The Law
SUN 3.17.24,
There is the law that baby understands and accepts, in order to be able to get off the floor he will have to master it. There is a law to everything.. In a Manhattan law office while waiting for a meeting, I found a large art book about lawyers through time, a wonderful book with delightful caricatures and gentlemen from various countries in their court attire.
Dickens had a story about a lawyer didn’t he? They’re a strange lot. It’s a very good profession for the studious minded. I have been going to court for a few years and I am doing this pro se. As a spiritual person, I see the courtroom as a ritual chamber wherein rites are performed with a sign above stating In God we Trust; it’s in God’s hands. We all are assigned our areas according to the part we have come here to play in the ritual. A high, elegant desk houses the magistrate and a bar across the room keeps out the profane.
We all know the law in our heart, “Be a Decent Human Being.” We recoil from the son of a bitch, male or female, who’s a scoundrel. Fairness is instinctive, bred into us. And we inwardly recoil at cruelty. This is Natural Law. As pagans, in human time, since pre-recorded history, men and women have gathered in round houses to create and amend laws to protect the people.
What occurs in a courtroom is always the right outcome because of the ritual one takes part in. You came seeking justice, didn’t you? Twenty million things can happen, during a hearing, and they do. Otherwise there would only be open and shut cases. The courtroom is filled with emotional people. You can feel the tension on entering a room with an unfolding legal case at play.
The power that rules our world, that rules all on the planet earth, has a purpose. and that is the first and only law. Its purpose is fecundity, and all that which encourages and supports it. Below are Luhrenloup’s Rules:
TEN COMMANDMENTS; Pro Se
Rule I
SHOULD ONE DECIDE TO BECOME A PRO SE LITIGANT, one should not expect it to be a walk in the park. The Law needs due respect. There is a process of forms to be filed, by specified dates, return request notices mailed, opposing motions to respond to. It cannot be emphasized enough: litigant must save every scrap of paper involved with the case. A filing system should be set up to keep oneself organized.
Rule II
IN FIRST ENCOUNTER with opposing counsel one is meeting the adversary, the enemy. The potent first meeting is a model of the relationship that will unfold between litigant and opposing attorney. Be alert, and take mental note. Opposing counselor will accede to his client's wishes, no matter how wrong-headed, unethical they are. What's more, he may be playing his own game milking the naive client.
Rule III
NEVER THREATEN: Threats are often not respected, nor acted upon by opponent. They give away information about possible further actions, and if not followed through, for whatever reason, they create disrespect for oneself and one’s word. Better to act and gain the surprise offensive.
Rule IV
ONE CANNOT AVOID BATTLE, only postpone it to the opponent’s advantage.
Rule V
BATTLE IS OF MYTHIC CONSEQUENCE, EXAGGERATED, IDEALIZED AND SPIRITUAL: It is a ritual performed for a noble or just cause, otherwise its loss becomes the most bitter of sorrows and can never be resolved. As in all rituals, preparation, initial actions, follow through are imbued with solemnity. It must be an act of sorcery.
Rule VI
WORDS ARE WEAPONS; in every explanation is a hidden apology.
Rule VII
THE LAW IS ABOUT PAPER. It digests tons each day and wants still more. As a pro se litigant with no courtroom credentials, a lot of the legitimate points you bring up will not be considered, or respected, precisely because one is pro se. One needs to be twice as good, and twice as vigilant as opposing counsel to even get a perfunctory hearing from the judge. Put it down on paper! Get it subpoenaed, stamped, verified; do the work, gather the evidence. Check out other people's briefs, motions and learn how it's done.
Rule VIII
WHAT WILL WINNING THE BATTLE ACCOMPLISH? One can achieve goals without winning the case. The first hearing will not be the last if one intends to attain goals. Regard it as a chess game with its many moves of pawns, knights, bishops, rooks and mighty queen, with their specific skills at one’s command. Focus on the goal, not on winning.
Rule IX
RESPECT THE LAW, AND ITS JUSTICE SYSTEM. Respect the Judge, even when he/she rules against you, especially if the ruling is correct. Respect yourself, your knowledge, beliefs, your quest, dress appropriately for court and conduct yourself in a dignified manner. Don’t play the victim or the righteous avenger – that’s the judge’s decision to make.
Rule X
LASTLY, the opponent must understand what rules were broken. Victor’s justice has to be understood as fair, proportional.