I was talking with a patent lawyer once about the law and about how it operates, and I realized that lawyers are hackers and hack the law instead of computers
Sort of. That requires the system to work in a consistent and logical manner. It seems many judges don't act consistently or logically, so the outcome may be unknowable. There are so many laws, some of which may even conflict, that the judges can pick and choose which one takes priority or how to interpret them to influence a case.