Chapter 185 - 115: Rampant

So, what if Sun Li goes to the court to see the evidence within twelve hours of the hearing? Will she be able to?

In her dreams!

The court has closing hours. The nine-to-five schedule for government employees is no joke.

"The court’s business hours are from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. and 2:00 to 5:00 p.m."

"We’ll start submitting the evidence at ten a.m. on the last day. By the time it goes through the process, it should reach the judge’s desk around two p.m."

"By the time the judge reviews it, confirms its validity, and discusses it, it should be around 4:30 p.m., just thirty minutes before closing."

"Thirty minutes. Unless Sun Li shows up within that window, she won’t have time to request and retrieve the files!"

Xu De’s tone was unshakably firm.

What’s the mark of a truly professional lawyer?

You can tell by the way they break down a case.

Xu De’s perspective was unique. He’d even factored in the court’s nine-to-five business hours.

And so...

First, Xu De submitted his evidence during the discovery period, so the judge was aware of it, and it was valid.

Second, the defendant would still be at an informational disadvantage, facing what amounted to a trial by ambush.

But could you call it a trial ambush!?

He *did* submit his evidence!!!

Even if Prosecutor Huang Shi and Lawyer Zhang Wei were here, they couldn’t accuse him of an ambush!

Submitting evidence during the discovery period is perfectly reasonable. If you failed to retrieve the information in the last thirty minutes, that’s your problem, not Xu De’s.

But in the eyes of the two police officers standing to the side...

’Outrageous!’

Captain Wu Kang’s eyes widened, his mouth forming an ’O’ as he stared at Xu De in utter disbelief.

Unbelievable.

’How could he dare say something so calculating? And right in front of the police, no less!?’

’Isn’t he afraid? Does he feel no guilt at all? The audacity is off the charts!!!’

Then again, he hadn’t broken any laws or regulations...

Li Xiang opened his mouth, but for a long moment, no words came out.

As for Xu De...

He paid the two officers no mind.

’They’re just cops,’ he thought. ’Tools to get me evidence. Since I’m not breaking any laws or regulations, they can think whatever they want.’

At that moment, his mind was already racing...

’A high-quality client. A single case can generate more than one piece of business.’

’Now that the case has evolved to this point, besides the divorce... I can pursue a criminal case as well!’

After a moment’s thought, an idea took shape in Xu De’s mind.

After the police were called, two cases were opened.

First, human trafficking. But the facts didn’t support that charge, so the police were just investigating the details before closing the file.

Second, Guo Tu’s intentional injury!

The fact that he was still being held by the police in the detention center spoke volumes.

The child had multiple bruises and even hidden needle marks on parts of their body. It was an open-and-shut case of criminal intentional injury—a criminal matter.

Criminal cases are divided into private prosecutions and public prosecutions.

The former can be thought of as minor cases that allow for private settlement.

But the bruises and hidden needle marks on the child, Wang Xiaoyu... were clearly a case of intentional injury and abuse!

Factor in the child’s age...

And one must remember.

The law’s bias toward protecting minors is infinite!

AN INFINITE BIAS TOWARD PROTECTION!!!

The word "infinite" alone guaranteed the police would hand the case over to the prosecutor’s office, who would then file for a public prosecution, turning it into a completely separate trial.

’A new batch of people are coming to the firm in the next couple of days.’

’And you can never have too many cases.’

Having organized his thoughts, Xu De turned to the officers.

Guo Tu was crucial. He was important for the upcoming criminal case, and for the current one.

At the very least, he needed to get some useful evidence out of him for the divorce case!

"Officer Li, my client has requested that I speak with the suspect, Guo Tu," Xu De said.

Officer Li Xiang, who was in the middle of a smoke, was speechless.

Li Xiang held the cigarette between two fingers, staring blankly at Xu De, his lips twitching slightly.

’You’ve got to be kidding me...’

’He’s not even bothering to put on an act anymore. Just saying whatever pops into his head.’

’Wang Yu is standing right beside me. If he’d made a request, am I deaf? Wouldn’t I have heard it!?’

’This blatant use of the police...’

’He won’t even pretend to show a shred of respect!’

Li Xiang fell silent for a moment, then took a long drag from his cigarette. "Fine," he said.

By law, the client is not allowed to see the suspect.

But the lawyer can!

Xu De was only so bold because he knew it was perfectly legal.

"Come with me. You can meet him right in the holding cell."

Li Xiang took one last deep drag, finishing the cigarette. He then crushed the butt and tossed it into a trash can before leading them toward the holding cells.

Xu De followed behind him.

As they approached the holding cell, Xu De became lost in thought.

’Come to think of it...’

’Wang Chao should have picked up those people and brought them to the firm by now, right!?’

As he was thinking this, he was jolted from his thoughts when Li Xiang stopped in front of him.

"We’re here."

...

...

「Meanwhile.」

Lusen City.

Jinmao Law Firm.

In front of the main entrance.

"Heh, from here on out, the vast sky is for the birds to fly, and the wide ocean is for the fish to leap."

"So long, Jinmao."

"Lawyer Lu, what are your plans?"

"..."

1:30 p.m.

In front of Jinmao Law Firm.

Eight lawyers in suits stood at the entrance to the main hall, their faces etched with emotion.

Among them.

Senior Lawyer Lu Jinshan glanced back at the Jinmao sign, a wistful look on his face.

Lu Jinshan was a lawyer.

A senior lawyer!

If there were tiers even among senior lawyers, Lu Jinshan would be at the very top, with one foot already in the door to becoming a "Gold Medal" lawyer.

But then again.

To be promoted to a Gold Medal lawyer, you needed both a stellar case record and the firm’s resources. One was not enough without the other.

Of course, if you were like Xu De, renowned purely for the quality of your casework, you could ignore the need for the firm’s resources.

But that obviously wasn’t realistic.

Those two conventional factors were the standard path to promotion for any normal lawyer.

But... Lu Jinshan had been stuck at this level for nearly five years, from age thirty-two to thirty-seven. The firm had never allocated him any resources or sought out any significant cases for him.

He had even handled a major case in the past, only to have the credit snatched away by others at the firm.

The partners either played favorites or just tried to smooth things over without addressing the injustice...

So...

"As for me..."

Lu Jinshan stood at the entrance to the firm. He took a deep breath, looked at the team that had followed him for years, lit a cigarette, and spoke:

"Lawyer Xu contacted me."

Lawyer Xu...

Xu De?

Hearing this, the team members paused.

"Lawyer Xu? You mean Xu De?"

"He started his own firm after leaving!?"

Lu Jinshan nodded. "He did."

"Then isn’t it just a startup firm!?" someone asked, surprised.

A startup firm would lack case sources, funding, and connections... It would have nothing. Even if Xu De had built a reputation for himself, the firm’s foundation would still be weak.

For one thing.

Major cases don’t come around every year, and even when they do, you can’t possibly win every single one.

Xu De couldn’t just keep winning cases for the rest of his life. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be a lawyer; he’d be Superman.

As a senior lawyer, he could go anywhere in the world. He even had offers from Yanjing.

So why on earth would he go to a startup firm?

"Are you guys in?"

Lu Jinshan asked, not wanting to force them.

After a moment of thought, they all spoke up.

"We’re in. Wherever you go, Lawyer Lu, we’ll go."

"We’ve been working together for years. I wouldn’t get used to a new boss. Besides, we’re leaving the firm on the heels of Lawyer Xu’s departure, so it makes sense for us to go to his new firm."

"I just hope Lawyer Xu will have me..."

"Why wouldn’t he want a senior lawyer?"

"..."

Looking at his team, a faint smile appeared on Lu Jinshan’s face.

His team, including himself, totaled seven people: three senior lawyers and four practicing lawyers. They came with their own network and case sources, making them an incredibly enticing prize catch.

It’s better to be the head of a dog than the tail of a lion, as they say.

Lu Jinshan was willing to take Master Guanxin’s advice and give Xu De a try. What if Xu De truly judged people based on ability, without all the office politics that plagued Jinmao?

Lost in thought, Lu Jinshan suddenly remembered something.

He turned and looked at the eighth person standing by the entrance.

"Sun Jianshan, are you in?"