Vítězná esej VI. ročníku literární soutěžě pořádané TaylorWessing ve spolupráci s Českým rozhlasem a ELSA Česká republika

After some small talk we had in the elevator I got to know her a little. Her only child moved to another country and she comes down to the mailbox in the residence hall every day to check if any letter came from him.

Once I got lucky when I witnessed her finding a few envelopes in her mailbox. “That's from my baby boy,” she said whilst smiling. Those letters really meant a lot to her.

And that is the moment I realized how our grandmas and grandpas can be grateful for only a sign of company and that is also why they can be really vulnerable.

From the point of view of the law, it is obvious that retired people require more protection than others (along with disabled people, children, etc.). One of the reasons lawmakers included seniors in the category of “particularly vulnerable victims” is that they tend to be victims of crimes more often, then other citizens, especially crimes against property.

When I think about the lonely 70 year old lady and the connection with the protection of seniors, it totally makes sense. She always asks neighbors about their day and she is interested in their lives. I can imagine how a lonely person wants to be helpful to get some company without realizing danger coming.

That is why some criminals still target retired people who are not suspicious when it comes to letting other likeable people into their apartments. Then they use their physical weakness to get some property benefit, even though they often only get a few thousand crowns.

In my opinion, the crime against seniors is coming from the vulnerability of people, which is caused by psychical weakness and loneliness. And that is a social problem which only society itself can change. How? By starting with ourselves and inspire for example from a project “Ježíškova vnoučata1”. 

At the beginning, single person should show more compassion with people with the same faith as the lady I wrote about. It is us, neighbors, who can help elderly people to be more sociable and that is how we can impact our surroundings. Furthermore, a day when our grandparents are going to feel lonely is most likely to come and we should think about the fact that not every senior has grandchildren or somebody else to spend time with when their spouses are gone, or their children move miles away.

But if we are thinking about ourselves as about future lawyers, we should be aware of the even bigger social responsibility lying on our shoulders.

Lawyers are those who understand social problems and work with its outcome every single day. In the career of every solicitor occurs a moment when he or she comes across a case which includes vulnerable victim. And in that moment the solicitor should decide which way he or she wants to choose.

At that crossroad, the lawyer can think of two ways of approach it. First is to think about the case as any other which includes standard communication with a client, and same prices for consultation. But can elderly people really get a proper legal advice whilst having limited budget and the need of special treatment? I don't think so.

The second approach is to help the person with special needs within pro bono services. That is the way I wish all the future solicitors were thinking. Spending a few more hours with the case which would go nowhere without a professional help that elderly people can barely afford should be indispensable part of our society. I hope I'm not naïve when I wish that most of my schoolmates are studying law to make world more just place.

Abroad, you can also find organizations connecting lawyers, solicitors, barristers and others who provide legal help to elder and vulnerable people2. In the Czech Republic, the Czech Bar Association is offering free legal advice to citizens who cannot afford to pay solicitors and also “Pro Bono Aliance” and “Pro Bono Centre” are doing that. In my opinion, this is the right way of setting an example.

Big companies are also helping those in need through their corporate social responsibility (CSR) departments. Unfortunately, according to an interview published in Ekonom magazine with founder of Law Firm Císař, Češka, Smutný and Bohemian Heritage