What's wrong with this lawyer?!

"No need to feel anything, it's just a bunch of nonsense. This person is purely here to soy sauce,"

However, netizens don't quite understand. As a lawyer, shouldn't you argue your case vigorously in court after making an appearance? With the way you're handling it, even laymen can see through it. Do you think judges are fools?

Little do they know that while you mock someone for being stupid, they laugh at you for not understanding lawyers.

Old Tang wasn't surprised at all; he knew these lawyers too well. Publicly appointed lawyers are the most ostentatious kind among all lawyers.

Besides them, there are some criminal defense lawyers who offer something called the "Minimalist Package."

During the investigation phase, they meet once to do one thing: persuading the client to confess guilt and accept punishment together with the public security authorities.

In the prosecution review phase, they meet once more, still doing the same thing: persuading the client to confess guilt and accept punishment with the prosecutor's office.

During trial, they appear in court and raise no objections to any of the prosecution's evidence. Considering that the suspect is from a poor family, with elderly parents and young children to care for, they hope the court will impose a lighter sentence. That's the end of it.

What, your client dares to be dissatisfied? I got you three years instead of five, or probation instead of a fixed sentence. What more do you want!

Yet without these lawyers, with a good attitude towards admitting guilt and accepting punishment, you'd still get leniency...

From beginning to end they actually do nothing, yet with that lawyer's license, they still make a ton of money. They exploit information asymmetry. There's really a reason why lawyers have a bad reputation.

It's not as if some lawyers can jump out and complain that our profession is discriminated against and that would change anything...

Meanwhile, in the courtroom, faced with Xiao Zhao's apathetic defense, the presiding judge looked unaffected, as if it was all business as usual.

On the other hand, Zuo Yunmin was anxious. She was the main person responsible; if the case was lost, she would definitely have a hard time.

But as soon as she opened her mouth, Xiao Zhao shut her down.

"Section Chief Zuo, I'm the lawyer, and how I run the case is my business. Please do not question my professionalism,"

After that, Xiao Zhao didn't pay her any more mind. The other party was from the Labor Inspection Brigade; he was from the Bureau of Human Resources and Social Security. The former is a subordinate unit of the latter; there's virtually no relationship between the two.

If there was a chance to win the case, he would certainly try hard, but now how could he win? With both procedure and substance being illegal, it was clear there were issues. As for the rest, the evidence was extremely sufficient. What could he say?

So, just let it be; ultimately, it still depends on how the judge rules.

The court investigation concluded, and the courtroom debate began. Xiao Zhao wasn't completely throwing in the towel; he still made his own point.

"There is no causal relationship between the administrative penalty and the losses suffered by Phoenix Company,"

That was the argument he made. With all that public opinion online at the time, you couldn't completely confirm that those losses were caused by the administrative penalty, right?

What? We publicly announced the penalties across the entire network at the time? Well, that doesn't matter. The official media also got involved; maybe the responsibility on their side is even greater, right?

Passing the buck, who can't do that.

In The Capital, Yue Wenying was also watching the live broadcast of the trial. As soon as she heard Tang Fangjing's statement, she knew that the labor inspection department was bound to lose.

The question was whether demands for apologies and the like would be met.

After hearing the lawyer's speech, Yue Wenying really wanted to rush to Jingzhou and have a proper fight with them!

So, you ramble on because we're not there, huh? What do you mean their responsibility should be heavier?

Alright, the Labor Inspection Department of Bright District, got it, I'll remember you.

The situation was already clear, and by now, Old Tang also knew the judge's thoughts. Admitting errors and apologizing would likely be supported; compensation would probably be considered on a case-by-case basis.

In ordinary administrative penalties, if there was a problem, revocation would usually be enough, but this time was different. The penalty was publicly announced across the whole network, and the impact was indeed huge.

How much compensation they pay doesn't really matter—it's the attitude that counts!

The courtroom debate ended, and the presiding judge announced a recess.

The number of netizens in the live chat room had dropped a lot by this point, mainly because the court proceedings were really boring...

After a long wait, the presiding judge returned, and amidst Zuo Yunmin's pounding heart, delivered the verdict.

"This court believes that the Labor Inspection Department of Bright District, despite knowing that the labor dispute had already been filed, still made an administrative penalty decision, which constitutes a procedural violation..."

"And according to this court's judgment, the act of terminating the labor contract did not involve any violations; therefore, the substantive content of the administrative penalty by the Labor Inspection Department of Bright District is illegal..."

"To sum up, the court rules as follows:"

"The Labor Inspection Department of Bright District must apologize to Phoenix Technology Co., Ltd. within fifteen days after this judgment takes effect, through the original announcement method, and admit the error to eliminate the impact, while compensating Phoenix Technology Co., Ltd. RMB one hundred thousand!"

Old Tang nodded at the verdict, the compensation was cut in half, but it was still very good. The key point was the public apology using the original announcement method!

It indicated that the Jingzhou Intermediate People's Court really studied the issue thoroughly. Well done.

Zuo Yunmin, hearing the verdict, found herself in a state of shock. Although she had anticipated the loss during the evidence and cross-examination phases, she didn't expect it to be this devastating!

The original method of announcement, what did that mean? It nearly equated to admitting the error publicly across the entire network!

She dared not even think about how great the public pressure would be, and when the time came, not only her but also her superiors would bear the consequences.

"We will appeal, we must appeal!" Zuo Yunmin spoke up.

Xiao Zhao showed no surprise and also expressed his desire to appeal. Even though it was a slow death, following procedures would take time.