It is surprising that judges who have made a decisive decision are like this in their daily lives. During summer practice, students from Fudan University are practicing cases in court, judges, and courts
How do grassroots courts handle cases? How do judges work? This summer vacation was an unforgettable career experience for Chen Jingyuan, a 2021 undergraduate student at the Law School of Fudan University. Under the organization of the school's Youth League Committee, she and 259 other Fudan students from more than 20 departments were recommended for on-the-job training in 4 municipal government agencies, 11 district government departments, and 6 state-owned enterprises. Based on her personal professional background, she will complete a two-month summer practice at the Jiading District People's Court, which has been over a month since then.
"Let me feel human touch"
"Speaking of which, the 'Jiangge Case' was an opportunity for me to develop the idea of studying law," Chen Jingyuan told a reporter from Shangguan News of Liberation Daily. In her second year of high school, she sorted out her essay materials and during the process of searching for information, she developed a strong interest in the legal issues behind the case, which planted a seed for her later study of law.
This is not her first time participating in legal practice activities. Last summer vacation, she went to a law firm to practice and was responsible for organizing case files and conducting legal searches. What impressed her the most was a case of inheritance. An elderly woman, after her younger brother passed away, was worried that her intellectually disabled nephew would have no future to rely on, so she added his nephew's name to her property certificate. However, she didn't expect her nephew to leave first. Legally speaking, a brother-in-law who has been divorced for many years and has hardly taken care of her nephew does have the right to inherit as a niece's mother, but emotionally, the parties involved cannot understand. Later, the judge facilitated mediation between the two parties, reducing the losses of the parties without violating legal principles. "My teaching lawyer has put in a lot of effort for this case, not only collecting a lot of evidence, but also making a special trip to other places to sweep the graves of the client's brother and nephew after the case was closed, which has brought great comfort to the client. It is admirable that the lawyer has served the client to this extent," said Chen Jingyuan.
In the second semester of her sophomore year, she practiced multiple times at the Yangpu District Legal Aid Center under the organization of the school club. Here, she comes into contact with some economically disadvantaged individuals who sometimes do not seek help, but rather confide, "The rotating lawyers I come into contact with are not only responsible, but also very patient in providing comfort to others, making me feel human."
"Even busier than I imagined"
"In my previous understanding, judges were the 'decisive' judges in a solemn court. After staying in the commercial court of a grassroots court for a month, my biggest feeling was to understand why they were 'people's judges'," Chen Jingyuan said.
In her eyes, the teaching judge always patiently dials the phone numbers of the parties involved to negotiate and mediate, reminding them or their agents to submit various materials time and time again. "Even busier than I imagined, these tedious, repetitive, and even tedious tasks truly occupy the daily lives of grassroots judges, making people feel the hardships of grassroots judges."
In addition to checking whether the appeal materials are complete, verifying the names of the plaintiff and defendant in the appeal letter and the agreed delivery address, Chen Jingyuan will visit various courts in his spare time to listen and experience the trial process. "Telecommunications fraud, dangerous driving... These are things that I find difficult to come into contact with on a daily basis, and these cases happen in real life, which shows me the various social situations and provides me with experience for my future career development."
Chen Jingyuan's mentoring judge is currently writing an industry white paper to analyze potential legal risks in the industry chain. She is assisting judges in searching for cases and collecting information, classifying the causes of over a thousand related cases, the size and types of involved enterprises, and trial results. "I just provided basic information and data, and I have looked back and forth through these files three times. It can be imagined that judges not only do trial work, but also do many things we don't know about in their daily lives," Chen Jingyuan said.
"I learned something very important"
"I walk on the ground, not dance in the clouds," is a phrase that Chen Jingyuan greatly appreciates, from philosopher Wittgenstein. In her opinion, it is quite frightening for the law to deviate from practice.
"In the past, when it comes to hot social cases, I unconsciously added too much of my own 'legal emotions', projecting my moral judgments and emotional tendencies. After practicing in court, I learned the need to be more rational and pay attention to the effectiveness of evidence, and protect the interests of all parties involved." Chen Jingyuan told Jiefang Daily Shangguan News reporters that through this practice, her mentality towards future career considerations has also changed, and she is no longer as anxious as before, but has become more calm.
She admitted that she didn't really understand the work of the court before, and naturally felt that it may lack challenge and diversity. Now that she has integrated into a real work environment, she feels that the court is also a good career choice for her. "I have learned an important thing, only by practicing can I know what is truly suitable for me, and my future career plans will become clearer."
