4 ms·

Sometimes one just needs to know in general how the law looks like, and cannot be bothered to ask a lawyer. For example, let's say you want to know if it's lega

Sometimes one just needs to know in general how the law looks like, and cannot be bothered to ask a lawyer. For example, let's say you want to know if it's legal to sleep with a 17 year old girl. You ask your friend who has experience with such things. You don't go calling up a lawyer straight away.. it makes you look suspicious.

imgabe 18y ago
If you were going to ask shady questions and worried about looking suspicious, a lawyer would at least be professionally bound to keep your inquiries confidential, your friend isn't.
Eliezer 18y ago
And your friend says "Sure" but he doesn't realize that the "age of consent" varies from state to state, because it seems to him like that logically ought to be a fixed number - in fact it's never occurred to him that it might vary - in fact he doesn't distinguish between federal and state law, just lives with "the law".
mattmaroon 18y ago
Calling a lawyer only makes you look suspicious to the lawyer you called, who is legally prevented from doing anything about it. Also, he's probably seen worse. Let's say you ask your friend, he says it's ok (which he is absolutely certain is true) and you go ahead with the deed. I mean, she was totally hot, and looked like she was at least 20, so I understand. Then you find out the hard way that your friend was wrong. Now you're a registered sex offender (which I think is B.S., but that's beside the point). You spend the rest of your life paying dearly. Even if you were to assume going in that your friend is most lilkely right, the small possibility that he is wrong multiplied by the truly disastrous outcome makes it well-worth having just spoken to a lawyer. I don't know about you, but I'd gladly drop a couple hundred to prevent even a 1% chance of becoming a registered sex offender.

4 ms·

Sometimes one just needs to know in general how the law looks like, and cannot be bothered to ask a lawyer. For example, let's say you want to know if it's lega

by maxklein 18y ago

imgabe 18y ago
If you were going to ask shady questions and worried about looking suspicious, a lawyer would at least be professionally bound to keep your inquiries confidential, your friend isn't.
Eliezer 18y ago
And your friend says "Sure" but he doesn't realize that the "age of consent" varies from state to state, because it seems to him like that logically ought to be a fixed number - in fact it's never occurred to him that it might vary - in fact he doesn't distinguish between federal and state law, just lives with "the law".
mattmaroon 18y ago
Calling a lawyer only makes you look suspicious to the lawyer you called, who is legally prevented from doing anything about it. Also, he's probably seen worse. Let's say you ask your friend, he says it's ok (which he is absolutely certain is true) and you go ahead with the deed. I mean, she was totally hot, and looked like she was at least 20, so I understand. Then you find out the hard way that your friend was wrong. Now you're a registered sex offender (which I think is B.S., but that's beside the point). You spend the rest of your life paying dearly. Even if you were to assume going in that your friend is most lilkely right, the small possibility that he is wrong multiplied by the truly disastrous outcome makes it well-worth having just spoken to a lawyer. I don't know about you, but I'd gladly drop a couple hundred to prevent even a 1% chance of becoming a registered sex offender.