I'm building a Russian expat living in Seattle for an upcoming game and I need to pick contacts. What are people's thoughts on using the legal system to my advantage? I could be a resident alien or possibly a dual citizen (need to check with the GM). I'm playing SR5, but the subject is relevant to all editions (so no tag).

Lone Star has information on criminal proceedings and even rules for handling a trial, although the rules are just to rate the persecution's case on a scale of 1 to 10 and use that as TN for the lawyer's skill test.

I have a SINner PC with lawyers and financial advisers, mostly because he's accumulated enough of a horde to need professional advice. He hopes to retire soon.

As a GM, I wouldn't have any issues with this sort of thing, but many GMs are wary of their games becoming LaywerRun or SmallBusinessRun. Check with your GM first and gauge their reaction. Tell your GM how you plan to use their legal representation. Is the lawyer a backup plan for when things go awry or are they partner in crime?

If the lawyers are contacts, I would want them to be well-defined in advance - are they straight-laced or dirty, do they know about the PC's career, do they approve or disapprove, etc. - so that they can respond accordingly when the chips are down. Depending on the situation and the granularity of the game, I would also distinguish between the type of lawyer in question (immigration, family, estate planning, criminal defense, etc). Payments, like retainer fees, will also be more prevalent than with other types of contacts.

I like sandbox games so I think this would be fun, but if your GM wants to run a shoot-people-in-the-face-for-money game then you probably better talk it through in advance to find a happy middle ground.

I believe you mean "hoard" - I was confused for a second there.

Well... when one has many, many , many minions in one's employ, ravaging the landscape, one might need legal representation for the damages they incur.

Rofl...

A shoot-people-in-the-face type of character can also use a lawyer, even if only to throw a lot of procedural issues at the investigators and to muddle things up.

@JanessaVR I stand corrected and am dutifully embarrassed as I am the resident grammar tyrant in my games.

@farothel I didn't mean that a lawyer wouldn't be mechanically useful for a face-shooter, rather that each table prefers to explore different aspects of the Sixth World. I love the business and legal sides of things but other people want to stay in the back alleys and shadows.

Sounds like Loyalty to me. At 1 it's just a business relationship, the higher it goes the more the lawyer will be willing to risk license and freedom by helping the character.

"Hello! I'm from Barbarians Incorporated! We're here to pillage you... unless you pay our very generous annual fee! Those of you who pay now will get a Special Bonus[TM]! What's that Special Bonus you ask? Well pay now and you'll find out!"

Sounds like something my old Lunar character from Exalted would try to pull at one point in his carreer.