I Became a Law School Genius – 86



I Became a Genius Law School Student Episode 86

“The most important thing in a criminal trial is not to go to trial. “You’ve probably heard this a lot.”

Standing at the podium was an elderly lawyer neatly dressed in a black suit.

A name tag reading ‘Senior Lawyer Soo-gil Choi’ was erected in front of him.

It was none other than the former prosecutor who was angry at Go Cheol-soo over the phone.

‘You have a precious body.’

It wasn’t just something I said.

Choi Soo-gil had only recently joined Jin & An and had relatively recently taken off his legal uniform so his power as a former officer was still very much alive.

Naturally the ransom price was skyrocketing.

Therefore the ‘miscellaneous task’ of guiding interns was taken over by Go Cheol-su a relatively low-ranking employee.

Originally he would have been someone we would never see but after much persuasion from Seong Jin-tae he took the time to give a special lecture.

This internship was designed in a way that I would attend lectures in the morning and perform assignments in the afternoon.

It was a time to learn a lot every day but today was the first time that a former prosecutor appeared on the podium.

It could be said to be a rare opportunity.

‘No isn’t that true?’

Come to think of it didn’t you listen to Jang Yong-hwan’s lectures every week at Hankuk University Law School?

I got so used to it that I forgot about it for a while but he was also a person who only took the elite course of the elite at the prosecution.

It was a moment when I realized once again what a blessed environment I was studying in.

“So… what is the most important thing once you go to trial? Please feel free to express your opinion.”

There was no order more difficult than ‘freely’.

The interns were secretly looking at each other and Shin Seo-jun who clearly knew the answer was among them quietly observing the situation pretending not to know.

weird. In the original he raised his hand and answered at this point.

I glanced at him to see what he was doing but he gave me a sly look.

It’s like ‘Do you know Park Yoo-seung?’ I felt very offended that he was asking this question.

I took a deep breath and raised my hand.

“This is your brother.”

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“Why did you think that?”

“In criminal trials most defendants are found guilty. But even if they are guilty they are not all guilty the same. “Depending on the severity of the sentence the level of punishment can vary for the same crime.”

Sentencing.

This refers to the process of determining the final sentence by considering various circumstances after the defendant’s guilt has been determined.

It was also the part that people generally criticized the most about the criminal case ruling.

Does it make sense for a judge to reduce his sentence just because he submitted a statement of remorse and begged for it? Why is that person punished more lightly than this person when he commits the same crime? Isn’t this a system where the judge can make a decision however he wants etc.

However as they think sentencing is not a system where the taffy seller determines the punishment at will.

First of all the law clearly states that sentencing must be carried out.

Article 51 of the Criminal Act (Conditions of Sentencing) When determining the penalty the following matters must be taken into consideration.

1. The offender’s age sexual behavior intelligence and environment

2. Relationship to the victim

3. Motive means and results of the crime

4. Circumstances after the crime

In addition the Sentencing Commission sets and announces specific sentencing standards for each crime and the Court Organization Act stipulates that these sentencing standards be respected so there is surprisingly little in which judges can do what they want.

In the first place the sentencing process is naturally necessary.

Even if they kill the same number of people they are not all bad guys to the same degree.

Can we treat a perverted pleasure killer who gets excited just by the sight of blood and a boy who killed his ringleader because he couldn’t endure bullying?

Of course it goes without saying that both are criminals and should be punished.

However the weight of the sin was something that could vary.

“hmm.”

Choi Soo-gil nodded as if he had answered well but up to this point Shin Seo-jun also answered in the original.

There is no point in repeating it like a parrot.

I decided to go one step further.

“Especially… considering the existence of a system called probation.”

“oh.”

A look of admiration flashed across Choi Soo-gil’s face.

“Under the current criminal law in order to receive probation a person must be sentenced to imprisonment or imprisonment for three years or less. “If we somehow reduce the sentence to this standard through sentencing we can create a path for the defendant to be released on probation.”

The difference between 4 years in prison and 3 years and 6 months in prison is not large. At most you will only spend half a year less in prison.

However there is a huge difference between 3 years and 6 months in prison and 3 years.

This is because the latter has the possibility of regaining freedom without going to prison at all.

This is where the practical competency of a criminal lawyer is ultimately determined.

However unfortunately sentencing is not treated as important in the law school curriculum.

The so-called ‘punishment penalty’ problem which calculates the range of punishment that can be imposed right away is solved in a criminal trial practice class.

“student. “What is your name?”

“I am Park Yu-seung a first-year student at Hankuk University Law School.”

“I’ll remember it.”

Choi Soo-gil looked at my face with interest.

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A former prosecutor who wields enormous influence remembers my name.

Even if I wasn’t planning on getting a job at Jin & Ahn this was quite meaningful.

“you’re right. As intern Park Yoo-seung answered well the most important thing for a criminal lawyer is sentencing skills. But I heard it’s a topic that isn’t often taught in law schools.”

So Su-gil Choi handed out handouts saying he had prepared a lecture on sentencing today.

Is it because I am an old person and am not familiar with PPT? Somehow the handout I received had Chinese characters all over it just like old law books.

However the lecture content itself was quite useful.

Su-gil Choi explained in an easy-to-understand manner the method of applying the sentencing standards announced by the Sentencing Commission and the mechanism by which judgment is made in cases of fines without such standards.

In particular the part that introduced what prosecutors should do to refute the evidence for sentencing reasons prepared by lawyers was very interesting.

This is something I will use over and over again even when I become a prosecutor so I wrote it all down without missing a single word.

“Then since we have a schedule we will end the special lecture here. “I will support your future.”

On the way out Choi Soo-gil stopped in front of me for a moment and tapped my shoulder a couple of times.

Of course Go Cheol-soo’s expression turned sour when he witnessed it as he was just coming in for his shift.

* * *

The week-long internship process has already come to an end.

Although it wasn’t as good as Choi Soo-gil’s the lectures I took every morning were beneficial and it was nice to learn something every time I solved each assignment I submitted in the afternoon.

In particular it was attractive to be able to freely use Jin & Ahn’s materials when doing assignments.

As expected from being the best law firm Jin & Ahn kept a lot of litigation records and evidence that could not be easily found outside.

But what I liked more than anything was Go Cheol-soo’s face which became extremely dark and distorted every time I played an active role.

“…Tsk.”

As originally planned the person who would receive the most attention during this internship was by far Shin Seo-jun.

Even if Go Cheol-soo didn’t try to push him his skills were unrivaled in the first place.

Even if I had tried to compete with all my might I would have been able to compete as a double horse and would not have been in the spotlight on my own.

However for some reason Shin Seo-jun did not want to step forward at all in any situation.

I didn’t know if it was to test me or because of antipathy toward Go Cheol-soo’s masterpiece.

What was certain was that Go Cheol-soo found this situation extremely uncomfortable.

“Intern Park Yoo-seung.”

“Yes lawyer.”

However there was nothing Go Cheol-soo could do other than make it clear that he didn’t like me.

I faithfully participated in the entire process and completed the assignments so perfectly that there was nothing to complain about.

‘okay. If I didn’t have anything to talk about I would just be talking about physiognomy.’

“It’s time for the interview. “Go.”

There were two major events remaining at the end of this internship process.

One is the seminar that will be held in the morning of the last day.

Unlike past assignments here in an environment where the Internet is blocked a given topic is discussed purely with one’s own knowledge and logic and the subject is evaluated by seniors who observe the process.

The other one is the interview that Go Cheol-soo mentioned just now.

Unlike seminars where evaluation is conducted on a many-to-many basis interviews are conducted in a manner in which several seniors stand up to an intern and ask various questions to verify his or her qualifications.

Either way as I don’t really care about confirmation there was no need to be that desperate.

To be honest the structure of this interview is similar to the interview that will be held after the prosecution’s main exam so it wouldn’t be a bad idea to experience it as a rehearsal.

“I’ll be right there.”

Hiding those thoughts I bowed my head politely.

No answer came back. It’s like a moth.

‘Then why don’t you go in?’

When I arrived in front of the interview room I took a deep breath outside the door.

No matter how thoughtless you may be there are seniors in the industry waiting for you beyond this.

There was definitely something to be gained through Q&A with them.

If so you can’t pass it up in vain. I nodded stretched and straightened my posture.

In conclusion… it was a useless resolution.

“Ah student Yuseung! “It’s been a while!”

The person who welcomed me as soon as I arrived was none other than Seong Jin-tae.

Since I am the person in charge of the intern selection process it was natural for me to participate in individual interviews as well.

“Let’s sit down and talk instead of standing around. “I left some kettles there so you can listen comfortably.”

Despite my resolve this one-on-one interview was more like a social gathering for men with a cute junior than an interview.

Seong Jin-tae said he thought highly of me from the beginning but it was a bit unexpected that other seniors were also so friendly.

“Is that what you call it?”

One of the seniors who came to the morning special lecture burst out laughing.

“Among the interns I’ve seen over the past five years there wasn’t a single one who was as quick-witted and did the quality of their assignments as well as you. Even if you include all 2nd and 3rd graders.”

The assignments we submit are initially reviewed by Go Cheol-su but eventually reports are made to all seniors involved in intern selection.

This is why Go Cheol-soo cannot manipulate his evaluation of me at will no matter how much he dislikes me.

Thanks to this the people sitting here knew all about how hard I worked throughout this internship and what the results were.

And that… seems to have been very satisfying to them.

“When Attorney Seong said that I had to be selected unconditionally I thought it was too hasty to judge… but honestly it exceeded my expectations. “If you look at your skills alone there’s no reason not to hire you.”

It’s a word with a strangely strong bone. Doesn’t saying ‘only about skills’ mean that there are other considerations as well?

“Tell me honestly. “You want to be a prosecutor right?”

‘Oh.’

“You can tell by looking at the assignments submitted. At first glance it looks like they are trying to learn and apply our methods as much as possible but it is obvious that they are secretly researching loopholes and countermeasures.”

“…no shame.”

I quickly admitted it and hit my head.

Although they tried to hide it it seemed like Jin & Ahn’s seniors could easily see through the kid’s true intentions.

Anyway my internship was almost over and it would have been useless to lie further so it was right for me to report it honestly.

“Haha raise your head. “Why are you acting like someone who has committed a crime?”

“…Are you okay?”

“Is there anything else that wouldn’t be okay? Of course it would be a shame if you were caught trying to walk a tightrope but you are not at that level. If you have the ability you should make your own choice. “Well I wish they would choose our company if possible.”

“Above all.”

Seong Jin-tae intervened.

“The future is about not knowing what will happen. “By the time you graduate Yoo Seung’s thoughts may change and even if he goes to a public office… wouldn’t he be able to work with us later?”

It was unexpected.

I thought that if I got caught people would criticize me and ask if I was just trying to steal information about the company by coming in without any intention of joining the company but it seemed like no problem was raised.

Rather they go one step further and send love calls asking to work together at any time even if they don’t confirm joining the company right away.

In fact this was not a common case at all.

In the original work there was a student who received confirmation from a large law firm and secretly prepared for civil service but had his employment canceled because a vengeful classmate reported to the law firm.

“You can think of it as insurance.”

Seong Jin-tae continued.

“I think that if you have the skills of a student like Yoo Seung you have the talent to become a prosecutor but you don’t know what goes on in the world. “Wouldn’t it be easier to prepare for the test if you think you have somewhere to go even if things don’t go well?”

Now it has gotten to the point where he is persuading me to study with my company as insurance.

Originally this position was supposed to exist for seniors to verify the qualifications of applicants but what was happening was that the seniors were appealing to me to somehow include our company as a choice.

In the end the interview time was over when I responded with something like ‘I’ll think about it.’

Even the moment I left the door they were urging me not to withdraw even if I received confirmation.

When I returned to the office to finish work all the other interns had already gone home. The one waiting for me in the empty office was Go Cheol-soo alone.

“for a moment.”

As I was packing my bags and getting ready to go back Go Cheol-su suddenly called me and stopped me.

“You shouldn’t come to the seminar tomorrow.”

…What does this mean again?