“There’s a fruitcake for everybody; There’s a fruitcake for everyone; There are b-sides to every story; If you decide to have some fun.” – Fruitcake by Eraserheads
I HAVE been working in the Hall of Justice for almost a year now as a legal researcher in a first-level court. What do I do? Well, work begins by getting a copy of the scheduled hearings for the day. Then, I attend the hearings and note down the cases that are dismissed provisionally or permanently. The remaining time is spent reading case records e.g., judicial affidavits, transcript of stenographic notes, and attached evidence. I also give some inputs when the presiding judge asked me to clarify or verify some information.
With due process as the rationale, I get to encounter contrasting versions of incidents or complaints brought to the court. The parties to the case would assert contradicting interpretations that are backed up by provisions of the law or even by logic and common sense.
The bottom line: someone is definitely lying to a certain degree.
Allow me to share with you what I have learned so far from working in the Hall of Justice:
1. There is such a thing as a professional con artist.
With detachment from morality and ethics, and attachment to personal aims in serving others, an employee or public servant can selfishly become result oriented.
Knowing the law and knowing the people who administer the law is the next best thing to success in work. I am saying the next best thing because nothing can replace integrity: honest work, peace of mind, and principled living.
A friend of mine who works in the government once said, “At the end of the day, I can look straight and talk to my children with dignity, for I did not give in to corruption.”
But there are those who are adept in making things work in their own deceptive way. Perhaps, they go home jaded, embrace their loved ones, and bring food to the table, so to speak, without remorse.
2. Anyone who is willing to do the work will become successful.
If in school late submissions are punished by low scores or deductions, among others. In court, late submissions can destroy your reputation. Diligence is a currency treated by everyone with respect, if not fear.
In the long run, industriousness will bring a person into the pinnacle of success. But working hard is, well, really hard. It requires a mindset that never gives in to the “slings and arrows of outrageous fortune.”
In court, failures and mistakes can happen almost every day. With all the people involved in a particular case, the stakes are high. The Hall of Justice is a melting pot of diverse personalities, conflicting interests, and egos.
To demand justice is one thing. How to get it is another.
3. Don’t take it personally.
I learned that when people reprimand me, I have to see it in a constructive manner. For we are all working in the “Hall of Justice.” The name of the place itself speaks about the core of our service: Justice.
But justice requires a lot of paperwork. Let’s be realistic about it. And I would sometimes make a blunder, not able to point out the needed details in a particular case.
The presiding judge would get upset by my sloppy performance. And he would tell it to me point blank. Interestingly, with such admonition, I get excited to do better next time. I can see myself improving and there is nothing more fulfilling than that: you are in charge of your own growth. People and events around you are the needed feedback to know if you are really improving or not.
***
In another universe, the conversation goes this way:
Teacher: “Class, since some of you cheated in the exam, you will all retake the exam.”
Student: “But teacher, I did not cheat. Why do I have to take it again?”
Teacher: “I understand. But the results of this grading period will be put into question. The giving of awards will also be in doubt, for those who cheated may also receive an award. It’s not fair.”
Student: “How about me taking the exam again? Isn’t that not fair too? Why would I be punished for something I did not commit?”
Teacher: “I don’t need to explain further. Those who will not retake the exam will not pass my subject. So, wait for further announcements. Study hard. Stop complaining.”/PN
