My first week
It was my first week working in a solicitor’s office. I had completed one set of examinations, and was waiting to start the course for a second set of examinations. I was already the equivalent of a law graduate.
On the first day, Monday, I was given my first ever live client. He was going to plead guilty to a minor offence. I did not realise how poor his written English was, and gave him a legal aid form to complete. Under the offence I found he had written
“for van derlicing 1 bus”
He had slashed some seats on a bus.
The client’s baby
By Friday I felt like a veteran (See First Day in Court). On Friday afternoon I was given a new client who was complaining about a violent husband. I was taking a statement. She had all three young children with her.
The little boy wanted the toilet.
If he was having the toilet his sister wanted the toilet,too. The woman asked me if I would hold the baby while she took the two children to the toilet. The baby was asleep, and I thought it would not be a problem.
I sat.
I still sat.
After a while I began to worry whether she had locked herself in the toilet. I asked one of the secretaries to go into the toilet to see if the lady needed help.
The secretary reported back that the toilet was empty.
Anxiety
I did not know what to do.
In those days the College of Law did not teach you about these problems. The baby was still asleep. What was I to do?
I went to see the boss.
He said it was a nice baby.
He pointed out that the office closed in an hour, and if she had not returned by then I was to take the baby home over the weekend.
This filled me with terror. Babies were outside my personal experience. I knew more about goldfish than I did about babies!.
For some reason none of the female staff were interested in borrowing the baby for the weekend.
With only 15 minutes left the client returned. She had been on the bus home when she realised she was a baby short. Then she had to get herself and the two children off the bus and wait for another bus back into town. Then she had to walk from the bus station to the solicitor’s office.
I learned from this experience. Never again would I be left holding the baby!
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