A common reason to retain a lawyer is to find ways to break the law and avoid punishment. Saith the Smoky Mountain News:
The legislation that set up the framework to allow fracking in North Carolina made it clear that any local rules contradicting the state regulations would be invalid, so the trick is writing language into the ordinance that protects Jackson County against the purported ill effects of fracking while still holding up in court. . . .
Last year, commissioners entered into a contract with the Natural Resources Defense Council, which agreed to give the county free legal advice to write an industrial development ordinance that would protect against the impacts of fracking while also surviving legal challenge, pointed out member Ken Brown. . . .
The goal isn’t to pass a rule saying fracking isn’t allowed — due to state law, such an ordinance wouldn’t hold water for a moment — but rather to add requirements for developers that will better protect residents and the environment.
