They actually can be used in a court of law as a stage toward arriving at a verdict.

这些词在法庭上,指审判前的一个程序。

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And it doesn't actually work in court or that doesn't actually purport to be a law firm,

你不会在法院内工作，那些机构也和律师事务所不相关，

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So you'd have a patron who would be higher class, richer, more powerful, have some political power, and you would be loyal to your patron, and your patron would then represent you in court, try to get you jobs, try to get you more business, do all the kinds of things that patrons do for their clients.

要找个比你社会地位高，比你有钱有权，有一定政治影响力的庇护人，你也要忠诚于他，庇护人会在法庭上代表你，帮你找工作，帮你介绍生意，各种庇护人为被庇护人做的事。

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