Chapter 59: Chapter 50: Translate for me, what the hell is professional capability!

Inside the office of the Jingzhou City Lawyers Association, Han Chengli was chatting with a man, looking very relaxed.

"So Old Han, that Song Tengfei is still being stubborn, huh?" the man spoke, his voice booming like a bell.

He was the president of the Jingzhou City Lawyers Association, named Yin Deyuan, a renowned figure not only in Jingzhou but also in the legal circles of Handong Province.

He was also a distinguished professor at Handong University of Political Science and Law, having published countless papers.

In matters of seniority, no matter the industry, it exists everywhere; not to mention amongst lawyers. Why do we often say that lawyers who come from the court are amazing? Everyone understands this.

To the extent that some courts even mock themselves, saying they are training bases for lawyers...

Han Chengli shook his head and said, "He hasn't said he won't agree, but he hasn't said he will, either. He's just dragging his feet, letting us investigate as we please, telling us to talk to him again once we find evidence."

"Evidence? His client has already published articles influencing public opinion, isn't that enough? The trial is today, right? Just give him a warning!"

What is reality? This is reality. As an ordinary lawyer, you really don't have any power to resist in front of the association. Otherwise, why would so many lawyers think about getting a position in the association...

"As for that intern lawyer, don't bother with him for now, he should be up for review soon, we'll discuss it then."

Intern lawyers are even easier to deal with. Indeed, if the other party doesn't break the law, you can't just cancel their membership, but you can obstruct their review.

There are plenty of ways to do so. For example, if you show up for the review dressed in shorts instead of a suit, that's it, you fail the review. Why? Because your attire is inappropriate.

What? No legal stipulation? Our lawyers association has our own review standards. What, you disagree?

At the civil second division of Guangming District Court, Tang Fangjing sat down and breathed a sigh of relief; there were somewhat too many self-media at the door, it felt like all of Jingzhou's self-media and internet celebrities had come to cash in on the spectacle.

These people, wherever there is a hot topic, they'll go, as if they don't realize how annoying this behavior is. Who cares about being on camera?

Just now, Old Tang almost got into an argument with someone outside.

The collegial panel and the other party had not arrived yet, and Old Tang was idly scrolling through videos when suddenly he came upon a video praising attorney Li Changming by the Jingzhou City Lawyers Association.

In the video, a vice president of the Jingzhou City Lawyers Association was saying into the camera that attorney Li Changming was indeed a very conscientious and responsible lawyer...

Tang Fangjing felt his awkwardness rising, likening it to when a certain director once said Van Van grew up abroad, so his gaze was especially pure, as innocent as a blank sheet of paper...

Looking at the comments section, as expected, many people were singing praises, whether they were paid internet commenters or something else.

All he could say was impressive!

After a while, Li Changming entered, his hair slicked back, dressed to the nines in a shiny suit, and even appeared to have put on a bit of makeup!

Damn, this is a court appearance, not a performance... But, in his case, he probably was prepared to give a performance, so never mind.

Li Changming indeed treated the court appearance as a performance. He wanted to show off his skills during the live broadcast, so he had to make his professionalism apparent.

Dressed in a suit, that was one of the signs of professionalism...

The clerk was confirming the identities of both parties. When she saw Li Changming's appearance, she was taken aback. It wasn't uncommon to see flashy people during a trial, but ones as flashy as him were rare to see.

The Judgment Chief arrived; the presiding judge looked to be in his forties, named Pang Mengjun, at least his hairstyle was much better than Old Zhou's, probably a seasoned judge from the Bright District Court.

Such cases indeed involved significant controversy and required a judge with authority.

"Everyone present, let's start the trial!"

The court live-stream had already begun online, and many onlookers had been here waiting for a while.

"Full compensation is required because the frozen assets could completely cover the purchase price... If I follow the defendant's logic, am I also to understand that lawyers shouldn't charge fees if they lose a case?"

Li Changming: "..."

He had just lectured at length about the Lawyers' Law stipulating that lawyers are not responsible for the outcome of cases, but then the opponent threw it right back at him.

There was no way to refute; the opponent was fixated on one point, asking whether what the lawyer was selling was truly professional services!

Yes, and that meant admitting that in terms of professionalism, you have to deliver, and if you fail to deliver, you should accept responsibility—simple logic.

But this made Li Changming sweat profusely, he didn't know what to say.

It wasn't that the logic was so intricate that it couldn't be refuted, but rather that his current persona was that of a professional lawyer!

If he were to deny it, that would imply he wasn't professional; what kind of lawyer doesn't know that property preservation has a time limit?

But if he admitted it, that would mean he had been negligent at the time, and negligence leading to adverse consequences meant accepting responsibility—a dead end.

The online viewers were not fools, either; they could tell that there really seemed to be a problem with Li Changming, and crucially, he was now spouting circular arguments and even attacking the opponent.

With a professional persona, you're supposed to counterattack with professionalism, not quarrel with your opponent like a shrew.

Even by the end, Li Changming was completely unable to withstand Tang Fangjing's aggressive cross-examination.

"Attorney Li Changming, you have repeated yourself for the thirteenth time. Now please answer my question directly—is a lawyer selling eloquence or professionalism?"

Li Changming was left speechless, and finally, the senior Pang above seemed to wake up.

"Cough cough, the courtroom debate is over; we will now begin the final statements."

Li Changming sat down heavily, his face blank, like he had been toyed with by a hundred Sister Pomegranates, knowing full well that he had suffered a complete defeat in this trial and had been ground into the floor by the opponent.

In the live broadcast of the trial, viewers' comments were rapidly flashing across the screen.

"Is Tang Fangjing doing this deliberately or accidentally, just hammering on the word 'professional'? I'm so overwhelmed..."

"Is the situation as dire as the one above says? I'm sweating bullets for Attorney Li; no matter what he says, it's wrong. Could it be that all clever lawyers are cornered on both sides?"

Similar comments kept emerging, and Li Changming had essentially become a laughingstock.

However, Li Changming was still psyching himself up—what if the judge accepted his opinion? And even if he lost, at worst it would just be embarrassing; after all, he had insurance, and his own out-of-pocket expenses were minimal...

People always like to comfort themselves.

Of course, Li Changming did not know that at that very moment, there were a few police officers drinking tea outside the courtroom.

"Say, how long are we supposed to wait?" someone asked.

"No rush, let's go in after the courtroom debate is over; he can't run away anyway."

It turned out they learned that that person was attending the court today, even live streaming...

Finally, the Judgment Chief Pang announced a recess. The online crowd of onlookers was also planning to take a break. Normally, at this point, the live stream signal would cut off.

But the signal dropped for a moment and immediately came back on!

In the next shot, the Judgment Chief Pang, who had just left, suddenly came back, followed by a few police officers who went straight up to Li Changming.

"Li Changming, right? We are from the Criminal Police Team of the Bright District Sub-bureau. You are suspected of fraudulent litigation and are hereby criminally detained by the Bright District Sub-bureau according to the law. Please sign here."

Suddenly, the spectators in the courtroom and the netizens in the broadcast were all stunned.