Lawyers and judges form a couple that is inevitably disunited but for who divorce is impossible. The 'confrontational culture’ between lawyers and magistrates can be explained by their antinomic missions and a growing trend toward the criminalization of litigations. The negative image of magistrates and lawyers is certainly not advantageous to the justice system, but this paper shows that a poor understanding of the missions of these two professions by the public explains the injustice done to the legal profession. Yet, this certainly does not mean that the state of our justice system, its functioning and its organization are satisfactory. The justice system suffers from the fearful contempt of the political class and from budgetary limitations unheard of in great western nations. The mode of selection of magistrates should be radically reformed and opened up. In the end, the efficiency and the legitimacy of the justice system are at stake, and this should be a concern for every French citizen.