Chapter 131 The Afternoon is Very Leisurely
That evening, Zhang Pengfei looked at Chen Jingyang with sparkling peach blossom eyes: "There's a case of intentional injury that I'd like to take, but Attorney Zhu has some concerns."
Chen Jingyang immediately frowned: "What concerns? Will you be in danger?"
Zhang Pengfei shook his head: "I should be safe, but the plaintiff's brother is Sun Haonan, the presiding judge of the Criminal Division of the Intermediate People's Court."
Chen Jingyang visibly relaxed and chuckled, "A presiding judge? That's a low rank, I haven't heard of him much. So, what's Attorney Zhu's concern? Are you worried that Sun Haonan will make things difficult for you?"
"Yes. Because you can't avoid dealing with him."
Feeling a bit thirsty, Zhang Pengfei glanced at Chen Jingyang and then at the water dispenser. Chen Jingyang immediately got up, poured a glass of warm water, and added a spoonful of honey.
Zhang Pengfei took a sip to moisten his throat and continued, "According to the defendant's sister, before she went to our law firm, she went to the legal aid center and two other law firms, but as soon as they heard that he was Sun Haonan's brother, they were unwilling to take the case and did not want to get involved in this mess."
“Even if someone is willing to take the case, they will ask for a fee of 50,000 yuan and insist on reaching a settlement with the other party and then requesting a lenient sentence.”
No one is willing to offend a presiding judge of a criminal court for such a small case. Moreover, for assault cases, the industry has basically formed a fixed assembly line model—settlement and compensation.
Zhang Pengfei sneered: "Sun Haonan is really something, managing to get a 3-year prison sentence and 200,000 yuan in compensation with just one punch."
Chen Jingyang snorted sarcastically, "What's so great about a mere presiding judge of the criminal court! Baby, take this case if you want, don't be afraid of anything. If that Hao Nan dares to make things difficult for you, we'll make sure he can't be the presiding judge!"
He made no attempt to hide his contempt for Chan Ho-nam, saying half-jokingly and half-seriously, "This kind of person is definitely not clean. Instead of living a quiet life in seclusion, he dares to flaunt his wealth so openly. Who knows, one day a tip-off letter might send him to jail."
Zhang Pengfei chuckled. After the Wang Hu incident, Chen Jingyang kept bringing up the whistleblower letter, as if it were an invincible weapon.
With Chen Jingyang's support, Zhang Pengfei stood up straight when facing Attorney Zhu again: "Attorney Zhu, I've thought it through. I still want to take this case."
His voice wasn't loud, but every word was clear: "I know that offending the presiding judge might cause trouble in the future, but if we're afraid of trouble and just watch our clients wait for a verdict with grievances, then what's the point of being lawyers?"
"There are so many people in the public security, procuratorate, and judiciary. Today it's Sun Haonan, tomorrow it could be Li Haonan or Wang Haonan. Just because we're afraid of offending them, should we stop defending our clients altogether?"
When Zhang Pengfei got emotional, his voice became a little hoarse: "You often say that the confidence of a criminal defense lawyer does not come from anyone's face, but from evidence and conscience."
Attorney Zhu smiled, as if he had known this outcome all along. The reason he is known as the "number one criminal defense lawyer" is precisely because he has slapped a group of prosecutors in the face!
“Okay!” Attorney Zhu nodded: “Give this case to Lao Chang, and tell him that I asked him to take it.”
Old Chang, whose real name is Chang Youli, is not old at all, only in his early forties. But he looks old, with a bald head, and at first glance looks like a man in his sixties.
Zhang Pengfei looked delighted, his voice rising several octaves: "Thank you, Attorney Zhu!"
He is currently only an intern lawyer and cannot handle cases independently.
Attorney Zhu waved him away.
Zhang Pengfei didn't move.
Attorney Zhu raised his head again: "Is there anything else?"
Zhang Pengfei grumbled, "Could you... take on this case for free?"
Law firms need to survive, and paying lawyers' salaries and social security contributions is a significant cost. Therefore, there are regulations regarding handling cases for free.
Law firms like Zhang Pengfei's typically request assistance with cases that have significant social impact. This way, even without legal fees, the firm's reputation and influence can be enhanced, bringing both intangible and potential benefits.
However, this minor case of intentional injury seems to have absolutely no social impact!
Zhang Pengfei scratched his head and laughed without any confidence: "The client's family is from the countryside and their conditions are very poor. Our law firm's agency fees... are so high, they really can't afford it."
Attorney Zhu frowned and put down his pen: "Are our law firm's representation fees high?"
"Not at all!" Zhang Pengfei hurriedly shook his head and waved his hands, his face flushed. "I misspoke. It's just that the client is too poor; they can't even afford such a small agency fee..."
Seriously, how can you talk about your own law firm like that!
Without these agency fees, where would we get the money to give you benefits!
Attorney Zhu snorted and waved his hand, "Granted! However, you will have to bear the transportation, food and lodging expenses incurred in handling the case yourself."
"Oh!" Well, not making a single penny, and even having to pay out of pocket, there's probably no one else like it in the entire legal profession.
After receiving approval, Zhang Pengfei immediately told Lao Chang the "good news," then contacted Wang Xiaoli to sign the agreement and successfully scheduled a meeting with Wang Xiaowei at 2 p.m. that day.
Then he called Chen Jingyang: "I will be meeting with the person in charge at the detention center at 2 pm. You can't bring your phone with you at that time. If you need anything, just send me a message. I will call you back after I get out."
Chen Jingyang immediately became nervous: "Which detention center? Is it far? Are you going alone? How long will it take to finish the visit? Or should I go with you?"
It's just a meeting with the person involved; there's no need to accompany him. He's not a child.
Zhang Pengfei chuckled: "It's not far, only about 20 kilometers. If I go with Attorney Chang, we'll meet at the latest around 4 PM."
Chen Jingyang wanted to go, as this was Zhang Pengfei's first time visiting a detention center, which was of extraordinary significance. He wanted to witness every first of Zhang Pengfei's.
"Baby, I want to go. I'm very free this afternoon."
He had just finished speaking when Lin Zheyan knocked on the door and came in: "President Chen, these are the main topics of this afternoon's meeting. Please confirm if there are any additions, deletions, or changes needed."
Zhang Pengfei chuckled and teased him, "President Chen, you should just focus on your meeting. I'm hanging up."
Chen Jingyang wasn't embarrassed at all when his lie was exposed. He smiled brightly and said, "Okay, I'll try to get home early tonight, mwah!"
As soon as the call ended, he looked up at Lin Zheyan with obvious disdain, his smile vanishing in an instant: "Didn't you see I was on the phone?"
Chen Jingyang was on the phone with a Bluetooth headset, which Lin Zheyan didn't notice. He only saw his boss sitting leisurely in a chair, smiling ingratiatingly, twirling a pen in his hand!
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