If we consider, like Charles Perrault in his time, that nothing can resist great eloquenceit is easy to understand how important this is for lawyersresponsible for representing, defending, pleading and convincing through words. “ Isn't speech the shadow of action? ”, to use Democritus here. It is this function of eloquence that Me Monika Mahy-Ma-Somga, the president of the Aix Bar Association, recalled in the preamble to the eloquence competition of the young bar of Aix-en-Provence which was held on Thursday 19 December.
Presented in the heart of the Maliverny hotel by Jean-Philippe Doux, the competition brought together thirteen candidates took turns to answer the question. “ Is life too important to be taken seriously? », « Is doubt the beginning of wisdom? », « Is experience the name that everyone gives to their mistakes? », « Is marriage the death of hope? », « Are trips mainly used to annoy others after we return? », « In the house of happiness, would the largest room be the waiting room? “, etc. So many inspiring subjects taken from quotes from famous authorsfrom Cocteau to Guitry via Woody Allen.
Ten minutes of public speaking for each candidate in the young bar eloquence competition
Candidates had to answer it in ten minutes. At their feet, however literally (!), the jury composed of three former presidents : But Andrée Minguet the president, escorted by Messrs Josiane Chaillol and Benoît Porteu de la Morandière. By their side, three former competition winners : My Laure Laydevant, Sébastien Ducharne and Olivier Quesneau. With them, Gislain Prades, secretary general of the Atelier de la langue française, with which the Aix bar recently signed a partnership agreement. Jérémie Cornu, director of the Atelier, was also among the public. Additional sign, if that were even necessary, of the high importance that Aix lawyers attach to language, culture and therefore, we come back to it, to eloquence.
Thirteen lawyers from less than four years at the bar : Sirine Akroune, Sarah Hadidi, Barthélémy Plez, Mathias De Bortoli, Isaïa Boniface, Benjamin Delbourg, Quentin Mathieu, Rémi Masri, Léa Bonzom, Cédric Ferrier, Alice Dinahet, Baptiste Daligaux and finally, Maxime Carrez. Come to honor oratorythey proclaimed their words, delivered their thoughts, offered their eloquence and presented their work.
Didn't Winston Churchill say that an improvised speech was rewritten three times? If the candidates obviously demonstrated their legal knowledge, they did not hesitate to mention in their piece of eloquence many literary referencesto be addressed a few nods to current eventsor even to evoke their course and personal anecdotes. But we know, “ the only courage is to speak in the first person », Considered the author and translator Arthur Adamov. Without forgetting the tenderness and thehumourobviously. For sublime eloquence is almost inseparable from jokes; so thought in any case the novelist Ghislaine Schoeller.
Four candidates selected for the second round and Baptiste Daligaux elected at the end
At the end of the first round, there remained four candidates invited to answer questions from the jury. It was necessary to show repartee. Thus, Alice Dinahet, Sirine Akroune, Baptiste Daligaux and Rémi Masri were decided by the jurors by discovering the questions of this second round at the same time as the public. This step made it possible to designate Baptist Daligauxthus becoming the new first secretary of the young bar conference.
The one who had distinguished himself a little earlier, by summoning justice, humor and authors to find out if laziness should be a little more active, will therefore be responsible for represent the young bar in France and abroadbut also the values of speech and defense. Rémi Masri, who had wondered about the subject “ Are the best memories those we invent? », in homage to Sacha Guitry, is sacred second secretary. The mandate is for a period of one year. For the record, Jean Baduel was the winner of the 2024 edition.
The competition was followed in large numbers by the public. Which easily illustrates these few words from Henri Lacordaire: there is no solitary eloquence. Every orator has two geniuses: his own, and that of the century which listens to him.
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