Valentine's Day (40s) and Careers (modern-ish)

[dancing_chimera]

1. Would Valentine's Day (as a mushy lovely commercialized sort of thing) have been noticeable enough in the mid 40s for a young Voldemort to bother hating it, or would hating it be the rough equivalent of passionately hating Labor Day in the modern US (which silly because... seriously, no one likes/celebrates Labor Day

Comments

[inamac]

1. As others have said, Valentines Day in the 40s was constrained by the war and rationing - however cards were exchanged by sweethearts - probably more frequently than today, particularly when the man was in the forces (Valentine postcards were about the only thing that wasn't censored).

2. Voldemort seeems to have recruited his inner circle from among the 'idle rich' - they wouldn't have 'jobs', or expect their sons to have them. If there was a family business (banking, manufacturing, thestral-breeding), or land and estates (the Malfoys?) the sons would be expected to learn how to manage that (perhaps starting on the 'office floor' or collecting tenant's rents and tithes). If there is a family tradition of service in the armed forces a son would be expected to join the appropriate Regiment for a time, similarly with the Law (local landowners are often Magistrates, but this is a public position not a profession. In the (unlikely) event that the son wanted to take up a profession he might chose anything from medicine to ballet (there are a fair number of titled people involved in the arts in the UK).

3. Rumpole didn't have any problem 'un-retiring' - though he may be a special case. Depending on the circumstances it would be possible for anyone (not just a retired barrister) to present a case in court if asked by the defendant, though his legal advisers would strongly discourage him from having anyone who wasn't well versed and up to date with the law.

4. Tramp, vagrant, down-and-out.

[mandragora1]

Re 3. this is not correct. You can represent yourself in court and you can have a 'McKenzie friend' to assist you in your case but they cannot act as your legal representative and conduct the case on your behalf in court.

OP: If your retired person is a retired solicitor, whether they could in effect come out of retirement would depend on whether their name is still on the Roll of Solicitors. You can keep your name on the Roll after retirement as the Solicitors Regulation Authority (nowadays, back in the 1990s it was The Law Society) asks everyone without a practising certificate (for which there is a fee which has recently been reduced but used to cost approx £1,200 - can't remember how much it was in the 1990s, but not cheap!) each year whether they wish to remain in the Roll. Many retired solicitors remain on the Roll until death.

If not on the Roll, then they would first have to apply to come back onto the Roll (I don't know how long that would take but assume it should be relatively easy and there is only a small fee nowadays - don't know about the 1990s, but assume it was similar). The lawyer would have to pay the practising certificate fee before recommencing practice and in addition, they would need to take out professional indemnity insurance. The latter in particular is not cheap!

It doesn't change whether the case is civil or criminal.

If your retired person is a barrister, in order to practise again they would need to set themselves up as a practitioner and pay indemnity insurance fees. As a barrister, in the 1990s, they were not allowed to represent anyone in court unless instructed by a solicitor, who will strongly advise against instructing someone as counsel who hasn't practised for a number of years, may not know the current law and will be rusty.

You'll have gathered from the above that coming out of retirement isn't easy, or cheap, as you need insurance in order to practise as a lawyer. However, your retired lawyer could give informal advice (although would need to caveat it like mad, to avoid possibly being sued if the advice is wrong and especially as they're without insurance) and could act as a McKenzie friend to assist in court. That might be your best option because coming out of retirement for just one case is not likely at all, not least because of the expense and also because of the requirements to set up as a sole practitioner - in the case of solicitors they are the most likely to screw up and be negligent, so they are kept a particularly close eye upon by the relevant professional bodies.

Regarding your query 1., I'm reading a lot of fanfic where there are all sorts of decorations in public places for Valentine's Day etc. I don't know if this actually happens in other places (the US in particular) but it doesn't happen in the UK in my experience. The most that might happen at work, for example, would be someone receiving a bunch of flowers from their partner that are delivered to work. I've never seen Valentine's Day cards given at work. School and university were a different prospect, in that cards were given, but definitely no public decorations, although it's possible that may have changed. In short, Valentine's Day seems to be a much bigger deal in the US than its ever been in the UK.

[dancing_chimera]

Thank you! This was very helpful!

[dancing_chimera]

Thank you! I've just cut the whole Valentines part. Luckily, it wasn't a huge part of the story.