to add numbers to randomname macros unless you are repeating a name that has been generated elsewhere. The first appearance of any given name should always be without a number. Numberless pronoun macros will always reference the most recent randomname, meaning numbers aren't needed for them either unless an additional randomname has been introduced since the one they're trying to reference.

Okay... I think I got it now. How's my randomnamerandomcoding

Looks good now, I believe!

Bump

A Suits reference could be added for humour. What if the fake lawyer was actually really good at his cases, and an argument was made that it didn't matter since he was clearly cut out for being a lawyer?

I'm imagining the fallout being a reference to ex post facto. Other than that, looks great

EDIT: Didn't see option 4. Support!

Pacific Haven wrote:A Suits reference could be added for humour. What if the fake lawyer was actually really good at his cases, and an argument was made that it didn't matter since he was clearly cut out for being a lawyer?

I'm imagining the fallout being a reference to ex post facto. Other than that, looks great

EDIT: Didn't see option 4. Support!

I've never seen that show, but from what I heard of it that sounds like a good idea. I've amended the offenders name to incorporate the reference.

This draft is ready to submit.

Verdant Haven wrote:This draft is ready to submit.

fantastic

I'll leave this up for a few more days before sending it in.