I’ve always known how justice and the law play large roles in the lives of the citizens… from the hotshots earning millions with equally reputable lawyers, to the regular associates doing pro bono work for the homeless. Yet, hearing stories from the countless lawyers giving talks two weeks ago did nothing to strike a chord within me. Well, till today.

I suppose it’s only when you experience these kind of things for yourself when you feel truly empathetic. I always expected one of these moments to happen sooner or later. I never did expect it to happen, however, sitting in the corner of the Debt Recovery department. Debt recovery isn’t a particularly interesting field of law. Person A with outstanding debt on a credit card hasn’t paid off the bank, and the bank sends a team of lawyers (no, most of the time they’re paralegals) after said debtor for awhile. Almost every initial writ from the court is identical, claiming the fee, some interest, some costs, and etcetera, sometimes it comes with a writ to seize the debtors’ belongings, and almost all of them don’t end very happily. As I sit leafing through literally thousands of files, I feel both a sense of monotony and boredom. After all, all the cases are the same..

Then I ran into one which made me sit up and take notice.

Banks are generous. Sure. But when it comes to taking back money owed, they can be ruthless. Credit card payment interest rates are already high at approx 5 percent per annum. Once legal action is taken, they suddenly have all the reason to jack that interest on the amount due up a further 5 percent. Late fees per month are about thirty five dollars and only accumulate further to accrue even more outstanding loans. Suddenly, $2000 is $3000, $3000 is $5000 after legal costs, and the situation just got a lot stickier.

It’s not exactly the fault of the banks. The debtors have done the wrongs to begin with. But is the law supposed to be this cutthroat on the average citizen? Maybe a few months of bad financial management left them in a state where they’re paying beyond their means. That’s ultimately a fault of their own. But I cannot help but feel nothing but empathy for these debtors in even more dire financial straits, no matter how much they did wrong to begin with.

These are men and women supporting families in sparsely furnished HDB flats earning incomes not more than $2000 a month including their spouse. Suddenly a letter comes demanding payment in 5 days for fees ten times that income. It is both deserved yet unbelievably sad.

 The case file I opened had a questionnaire filled by a lady in a similar situation. I don’t know what exactly it was about it… Was it the letters in all block letters that somehow showed something conclusive and unchanging about her meagre income? The handwriting never wavered. No line was ever crooked. Just like these men and women who face these kind of problems despite the stress and problems it brings. The fact that, reading these words that were written by hand by someone else… just made me realize that these are all real people. And these thousands of cases, while identical in procedure, are all vastly different and unique.

The law is strict, and the law is necessary. But sometimes the law is unyielding. And sometimes the law is not fair. The law can be just, but not necessarily fair. I think the distinction between these two adjectives needs to be quite clear. Should we be punishing these citizens with such a severity? I read the letters of contact sent by lawyers sitting in Suntec Tower to the poor living in three-room flats. I read the language that is formal and professional and exactly what is expected but unintelligible to the average heartlander. I read memos in files about ‘sparsely furnished’ housing with ‘no property worth seizing’. And all these gives me a sense of intimidation and fear. Where the debtors, albeit wrong, are being pushed even further down into this vicious cycle of poverty.

I mean no ill to the lawyers who are doing their job as is expected of them. And I expect, there are many more who must feel the way I do after reading so many of such files. It is moments like this that make me remember this quote.

‘A human first, a lawyer second.’

I feel more motivated to get into law school and do what I am driven to do.

 

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