The clients, (regardless of whether we're helping them with criminal defence, personal injury or immigration problems), seem to share a completely different kind of eccentricity. I had a phone call from a lady who didn't speak English very well. There have been several calls like this in the few months I was at the firm. She made several frustrated attempts to communicate, before deciding to stop a random passerby, communicate with him by gestures, and force him to communicate with me over her phone. It was like trying to help someone to play charades without actually being able to see anything.
Random Passerby: Excuse me? Hello?
Ro: *extremely frustrated by this point* Who is this?
Random Passerby: *sounding alarmed* She just stopped me and told me to speak. I was too scared to say no. She wants me to say that she is...she is in prison? No, someone is in prison, someone
else is in prison, and...they're...walking? moving? Um...oh! They want to get out. They're - someone's flying, flying away, oh hang on, she's getting a pencil and drawing something. They're...they're leaving the country.
Ro: Can she say what they were in jail for?
RP: *after communicating the question* ...They, assaulted someone? No, they, they killed someone? Oh, no, they...assaulted and then killed someone? I don't...what is that? Vandalism? Parking tickets? Someone giving parking tickets? She's, I think she's starting again. She's trying to say, what is that, a stick? A ball? They threw...she's pretending to eat it - a vegetable? A round vegetable? Which you can throw?
Ro: *fascinated* Did they kill someone with an aubergine? Was it the traffic warden with the potato in the library?
RP: I think she's getting angry with me. I'd better give the phone back.
So, if any of you are thinking of heading to anywhere in London outside zone 1, be prepared to be stopped and forced to play charades with a stranger whilst on the phone to a confused receptionist.
Context should probably swallow before reading.