In general, the documented precedent cases are used to develop a consensus by legal crowds. In many places "jury nullification" can theoretically supersede the courts judgement, but will likely get you kicked from the pool if you know such things exist. This is also why many punitive laws survive, simply by settling out of court via plea deals to avoid direct community/jury input. Citizens are still in charge, but decades of media often convinced people due process was somehow a bad thing (Socrates would be disappointed).

As a side note, if you are not using a legal rep, than expect people to make a bureaucracy more painful. Talk to a lawyer before you try to talk with anyone else, as you may be initially innocent.. but say/do something contradictory that still lands you in trouble. I also advise against doing your own dentistry as well. ;-)

It would be cool to have a law database effort which focuses on building something accessible that makes lawyers lives easier, and provides a tax free donation link to a nonprofit organization. Perhaps some sort of curated wiki style journal site with a validated legal comment section.

I like my lawyers and commercial accountants, as they were the best investment one could make for a business. =)