Advances on legal aid, extended access to the solidarity fund: the Minister of Justice, Nicole Belloubet, announced Thursday several devices to economically support the many lawyers who suffer from the quasi-judgment of the courts because of the coronavirus.
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"Our alerts have produced progress," greeted AFP Christiane Féral-Schuhl, the president of the National Bar Council (CNB), which represents 70,000 French lawyers. The government has made sure that "each lawyer, depending on his mode of practice, can benefit from one or more support devices," according to a Chancellery press release, published after a telephone interview between Nicole Belloubet and lawyers' representatives.
Thus, employees of law firms "may be placed on partial unemployment if they are faced with a drop in activity". Access to the solidarity fund helping businesses most affected by the crisis has been extended. In addition, the benefit of daily sickness insurance benefits for work stoppages for childcare and vulnerable persons "has been extended to lawyers and will remain so after April 30". An advance of 50 million euros has been put in place to support lawyers who defend litigants benefiting from legal aid (aid reserved for the most disadvantaged).
In addition, Nicole Belloubet promised to "facilitate the access of bars to the supply circuits for masks", especially those made by prisoners. At a press conference on Tuesday, Christiane Féral-Schuhl said that the coronavirus crisis had the effect of a "tornado" on the legal profession. According to a survey answered by more than 10,000 lawyers, 28% plan to change their profession and 77% said they would give up their remuneration to try to save their firm.
The coronavirus crisis has resulted in a near-judgment of the courts, which now deal only with civil and criminal emergencies. It started just after two months of a massive “black robe” strike against the pension reform, which had already weakened many lawyers. Nicole Belloubet asked the lawyers to "resume all their part in restarting" justice, referring to the procedures without hearing and the use of videoconferencing provided for by the orders of March 26. She called on them to engage "fully in the mediation procedures". The president of the CNB asked for the suspension of the judicial holidays. "This is a major subject for us, but the Keeper of the Seals does not follow us. If the lawyers don't work this summer, we risk losing quite a few in September, ” she said.