Justice? Not likely

Right, that's it, I now officially have No Faith in the French justice system.

It's a system which is based on speed. Complicated cases get the same time allotted as simple cases. It's like going to the doctor to consult for suspected osteoporosis combined with an intestinal infection getting the same consultation time as someone going in for a cold.

This means that details get lost, errors are perpetuated and the whole thing does not come out in the wash. Dissimulating information is sanctioned, sabotaging court appearances by delaying providing essential information is not punished, and it seems that the law of the petit malin, the one with the wiliest, maddest lawyer with balls is the one which wins.

Judges don't read cases, they flip through the pages and then come up with a judgement based on the vaguest understanding of what's been going on and what's at stake. I am gobsmacked at how lax it all it, how little effort is made to do a good job, and how the ones on the receiving end of crap are just supposed to grin and bear it or undertake costly appeals.

Is that justice? Not in my book. That's called CRAP.

Of course it's all put down to overworked judges, not enough time, not enough courts, not enough this not enough that. Fine. So are they doing anything about improving how the law works? Sarko is doing his best because he has it in for much of the legal world, being a lawyer himself, but of course there's lobbying and defending of interests and strikes and moaning and groaning and time wasting and appeals and blah blah blah. Result, it's all VERY slow.

Conclusion: if you have an issue and it has to go to court, take it outside France if you possibly can. Your chances of justice here do not depend on your case but on how much sleep the judge had the day before.