it when I see it. It’s a given that you’re very smart. All the candidates are. But honestly, you’re the last interview, and in my opinion, the perfect fit.”
“Fair enough. Who’s the law firm?”
“Before we get too far down that road, I need you to sign a confidentiality agreement along with a boilerplate non-disclosure. Purely a formality, but an essential one.”
Roger leaned forward, lifted his handset, and barked a terse instruction. Moments later another woman, this one a brunette in her thirties wearing slacks and a green silk blouse, appeared with a file and handed it to Roger before slipping out wordlessly.
“Take as long as you need to look it over,” Roger said, pushing it toward Jeffrey.
It was a standard blanket NDA, no surprises, and after giving it a careful perusal Jeffrey signed it and sat back expectantly.
“My client is Garfield, Fairbanks, and Lereaux.”
Jeffrey’s face didn’t betray his disappointment. He’d never heard of them.
“They’re not a household name, but I can assure you that their client roster reads like the Forbes list. They’re a specialized firm that augments the in-house legal departments of some of the largest corporations in the country. Banks, manufacturers, pharmaceutical giants, conglomerates, you name it. As you might have intuited, money isn’t in scarce supply. Their support role in class action suits alone runs into the eight figures each year, as does their lobbying arm, and that’s not their largest area of expertise. It’s a relatively small group, but frankly, the pay can’t be beaten, and if you do well, within a short period of time you’ll be a seven-figure man.”
Jeffrey swallowed, trying to remain calm at the mention of his future and undreamt-of levels of wealth in the same breath. “It sounds like a great opportunity.”
“That’s the understatement of the year. Look, Jeffrey, I know your firm. It’s a good, solid outfit, but it’s a mill, like going to work at a factory. Tell me you don’t clock sixty to eighty billable hours per week. I know the drill. You’ve got no chance of making serious money there until you’re older than I am.”
“It’s not that bad.”
“Don’t bullshit a bullshitter. Of course it is. And this is your ticket out. Look, you seem like a decent chap, so I’ll lay this on the line. Whether Garfield takes you or one of the others is immaterial to me – I still get paid no matter who they hire. But you’ve impressed me the most, and if I recommend you, you’ll get the job. So I need to know that you’re onboard, and will give notice as soon as possible, and do whatever is required to move here within a matter of days. If you won’t, any of the others will, so this is your moment of truth. Figure out what you want, and if you have any reservations about this, tell me now, in this room. Because once you’re sitting across from Joseph Garfield, you’re a shoe-in, and I don’t want to waste my ammo bringing a non-starter to that table.”
“I…frankly, this is extremely attractive. What you’ve described, running my own team, working with high-profile clients, being more than adequately rewarded…if I seem uncertain, it’s because I’m just taken aback by how fast all this is happening. I mean, we only first talked a day or so ago, and now you’re telling me I’m at the head of the line for a career-changer.”
“Welcome to the game, Jeffrey. Don’t you think you’ve spent enough time in the bullpen? You can’t warm up for the rest of your life. Fate’s smiled on you. I’d grab this with both hands and never let go.”
Jeffrey nodded. It was everything any young attorney could hope for. But in spite of all of that, something was making him uneasy. Probably the pace – they were moving at Mach ten, and Jeffrey was used to driving in the slow lane. “You make a compelling argument.”
Roger smiled wolfishly. “That’s part of the gig, Jeffrey. Let’s not beat around the
“Fair enough. Who’s the law firm?”
“Before we get too far down that road, I need you to sign a confidentiality agreement along with a boilerplate non-disclosure. Purely a formality, but an essential one.”
Roger leaned forward, lifted his handset, and barked a terse instruction. Moments later another woman, this one a brunette in her thirties wearing slacks and a green silk blouse, appeared with a file and handed it to Roger before slipping out wordlessly.
“Take as long as you need to look it over,” Roger said, pushing it toward Jeffrey.
It was a standard blanket NDA, no surprises, and after giving it a careful perusal Jeffrey signed it and sat back expectantly.
“My client is Garfield, Fairbanks, and Lereaux.”
Jeffrey’s face didn’t betray his disappointment. He’d never heard of them.
“They’re not a household name, but I can assure you that their client roster reads like the Forbes list. They’re a specialized firm that augments the in-house legal departments of some of the largest corporations in the country. Banks, manufacturers, pharmaceutical giants, conglomerates, you name it. As you might have intuited, money isn’t in scarce supply. Their support role in class action suits alone runs into the eight figures each year, as does their lobbying arm, and that’s not their largest area of expertise. It’s a relatively small group, but frankly, the pay can’t be beaten, and if you do well, within a short period of time you’ll be a seven-figure man.”
Jeffrey swallowed, trying to remain calm at the mention of his future and undreamt-of levels of wealth in the same breath. “It sounds like a great opportunity.”
“That’s the understatement of the year. Look, Jeffrey, I know your firm. It’s a good, solid outfit, but it’s a mill, like going to work at a factory. Tell me you don’t clock sixty to eighty billable hours per week. I know the drill. You’ve got no chance of making serious money there until you’re older than I am.”
“It’s not that bad.”
“Don’t bullshit a bullshitter. Of course it is. And this is your ticket out. Look, you seem like a decent chap, so I’ll lay this on the line. Whether Garfield takes you or one of the others is immaterial to me – I still get paid no matter who they hire. But you’ve impressed me the most, and if I recommend you, you’ll get the job. So I need to know that you’re onboard, and will give notice as soon as possible, and do whatever is required to move here within a matter of days. If you won’t, any of the others will, so this is your moment of truth. Figure out what you want, and if you have any reservations about this, tell me now, in this room. Because once you’re sitting across from Joseph Garfield, you’re a shoe-in, and I don’t want to waste my ammo bringing a non-starter to that table.”
“I…frankly, this is extremely attractive. What you’ve described, running my own team, working with high-profile clients, being more than adequately rewarded…if I seem uncertain, it’s because I’m just taken aback by how fast all this is happening. I mean, we only first talked a day or so ago, and now you’re telling me I’m at the head of the line for a career-changer.”
“Welcome to the game, Jeffrey. Don’t you think you’ve spent enough time in the bullpen? You can’t warm up for the rest of your life. Fate’s smiled on you. I’d grab this with both hands and never let go.”
Jeffrey nodded. It was everything any young attorney could hope for. But in spite of all of that, something was making him uneasy. Probably the pace – they were moving at Mach ten, and Jeffrey was used to driving in the slow lane. “You make a compelling argument.”
Roger smiled wolfishly. “That’s part of the gig, Jeffrey. Let’s not beat around the
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