Court-Records: An Ace Attorney Fansite

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OCC2018 Fanart - Cornelius Legem

Poster: Starora

Circa:

Tags:

...And a bonus expression study (in scarlet), with evidence form of pendant.

Entrant's Name: Starora
Entrant's Website: http://vctrsvntrs.tumblr.com/

Character's Name: Cornelius Legem (aka "The Devil's Advocate")
Age: 26
Occupation: Defence lawyer

Brief Physical Description: A slender young man in a striking scarlet suit, with high-arching eyebrows, and two piercing blue eyes which stand out from his freckled face. He wears a powdered wig to cover his fiery ginger hair, which curls out from beneath. The front of his outfit is laden with frills, and, among them, a glimmering, jewelled, cross-shaped pendant which he has a habit of clutching at when he is worried or scared. He also has a missing front tooth.

Brief Personality Description: Following the religious beliefs which guide him, Cornelius finds himself unable to pass up an opportunity to help those less fortunate than him. He tends to be sceptical towards the prosecution, as he believes their motives to be impure. With his interest in literature, he looks for symbolism in the information regarding cases, hoping that it will lead him to the truth.

Connection to canon characters: As a student of literature, Cornelius was called to become a juror in a murder trial which was prosecuted by Barok Van Zieks, with no defence attorney present. Being the only person present who had sighted a contradiction in the prosecution's argument, as it related to his specialist knowledge of biblical texts, he leapt from the jury, to the defence bench, to become the defence lawyer for the case (note: this is a very Ace Attorney thing to do, even if it is implausible in reality).

Brief Background: Coming from humble origins, Cornelius grew up in a religious, yet progressive, household, wherein much of his youth was spent analysing religious texts, and perusing volumes of poetry. Initially setting out to become a novelist, but an involvement in law began when he was called to partake in the jury for a murder trial (mentioned in previous paragraph). Since then, he left his literary pursuits with intent to become a lawyer, and defend those in dire situations. He rarely charges his defendants for his services, and obtains funds from writing academic papers on the subject of law. His red colour-scheme, devil-like horned wig, religious knowledge, and penchant for defending those who are initially perceived to be guilty and sinful led for the public to give him the nickname "The Devil's Advocate".

Some Trivia:
- "Cornelius", comes from the latin for "horn" (his wig looks like horns), and also has links in Christianity (being the name of a biblical figure, a pope, and multiple saints). The rest of his name comes from the legal term "consensus facit legem", meaning "consensus makes the law", which ties in with his belief that the law should be inclusive, and that everyone should have access to a fair trial.
- The red gemstone above his cross is a carnelian, which symbolises his bravery in being willing to defend those in dire circumstances, no matter how impossible the situation may seem. It also has some links to his name. His other gemstone is turquoise, which brings him luck and protection in the courtroom.
- He uses his cross-shaped pendant in many of his expressions, such as firmly grasping it and muttering in a hopeful act of prayer, or holding it before his face in fear or shock. It has also been proven to be a useful piece of evidence, in the same way that an attorney's badge would be.