A Lawyer's Warmup: "You Look Like a Homeless Person" — Just Joking

To be honest, I am not sure if the lawyer's words were motivated by racist/discriminatory assumptions or if he was just an unprofessional and immature person. But since this blog documents my immigration experience—including the various incidents I've encountered while living here, which collectively contribute to the immigrant experience—it should be appropriate to tell you the story.

I appeared in a German court for the first time, though this was my second court appearance overall (for the first instance, see: https://educatedkanak.liberta.vip/why-did-you-come-to-germany-on-complicity-and-willful-ignorance/). The case was not about something dangerous or even particularly important. Both sides agreed; there was not even a minor point of contention. I had an interpreter with me even though I later realized one was not really needed. The emails below reveal the interaction that took place:

Before the hearing, while waiting outside the courtroom, the lawyer commented that I looked like a homeless person because of my backpack full of documents. After the hearing, when I received the final documents and paid him, I sent this email:

March 13, 2026:

Dear Mr. [The Lawyer's Name],

Thank you for sending over the documents. I confirm receipt and appreciate your continued work on my case.

I would also like to share a brief piece of feedback. I found it unhelpful to be compared to a homeless person immediately before the proceedings. Regardless of the nature of a case, clients may be under considerable stress in the lead-up to a hearing, and remarks of that kind can be counterproductive.

Best regards,

That's me being polite and trying to be as concise as possible. In reality, since my last court experience was serious and risky, it's understandable that I was very anxious and stressed.

March 21, 2026:

I'll be more careful with my jokes next time then.

His response came five days later. The one-sentence reply can be read in several ways:

• "I'm sorry not sorry" emphasis on "then"
• "It was just a joke. Don't be so sensible" (Queers, BIPOCS, women—does this sound familiar to you?) emphasis on "my jokes"
• "I'm not mature enough to accept my unprofessional attitude and/or apologize, but I'm also not brave enough to defend/confront what I said/did"
  emphasis on what is not said—and what remains unsaid often matters most.