Husband is currently on strike. Not as we speak. But on thursday he and many other lawyers will refuse to participate in trials. They've been doing this every thursday for the past month and will continue to do so until the system of aide juridictionelle is revised.
Aide juridictionnelle is governmental financial aid for people with limited revenue who need legal help. Of any sort. Well, maybe not the frivolous sort, which is not very popular here, but all the other sorts.
Legal fees are all lawyers earn here. There's no getting 33% of damages or anything like that. And the problem with the legal aid is that the fees are ridiculously low. A typical case of wrongful termination might take 15 hours of work (which includes everything, including trial time) and the legal aid pay scale estimates that all wrongufl termination cases takes 3. So the lawyer is paid €150 (50 an hour). Which is not to say that the lawyers want to determine it themselves, which could obviously lead to scams. They just want the hourly rate to be increased.
The reasoning behind the system is that everyone should have access to legal council, and not just if they're accused of something. Wrongful termination, workman's comp, property disputes, they can receive aid for that too. The aid is to help pay for the legal fees involved in something like that. Can you imagine? They government actually GIVES people money to sue someone. Incredible.
7 comments:
No 33% or 40% if it goes to appeals? Maybe you should move your family to Louisiana - then he could practice law and you could be close to family and friends and he could collect his 33%.
Solidarity! (she says, pumping her fist in the air like Sally Field in "Norma Rae"). I shall now go sing the Internationale.
Does that mean he actually takes Thursdays off?
Beth - I'd do it if Louisiana weren't so Lousiana. Know what I mean.
Christi - Ditto.
Lorraine - Please record yourself and send to youtube.
Zeb - I wish.
But Louisiana does have a good size French population and Louisianians are known for their good cookin' - so maybe???
Well I am not sure what I think or even if I understood all of it but around here lawyers get paid entirely to much and People also sue entirely to much. :)
PS - Thanks Christi!
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