In September 2023 the band for legal aid will grow again : an isolated person will have access to a free lawyer, or almost, if his net income is lower than 1900 €.
And this in order to guarantee access to the judge.
Oh yes?
From the moment that free legal services are granted to the majority of wage earners, the State has collectivized the market of the legal procedures. And this public market is ruled by fixed fees: a claim is worth two points, or about 160 €. Written arguments? 240 €. A pleading hearing? 160 € and so on. Let’s say that the free lawyer will produce more or less 20 points for a legal procedure. Let’s also note that the lawyer is not allowed to sell more than three consultations per case : basically, the one where you receive the documents, the one where you hand them back and the one before the pleading hearing. That’s nice, isn’t it?
A recent study has shown that a Legal House with 4 salaried “free” lawyers earning a monthly net income of some 3,300 € would require an annual budget of 720,000 €. To make such amount, it would be necessary to sell 9,000 “points”, in other words some 450 trials per year.
There will be claims, but are there judges for that?
If the tariff is so cheap, it will be necessary to sell it by form and not substance. I have not seen many serious lawyers drawing up their written legal arguments in less than two days. However, just to survive, it will be necessary to do it four times faster within a budget of 240 €.
Who will have to work with insufficient written arguments? The judge, of course! And who will not recall his own story when it is pleaded? The plaintiff, by the way !
I hope that the State also thinks of increasing the number of clerks and the number of magistrates. Otherwise, access to justice will become the right to join the gigantic queue of litigants awaiting trial.
Except that there are no citizens to vote for such a public expense.
You will surely be told about the success stories of Legal Houses in Canada or Scotland. Wouldn’t there be oil in these areas ? Not fair, guys…
Come on Patriots, we still have a positive future to build with Arbitrall! That’s the reason why we push toward this new civil justice. And at the end of the day, no one will miss the corridors of the Palace or the slightly faded togas.
Thinking out of the box is making progress.
Happy New Year 2023 to the enthusiasts of a new world.