Marseille is definitely in the spotlight. Thanks, among other things, to all those who live there and wish to give a fairer image of their city. Among them, director Fanny Fontan. She chose her native city as the setting for the fourth season of Commises d’office, which follows three young lawyers in their daily lives – based on an idea by Olivia Barlier. Enough to spark renewed interest in this documentary series which has attracted three million viewers since season 1 (filmed in 2017). To dynamic urban music, each lawyer is introduced by her first name and qualified by her number of years “in criminal law”.

First of all Pauline, “one year in prison”, who travels on a scooter. His day begins with a call to Bagnolet, near Paris, to warn a mother that her son is going to be tried in immediate appearance. On the phone, the mother seems to be taken aback. Then, towards the court, where her clients are waiting for her, before pleading and quoting Ionesco – this always has a small effect… It also quickly becomes apparent that Pauline remains deeply marked by what she experienced at the age 8 years old. She retains an animosity against a system which did not then know how to listen to her.

Then Tiphaine, “two years in prison”, the only one not to be from Marseille – but she is a fan of OM. We discover her during an interview with one of her clients, who delivered coke, then “lived the high life” in Dubai, in the words of the lawyer. Tiphaine is familiar with her client and jokes; she explains to her what she must say in court, how she must behave – not to laugh, in particular.

Nawel, “three years in prison”, is the only one installed independently. She also provides practical advice to her client (being clean, speaking well), whom she visits at Baumettes prison, where he has been incarcerated for twenty-four months, again for violating drug legislation. If drug trafficking represents the majority of cases, other cases appear, such as the emblematic one of a woman hit by her partner but still in love, and who hesitates to initiate legal proceedings. His lawyer, Nawel, says she is touched by “these damaged lives. So I’m distancing,” she says. Not all of her sisters have this ability.

Some keys to the profession

On the other hand, they are all expressed by acronyms, from SAS for “exit support structure” to EVJF for “hen party”. Over the course of the episodes, the series delivers some keys to the profession, such as asserting that the prosecution “has no proof”, that “there is nothing in the file”; denounce the conditions for obtaining certain declarations, and always the lack of resources.

Pauline, Tiphaine and Nawel thus draw the current portrait of three women, but also that of a city and above all of a profession, far from the imagination of the wealthy which is attached to it – even if no remuneration is quantified during of six episodes. Their task appears colossal and their responsibility immense. Before pleading for acquittal for her client, who faces life imprisonment, Tiphaine is aware of this: “I have a man’s life in my hands. »