Justice or Christmas Miracle?

We live in the most liberal and democratic times in Western society, yet we still hear endless complaints about the justice system. Rarely, if ever, do we hear praise.
So I decided to tell you my most recent story and express a slightly different judgment.

I had always approached the legal system as an outsider. Completely neutral, detached, imagining it to be a miserable place. And I was right. The courts are hardly a sanctuary for solving life’s problems - they are, in many ways, the last place anyone would want to confront them. Therapy, a flight to the unknown, is a much better choice.

Yet even in such a fraught ecosystem, where the traumas, truths are being recycled, we should not only recognize the flaws but also acknowledge the work that goes unseen. We should pay tribute, validate the process, and, maybe even offer our thanks. But how?

With that, I must express nothing but my (careful) public recognition to the first Judge I had the honor to encounter. More than that, His Honor was a judicial assessor, so he is on his 4-year path to becoming a fully assigned Judge, which gives even more hope for fair trials for the future.

He was just very just. (despite my ex's feelings)

On this day, last week, I was sitting in an unsupported suspect's chair. Just me and my dignity.
In front of a man who lied about literally everything. He Twisted it Again like Chubby Checker in his 60s music video, just to make himself look like a ptful victim - that he never was.

And he was a lawyer for almost 30 years. Ganged up with another lawyer and a prosecutor, looking like The Three Musketeers after 1 year in Bialystok.

Inspo:

It was a third trial in this case. The judge gave us a huge chunk of time and space to tell our sides of the story, along with my two witnesses. I have never heard of longer hearings in a civil court, but a life story is a long, detailed context, and the judge seemed to understand that.

Let's rewind it one last time - in a small, cold courtroom, there is me, a 27 years young mom, against a 58-year-old lawyer, a 50-year-old lawyer, and a bitter, Karen - the prosecutor. All of them, so sure about my sole guilt.

The longest 45 minutes pass, and we are asked to come back to our seats.

Verdict: All dismissed. Cleared. Goodnight and Goodbye.

I won, alone. Big time.

The Judge's explanation and words of encouragement were long and quite moving.
It was a biblical-like moment - absolution through penance.
A powerful blow of a wind of change into our direction.

Isn't that really what the Justice system was made for? Cause it felt somehow unexpected…

I am not gonna lie, my expectations were so low, just like before I was taking my 8th driving exam...

Now the key question is, what did my superhero Judge deduce from both testimonies?

A striking inequality. (Remember my piece - "We don't need more Lawyers, we need Equality"? If you read it, Judge - Big Thank You!)

It really doesn't matter what the nature of the case was - I will just say, it was a civil with a splash of criminal background. What matters is, he followed the most basic law - the law of equality over martial arts of intimidation.

Or perhaps, mater semper certa est? :)

The strategic detachment

I won, not because that's in my name's etymology, but because the Polish justice has worked its magic. It's not Christmas just yet, but I couldn't have asked for a better gift.

Turns out, serving justice can have all sorts of cheeky setbacks, like making me feel more patriotic than I thought I could ever be.

Honestly, I have never won anything in my life. I've always been a runner-up. On the podium, a second, or third, but never first. And always felt right about it, like I actually don't deserve it, and don't care too much. Winning can make you more haters than friends. And I care about relationships way more than overrated ambitions.

I'd feel embarrassed to the core to win first place in my athletic career. I prayed for the second, third just to never lose appetite for the growth. If I won, I would drop the act and find myself something else to do.
Cheater's Syndrome at its finest.

But not this time. I was flabbergasted.

I moved my flights upside down just to appear in the court straight from my birthday party. (Following my own advice in my latest piece Club 27 ➡️ point 23).

My biggest takeaway? Standing up as tall as you possibly can for yourself, and knowing how to tell a story, as well as argue, are the virtues we all should take care of. Accountability served.

Of course, being a professional storyteller and journalist helps. But confidence in one's truth is even more powerful. You cannot tell a story you haven't deeply lived. It comes from a space that is impossible for a third party to enter - your heart.

So, do I advise not hiring lawyers as I did?
Not necessarily, but the Sharia Law (a system where lawyers aren't part of the process) resonates with me slightly more after this experience.

It cuts off the bullshit that handsomely paid lawyers serve us for a living.
Why pay for a stranger to tell your side of a story that only you know best? What a cowardice and lack of fantasy.

Lawyers are like an intimidating, night club makeup - designer manipulation to make you look prettier than you are.

But, Mother Nature is always there to reveal what's real.

All I had (and needed) was evidence and witnesses. And I had that, so my confidence was simply unshaken. But if your odds and truth are not strong, then lawyers can probably help.

If the truth is ugly, you need a strong "makeup".

Compliments aside, our Western legal system leans so much on procedures, correspondence so convoluted that only lawyers can navigate them, and somewhere along the way, fairness can get lost. It doesn't have to be that way. Justice must work for its people; otherwise it's Ars per artem: art for the sake of art.

Justice exists, everyone. Telling the truth and admitting to your mistakes pays off. Being authentic wins.

Ave, Vittoria!