Happy winter!

It's been a while since I last wrote here, but actually, nothing's really happened.

I always have some audiences to go to, some paperwork to do, some law lessons to go. Last week sounded a bit different, as I had to go on Saturday to another town's university to learn all day long about criminal procedure. I have to admit that until the last minute, I wasn't sure whether or not I'd go ; I had seen te last Harry Potter film on Friday night, after having a Harry Potter-marathon with my two bests friends, I had slept only five hours and on Saturday night was planned a big party for another friend's birthday. So, all week I prayed for snow, which could impeach me to go by car. By doing so, I was just feeling guilty, but I also felt lazy, but I also felt curious about the day, which promised to be interesting.

I lay there, in my bed, just after my clock rang. I had decided it would be better to go by train, so I could sleep in it. The tramway to the station was coming at 7.10 am, which meant I had to get out of my parent's house, where I slept this weekend, at 7 am. At 6.54, I still was in my warm bed, wondering what to do. Anyway, I found myself looking for the Law Faculty at 8.45 am. The day and the lessons were great, actually ; I didn't regret I went. I was of course a bit sleepy, but I convinced myself I was young and this was nothing but another oh-God-I-shouldn't-have-got-out-yesterday day.

This week has only begun, yet it's already horrible. On Monday, I had to be at 9 o'clock at the Law Courts to hear some witnesses examination. I had prepared the case for a very long time and was utmost ready. It wasn't mine, though, but my lover's father, who's a lawyer too, had given it to me so he hadn't to move here just for it. Given my weekend, I went to bed at 9 pm on Sunday, hoping to resolve all my problem with a good night's sleep. Around eleven, my mobile rang : my sweet boyfriend. We missed each other, but as I was very tired and already sleeping, I half heard what he was saying.

At 7.15 am, I woke up wondering if this had all be a dream : I remembered my lover telling me that the witnesses examination wouldn't happen this morning because they hadn't been called, so obviously, they wouldn't come. The Greffe had made an error, which had been communicated to the parties on Friday, and the dominus litis (the lawyer that has the case, here my future father-in-law) had sent me an email on Friday afternoon, which I obviously hadn't seen, for I was watching Harry Potter 7/I at that time, then hanging with friends or at my parents' all weekend without being able to check my emails. My computer was at the office, so I couldn't check at home before going to the Palace. The story seemed completely crazy to me, and I wasn't sure whether I had dreamed it or not. I hurried to the office, and there it was : all was cancelled, because none of the witnesses had been warned, but I still had to go to organize another special audience. I ran back to the car, drove to the Law Courts and arrived at 8.50, so I had time to find the room. But I didn't. As it was a special audience, the 3rd Civil Chamber didn't hold it in room 518, for another Tribunal was sitting there. I asked every single people who could have helped me for advice, the Greffe civil, the Greffe des rôles, the Barreau's secretary, some lawyers, the man at the entrance of the Palace, everyone. I had some hope when I discovered that the room for inquiries was the 490, but when I got there, the lamps weren't lit and it was deserted.

When they say the murderer always comes back to his crime's spot, I think it's because it can reveal usefull. In front of the 518, I saw a lawyer, apparently waiting his time to enter it. Quite desperate, I asked him if he wouldn't know what to do when you have inquiries that can be hold because someone at the Greffe forgot to call the witnesses but when you still have to chose another date with two other lawyers that were due to come too. He nodded and told me "yeah, that's here", pointing at a door next to the 518. It led to a corridor and to a small office, where the judge was already waiting. The lawyer came in with me, and then it was okay, because he was one of the other two lawyers I was looking for. The third never came, we chose in the judge's calendar when to have a new special audience and left.

Today's morning wasn't horrible, but lasted loooooong. I just had two files, the first in Youth and the second at 9.40 in Divorces. For the divorce, the adversary had warned us she would take the case at 9.40 sharp, should we be there or not. I told the Youth's huissier I was there, so he gave me an my adversary the number 2, and I hurried to the Divorces Chamber. Believe it or not, the old menacing lawyer wasn't anywhere to be seen. At 9.55, growling against old bats, I came back to Youth, but the other lawyer had disappeared, even though we were the next to go before the judge. Her client and mine, who had reached an agreement, were waiting in the hall, not understanding why their lawyers should run all day in the Palace without even bothering taking their case. I searched her for twenty minutes, then ran into my divorce's adversary, who said "oh, you're there, I saw your note in the file, I think I arrived right after you left". Yes, I bet. Old bat. I followed her to Divorces Chamber, and it was horrible because my client didn't want to divorce from her's, but I had to take five minutes to tell the lady she couldn't go against that. What's really sad is that those ten minutes changed her life forever, and that I hadn't more time to give her to calm her grief.

I got back to Youth, when the clients told me the other one hadn't come back yet. It was already 10.30 ; fortunately, I heard some other lawyer say that she was in the Parloir, meaning she was drinking a coffee while her client, and mine, were both skipping work and waiting there, and their daughter was skipping school for nothing. Running to the Parloir, I was angry at my colleague for letting these people wait without any news, while they had arrived (and us too) so early and the case was so simple, because they agreed on everything. For heaven's sake, we had number 2! Numbers 3, 4, 5 and some others had finished for a long time and I was still struck there because she was drinking coffee.

At last, I found her, but she stopped me from talking because she absolutely had to have a cigarette. I couldn't say anything, because I'm so young and junior, and she's so experimented and so nice, I must admit it, with me. Her kindness and my uneperience saved her from my anger, but I'm still not happy with all that.

I could come back at the office at 11.30. Crap of a day. Except for the snowing ; I love the snow, even if it's cold and bad for my car. At least, Christmas is not far.

Finally back

I didn't come that much these times. Of course, it's my fault, but some excuses plea in my favour. I can't describe them all, but some are worth the story.

I left you on October, the 18th. The next day was very busy : at 8.30, I had an appointment with my dentist for a broken tooth (never eat something called "glue waffles" and coming from Holland if the pack is opened for more than two days ; they become very, very hard and sticky), and at the same time, I was due to an audience before the Police Tribunal. My adversary was advised of my lateness, but I still had to run, because at 9.00 I had another audience, before the Criminal Tribunal this time. I arrived in the Seventh Criminal Chamber at 9.17, panting, but found no one but the judges, happily chatting of their weekends. I entered shyly the room, looking for some other lawyer to present me to the judge, but she asked me what I was doing here before I could find someone in the corridor.
"- Maître, can I help you?
- Erm, I'm looking for some lawyer to present me, Madam.
- Don't be silly, I already saw you hanging around the Law Courts last year, I don't need someone to present you. Come on, What case are you here for?"
This was one of those mornings when you are sure things will go wrong, because you barely prepared yourself. But, fortunately, when I told the number of the case, the judge looked like my matter really wasn't important.
"- Ooh, that one? Actually, I've already postponed the audience. As you certainly know, the expert still hasn't given her conclusions."
Of course, I knew, but I couldn't believe she would have done that without even hearing me, just because I was there seventeen minutes late. I suddenly understood why the room was empty this early. I thanked them, noted the next audience date (I hadn't any pen, of course, so I had to borrow one) and left, running to the other room.

I didn't find it at the first attempt ; fortunately (again), some lawyer saw I was lost and guided me to the good audience. When I arrived, my adversary directly knew it was me (how could she, I have no idea, for we are 500 lawyers here ; my suspicion is that she saw the horrible pictures of the junior lawyers in the Parloir, where they all can admire us, laughing of our scared faces). We had our turn directly after my arrival, and I found myself out of the Law Courts at 9.38. I just can't imagine how my horrible morning happened to be such a piece of cake.

The rest of the week went very calm, except for the Friday, which was the day of the Junior Lawyers Supper. Each year, they organise a big reception with all lawyers who want to come, with a very nice supper and a dance floor that lasts until dawn. The special thing about the evening is that each boss has to present his or her junior lawyer.
We were going with my boss in his car, and I was due to drive it when coming home. All juniors were scared and stressed about their presentation, but I found myself very calm for once. Except that my boss drank a little too much... My presentation wasn't that bad, for someone who hadn't prepared anything. I enjoyed the reception, the supper and the dance, but when we decided to go back (I had stopped drinking an hour ago), he refused to give me the keys. Torn between fear, law principles and my skin freezing, I jumped into the car at the moment he started the motor. Three miles after, we were stopped by the police, and it took hours to get rid of them. My boss was drunk, I wasn't, so I finally could take him home, take my car and go to sleep.
Now, the end of this story was happy, but it could have turned very badly. Anyway, the police took off his license, what makes me his official chauffeur for two weeks.

Everything is going well. Last week, I had to plea for a divorce (I was so sad! How could a divorce be so formal? "You both want to divorce, okay, it will be done within three weeks, next"), a drunk woman (ha, ha) and a case at the Peace Justice. This last tribunal is actually a local one, that treats only proximity cases, which explains you have one Peace Judge in every neighbourhood. My adversary hadn't any lawyer, so we postponed the case to let her see one. As a lawyer, we have an obligation of information and explanation to the citizens that haven't any lawyer, so I told the lady where to find a lawyer and what she should do. It was curious, giving good ideas to my adversary, but for the first time, when she told me "Thanks, Maître", I felt I could enjoy this job of helping people.

My chauffeur part-time job gave me the privilege of going to different places. For example, I went to another town (their Law Courts are nice from the street, but when you're in it's just ugly) for a father who wants to see her baby daughter at least once a week, while the mother disagrees. Today, I saw five cases in the Law Courts, but this afternoon, we even went to the studios of the national television to speak of an old case of my boss (an old man had set dangerous traps everywhere in the house, hoping to kill some of his hated fourteen kids after his death, when they would come looking for hidden papers and money).

But the work wasn't really my only concern. I discovered that my landlord had lied to me ; the studio I occupied wasn't agreed by the authorities. So I had to leave, but where? I found within three days a solution : I'm renting an appartment, in the same avenue than the office, for the same price as my tiny studio. This can be explained by the fact that my mother's cousin, the owner, haven't rented the place since a year, because the precedent persons destroyed the most of it they could. Of course, it's like camping and I will have to paint, repair, wash,... but it's so big! And he doesn't ask an expensive rent, so I took it.

It's been almost a month I've been a lawyer ; I think I'm beginning to appreciate all this.