Who would have thought that Greece has too many lawyers and too many cases? Our Greek member tells us the unexpected and somewhat funny story of how his country has became overrun with too many legal staff...
Who wouldn't have dreamt of growing up in the sun, by the Mediterranean Sea, with the smell of olives and thyme? If this sounds like the perfect childhood to you, don't worry, you could have grown up to be a lawyer anyway. Chances are even higher, if we believe Spyros Gallos (EJ Greece): “In my country, humble families in small villages see law as the ultimate job. For them, the idea that one of their children could become a lawyer is a sign of climbing the social ladder. As a consequence, any child that shows signs of being a good pupil at school is encouraged to enroll in a Law University and become a lawyer. This is the reason why we have such an enormous number of young law graduates aspiring to enter our profession. The situation is the same for doctors, which is another profession held in high esteem by rural families.”
Greece has one of the highest number of lawyers per inhabitant in the EU, second only to Luxembourg. According to Spyros, they are now too numerous. “To be more precise, we have far too many litigations in Greece, and the huge number of lawyers doesn't make it any better,” he explains. “Here, people sue each other for anything! They first think about suing, and then they see how it goes.” What does he means by anything, exactly? “The cost of litigations is ridiculously low for most cases: around €500, and sometimes as low as €200. Every day, someone calls me with such a case, and I always have the same answer: my rate, like the rate of any lawyer in Greece, is superior to this amount, so what is the point?” According to Spyros, lawyers are also concerned about the solvability of these potential clients, who may not even pay them in the end.
Why are so many people eager to sue anyway? “Sometimes they may just try to frighten the other party, which is something that happens in many countries,” Spyros says. “Very often I am contacted by old people who are terrified because someone is suing them. I have to explain them that suing doesn't always equal winning the case! But the reason why we have so many small cases here in Greece is also because of the crisis: our courts are clogged with so many cases, it can take two years before even a small litigation is solved. During this time, the cost of the case would have generated interest that can be higher than what you get when you save money at the bank: paying a lawyer is a better investment than having a savings account!” Spyros adds that judges themselves are often upset to receive such cases.
But the Greek authorities have taken action and undertaken a number of reforms to change the situation. “A couple of years ago, our government decided to raise the cost of going to court,” Spyros says. “This prevents such attempts to be profitable anymore. But I think the definitive change will come with the switch to the next generation. Younger Greeks don't have this impulse of suing for anything. On top of that, they are not afraid of being sued, so you can't pressure them as easily as you did with their elders! The new generation have different aspirations, so with a bit of luck everything will be better soon.” They are growing up amongst olive trees and the Mediterranean air too, but they have a different approach...
