Exploiting Vulnerabilities

Chapter 80 Exploiting Vulnerabilities

Hobart's defense was brilliant; he effectively evaded his opponent's attacks while simultaneously blocking all their escape routes with a surprise strike.

However, Hobart also knew that the victory in this case was also due to the opponent's "cooperation" with him. He had considered this issue yesterday. If Barton had been the one to defend the defendant, he would never have insisted that the IOU had no legal effect.

Doing so would either lead to an endless debate with the plaintiff's lawyer, or allow the plaintiff's lawyer to exploit loopholes in the relevant regulations, like Hobart did.

This is not the situation the defendant's lawyer should want to see.

Of course, this is just a hypothesis; Patton wouldn't be interested in such a small case.

The judge quickly issued a verdict, ordering the defendant to repay the loan within three weeks.

At the moment the judge delivered his verdict, Hobert once again felt the exhilarating sensation of digesting the potion!

He immediately concluded: Was this digestion of the potion because I fulfilled my request? No, fulfilling a request only makes the spirit more active. Was it because I exploited the rules of the law? No!

Hobart suddenly realized: It was a loophole; I had exploited a loophole in the regulations!

Compared to his previous potion digestions, Hobart discovered that the potion he digested this time by exploiting a loophole to win the case was similar to the potion he digested when he took actions that were advantageous to himself by exploiting the rules.

The core of being a "lawyer" lies in being adept at utilizing the rules and discovering and exploiting loopholes within them!

Hobert smiled knowingly. By following this rule, he would digest the potion faster than he had planned!

Maybe after two or three more cases like this, I'll be able to completely digest the potion!

After leaving the courtroom, Sean warmly shook hands with Hobart and said, "That was the most brilliant debate I've ever seen!"

Yesterday, when he signed the power of attorney with Hobart, he was still very worried. He felt that Hobart was too young and was only a legal assistant, and he didn't know if he could be a match for the opposing lawyer.

Seeing the defendant's discomfiture today, Sean felt that the lawyer's fees were truly worthwhile.

Arriving at the gallery, Fors smiled and said, "When Hugh pulled me here, I thought I would see two lawyers arguing word by word over some legal provisions that would put anyone to sleep."

"I didn't expect you to win so cleanly and decisively. Hmm, this has given me a lot of inspiration. I'll have to listen to your defense more often in the future. Maybe I can write a novel with a lawyer as the protagonist."

Hobart smiled and said, "I will be here again tomorrow to defend the plaintiff. You can come and sit in if you wish, but that defense is likely to be very difficult."

He will be here tomorrow to defend Bob.

After chatting for a while, the group left. The defendant had promised to repay the loan within the week, and Mr. Sean would only pay Hobart's commission fee after the other party had repaid the money.

Instead of returning to his law firm, Hobart took a horse-drawn carriage to the Ministry of Justice to collect his lawyer's license.

From this day forward, he is a fully-fledged lawyer, which qualifies him to represent clients in a formal courtroom.

Of course, this is on the premise that someone asks him to defend them. Generally, cases in formal courts are criminal cases or disputes of interest between nobles.

As long as they can afford it, they will hire top lawyers to represent them in court.

The majority of a lawyer's work involves preparing defense materials for senior lawyers; they rarely have the opportunity to appear in court.

People who can't afford legal fees will most likely choose not to hire a lawyer, because ordinary lawyers are no match for top lawyers. They often spend money but still lose the case, so it's better not to pay back the money and just accept their fate.

Such thinking and the current situation limit the opportunities for ordinary lawyers like Hobart to appear in court.

However, Hobart thought that he might need to use his bar license in Bob's case, and thinking about tomorrow's defense, he was actually a little uneasy, wondering if his plan would succeed.

During dinner, Donna noticed that something was wrong with Hobart: "Hobart, you seem a little distracted."

"I'm thinking about my defense strategy for tomorrow," Hobart said with a smile. "It will be a huge test for me."

"Haha, pressure is a good thing!" Christine laughed. "It means you're making progress."

He remarked with emotion, "This reminds me of my time in the Southern Continent, when I was a young man about your age..."

So the usual dinner program, "The General's Story in the Southern Continent," began. However, as soon as Christine started her story, Donna interrupted her bluntly: "You two blew up the enemy's bunker together, right? Father, you've already told that story! ...And then the two of you captured nine enemies, right? Father, you've already told that story too..."

Seeing Christine deep in thought, seemingly trying to come up with a new story or recall her glorious deeds, Hobart smiled knowingly, and his mood improved considerably.

The next day, Hobart arrived at the magistrate's court early, but to his surprise, Bob arrived even earlier.

He was still using that cane made from a tree branch, and his clothes were tattered with several obvious holes, but they had clearly been washed and looked much cleaner than when we last met. His hair had also been tidied, which made him look much more energetic.

The two exchanged a smile and entered the magistrate's court one after the other. One sat in the plaintiff's seat, and the other sat in the plaintiff's lawyer's seat.

Only then did Hobart whisper to Bob, "I said before that this case is very difficult. This is not an exaggeration, but we can easily become the enemy of many people, and even the judge may be on our side."

Bob nodded. "Mr. Attorney, I know how precious it is that you have the opportunity to sit next to me."

Hobart smiled. "I don't mean to boast, I just want your complete trust! After the court hearing, whatever I do, you must support me."

“I trust you, lawyer,” Bob said. “David told me about how you took their case and helped them recover their losses.”

Hobart nodded. "That's good."

Then came the wait for the court hearing. Several people gradually appeared in the gallery, including David and Robin, several of Bob's coworkers, and Fors sitting in the corner.

At 9:00 AM sharp, the judge took his seat, and the court session officially began.

As the plaintiff's lawyer, Hobart first stated the fact that Bob was disabled and lost his ability to work at the defendant's factory.

"We will not renege on our debts," the defense attorney said with a smile. "Mr. Arnold is a kind and wealthy man. He has already paid Mr. Bob's medical expenses in accordance with the relevant regulations and will provide Mr. Bob with a one-time compensation of £100."

Hobart said, "That's exactly what I'm trying to say. 100 pounds simply won't be enough to support Mr. Bob from now on."

"so what?"

"We need at least £1000 in compensation!"

These words drew several gasps of surprise.

The defendant's lawyer shook his head: "Plaintiff's lawyer, this is a courtroom, not a circus, and you're not a clown telling lame jokes on stage."

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(End of this chapter)