Legal Procedures | A L C R Y S T

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Legal Procedures

Nov 27, 2013 6:06:53 GMT -6 Word Count:

Post by Brady on Nov 27, 2013 6:06:53 GMT -6

Legal Procedures

Magic is plentiful in the land of Alcryst but none so limiting as the legal documents forged by some of the most feared beings: lawyers. Oh, how the knees tremble. A dip of blood-soaked ink, a few strokes on weathered parchment, and lives are irrevocably changed. The driving force between all deals and warning behind all violations, simple pieces of paper are the strings of puppeteers.

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Many systems require lawyer-made documents, which constitute a wide variety of paperwork, including contracts, marriage licenses, divorces, lawsuits, and appeals.
Though there are specific requirements for several systems, lawyers may additionally draft a contract for any feasible function on Alcryst. Some common uses outside of any particular system are contracts for employees, guild memberships, customer programs, prenuptial agreements, freelance service stipulations, inn or stable renting rules, contest participation requirements, peace treaties, and alliances. All involved parties must sign the contract for it to be valid, a lawyer must sign it for legal verification, and it must be posted in Invocation for a staff member to review the document and then add it to Certification.
Once a contract is established in Certification, it is considered active and binding. Staff will not automatically monitor compliance with active contracts but will enforce the explicit terms of a contract--such as termination clauses, penalties for breaking terms, any exchanges of compensation, or expiration dates--if notified through Invocation or Grievances as per the rules of the Bastille. Staff will not act upon unstated terms or implications. Contracts may be revised if the original lawyer and all parties agree and sign any amendments. Amendments must be posted in Invocation for the original document to be archived and the amended document to replace it.
Signed marriage licenses, recorded in Certification, are required for any marriage to be legally recognized and the "Relationship" field in the participating IC accounts must represent their married status. Marriages between any human races and any number of spouses above the age of 36 are welcomed. Weddings themselves may be conducted in any location, such as Caracole Foyer or the outskirts, following their own traditions and led by an officiant of their choice. Weddings are not mandatory.
Divorces may also be submitted through a lawyer, at which point staff will void the previous marriage certificate. If a divorced character wishes to receive any compensation that was not detailed in a prenuptial, such as splitting their shared property or settling who will run their shared business, a lawyer may submit a lawsuit. Divorces must be represented in the "Relationship" field of participating IC accounts, which may be removed if a character remarries.
Characters may file lawsuits against each other for any large or small matter they deem suitable, whether it be a practical or outlandish offense, with staff acting as the judge. Lawyers must present the best argument for their case through Erudite Tribunal using the label "Lawsuit" and must tag the defendant's IC and OOC accounts. The defendant is granted 7 days to respond with their defense. After the defense is given or if the 7 days expire, administration will review the case and offer a verdict. Verdicts will not always lean solely in favor of either side; sometimes there may be a compromise or a new compensation decided apart from what was originally requested by the plaintiff. There will also be verdicts that simply deem the case rejected and lack any result other than the resolution of the case. If you disagree with the verdict, you may file an appeal, as described below. The same lawsuit may only be submitted once and appealed once. You may not sue characters if their roleplayer is away following the rules of Voids.
Characters may hire a lawyer to submit appeals; this may be to overturn a verdict from a lawsuit, dispute an existing contract, negate, reduce, or combine punishments from the Bastille, wipe an official record, or even an attempt to alter a Faewin or Morrene law. If appealing to Morrene's citizen judiciary, the appeal should be brought to their council following their rules. All other appeals should be submitted to Erudite Tribunal using the label "Appeal."
Lawyers must be registered through the Almanac. All details regarding their service are chosen at their discretion, including compensation, rules, if customers may author their own documents, their seal if one is desired, and how the documents are presented. For example, lawyers may use their own designated table or have particular terms they always include. Members are welcome to utilize our optional generic table found here.
Though lawyers are not required to write the legal documents themselves unless preferred, they must approve and sign them. Lawyers are held responsible for any documents they sign, such as filing them with staff, and are required to assist in settling any disputes that later occur between participating parties, such as a disagreement in what a term means. If an appeal is filed to dispute an existing contract, the lawyer responsible for that contract will be summoned to weigh in.
Legal meetings to discuss documents must occur within IC threads. If contracts include any OOC content, they may be handled through OOC notes in the IC posts. If the entire contract consists purely of OOC content, then members may hold their meeting in Palaver.
Outside of paperwork, lawyers may also be hired as consultants for any applicable services, such as searching for a loophole in an existing contract. Additionally, they may be hired as mediators.
Contracts are bound by magic through the use of mandatory quills purchased from a merchant in the Galleria. Each document requires its own quill which must be imbued with the blood of all involved parties and their lawyer.
Lawyer transaction threads are archived in Freelancer Receipts. You must log your records in Scrolls, as described in the Faewin Lawbook, which is mandatory to read. Alcryst's Scrolls site was coded from scratch by Brynora and hosted by her realistic SIM, Elite Equestrian.

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Post by Brady on Nov 27, 2013 6:06:53 GMT -6