The court recognised Luís Carlos Esteves as Sócrates' court-appointed lawyer, but as he was not in the room at the start of the trial, it was the lawyer on duty, Humberto Monteiro, who ended up representing the former prime minister. A third lawyer, Filipe Batista, had held a power of attorney from Sócrates to represent him, but as he was not immediately granted ten days to consult the case file, he was not appointed.