2007-02-22

My Court date

So... on the long road from Lawyer-in-Training to full-fledged lawyer, I was in court this Monday. I was there as an observer and now I have to write my own decision based on the cases and the evidence that was presented.
The new Montreal courthouse is a giant, unattractive, black building beside the old Montreal courthouse which is a few centuries older and much more appealing to the senses. It has also been featured in many a wedding photo. There really was no point to that description.

Anyway, I listened to three cases and seeing as it was small claims court, no lawyers allowed. It was kind of like watching Judge Judy or something of the sort (only in French). On the docket: a case about unpaid bills, a latent defect case, and one where a family is suing the Casino de Montreal. It certainly made for a long but very interesting. I'm not really supposed to talk about the actual merits of the case because my Professional Code of Ethics forbids it (yes, lawyers are bound by a code of ethics), however, I will say this. You need to have the patience of a saint to be a judge. So now I have until March 5th to choose a case and write my decision. Should be fun.