Chapter 2
ANTHONY CARTER fussed with his damned tie.
He wore one every day, but this morning he couldn’t seem to get the front longer than the tail, and it was driving him crazy.
He undid it and started again, finally getting it so the damned thing looked right.
Some mornings it didn’t pay to get out of bed.
He adjusted his collar before heading to the kitchen for a cup of coffee.
Then he pulled on his overcoat and went to his car to head into the office.
It was still dark when Anthony arrived, and he turned on a few lights as he went.
He entered his office and left the door open before sitting down at his desk.
He started by answering his email and forwarded others to his paralegal for him to handle.
Then he reviewed the brief he’d finished after having a beer with Tyler.
He’d probably stayed too late at his house, but Tyler was nice, and it wasn’t like Anthony had much time to socialize or that he was generally very good at it.
“Morning,” someone said from outside the door, and he responded automatically, barely looking up from his computer.
He had a lot to do, and this appeal brief needed to be right.
His client had been convicted of robbery and assault during a liquor store holdup, except that the court-appointed attorney had made so many errors during the trial that it was hard to keep track of them.
The client’s sister had hired Anthony to do the appeal.
He checked his notes, reviewing all his points and making sure they were in the brief, including the suppression of evidence that his client was actually somewhere else at the time of the robbery.
In his opinion, Judge Marshall had been sloppy, but he couldn’t say that in the brief.
Happy with his work, he saved the file and sent a note to Jasper to see him.
“Tony,” a gruff voice said from the doorway.
Anthony took a deep breath and held it. He hated being called Tony. He was not a Tony and he never would be. But the senior partner, Richard Langley, insisted on using that nickname, and he needed to keep the old jackass happy.
“Morning,” he said.
“Is the Johnson brief done?” he asked.
“Yes. Ready to be filed this morning,” he answered.
Richard always treated him like he was a fool and like he was going to be late for everything.
The brief was complete and ready to be electronically filed today.
He had also drafted the brief for the Phillips case, but that would need another day or two.
His phone rang. “Is there something you needed? This is a client I’ve been talking to.” He waited for Richard, who seemed to be debating.
“Take the call and then come to my office.” He turned away, and Anthony answered the call just before his voicemail kicked in.
“Anthony Carter, good morning,” he said, and what he got was silence.
“I wish it was. The police charged Hansen this morning, and I’ve decided to engage you for his defense.” Connor Jacobs was the patriarch of one of the oldest families in Carlisle. “How soon can you meet with us so we can review everything?”
Anthony checked his calendar. “Is he out on bail? Do you need me to help arrange it?”
Connor cleared his throat. “His previous attorney, who I just fired, didn’t botch that, at least. So yes, he has bail.”
Anthony pulled up his calendar. “Then can you all come in on Thursday at one?” He was already reserving a secure conference room.
“Yes. That will be fine,” Connor said firmly, but his voice broke suddenly, and that told Anthony a lot. This might be a high-powered parent, but he loved his son a great deal.
Anthony finalized the conference room and brought up their standard engagement form and fee structure.
“Okay. I have the email address you gave me after our last call. I’m going to email you an engagement letter as well as a fee agreement.
I believe that clients should be clearly informed up front what they are paying for.
You’ll have those within the hour. Please sign both and return them to us.
As soon as I have them, I’ll begin work. ”
“Fair enough. Can I reach you at this number?” Connor asked.
“Yes. But if I’m engaged, you can also call my paralegal, Jasper.” He gave Connor the number. “Is there anything else you need at the moment?”
“You need to know that I’m an impatient and demanding man. I expect excellence.”
“Then that’s what you’ll get. But I caution you, patience is something you are going to need. The gears of the legal process sometimes grind slowly, and quite often patience is rewarded. Just remember that. This isn’t a sprint but a marathon, and we need to be ready for that.”
“Fair enough,” Connor said. “Get those forms over and we’ll get this moving forward.” He ended the call. Anthony got to work customizing the letters to the client and called Helen, Richard’s assistant.
“Is he available?”
“Not at the moment,” Helen said. “I’ll call you when he’s off the phone.”
“You’re a gem,” he told her, and she chuckled as she hung up.
Anthony finished the letters and sent them to Connor just as Helen called. Anthony grabbed his iPad and headed to Richard’s corner office.
Helen ushered him right in and closed the door after him.
“I’ll get right to the point. Rumor has it that Connor Jacobs is looking for new representation for his son.
” Anthony was about to give Richard the good news, but he plowed on.
“We are going to chase that particular whale, and Harry Phillips will be leading the effort. I’d like you to assist him on this one.
” Anthony and Harry had both been bucking for partner for the last couple of years.
“We think that he’ll be a better fit to take the lead on this case. ”
That was a load of bullshit. Harry was a schmoozer.
He always talked a great game. It bowled Anthony over that Richard and some of the other partners didn’t see that he was all hot air.
A message came across the screen of his iPad, and he opened it and quickly brought up the documents already signed by Connor.
“I’m sorry, but that isn’t possible.” He left the agreement up and set the iPad on Richard’s desk.
“Connor Jacobs engaged us—and me—just before I came in here.”
Richard glanced down at the signed agreement and blinked like he didn’t believe it. “You landed Connor Jacobs?” He sat forward in his chair.
“I have a signed engagement letter, and he reviewed and acknowledged our fee structure.”
A smile graced Richard’s lips. “Send me a copy of it. I want to put together the best team that the firm has for this.” He was practically salivating.
“Umm. I think you need to read the letter more closely. He specified that I was to be his attorney, and that is how I wrote the engagement letter.” Richard snatched up the iPad and read through what Connor had signed.
“You can see he even underlined that part of the agreement.” Anthony didn’t know if Richard was going to be angry, but he just smiled.
“Damn, you have some brass nuts on you, that’s for sure. Okay. If that’s what the client wants….”
“I have a meeting with him at one on Thursday. Part of that meeting is to discuss how much of a defense team he is willing to commit to.” Anthony knew Richard was eager to throw everything the firm had at this case, but Connor had to be willing to pay for it, and Richard knew that.
“Good. If we win this case, then it’s likely Connor will send more of his legal work our way, and that would be beneficial to the firm—and could facilitate the advancement of the lawyer who makes it happen.” Richard just couldn’t help dangling that carrot.
“I understand.”
“Also, the Christmas party would be a good chance for you to interact and impress the partners in a social setting.” Of course Richard had to bring that up.
“I hope you aren’t planning to show up alone…
again.” The near derision was hard to miss.
“You remember that every year we collect donations to support a local charity, and this year my wife convinced the partners that we should support a dog rescue.”
Anthony couldn’t figure out why it mattered so damned much what was happening in his personal life, but he had been told that he wasn’t being singled out; Richard was like this with everyone.
Gene, one of the other partners, had once told him that in a past life, Richard had probably been a professional matchmaker.
Still, Anthony did his job and was damned good at it.
His billable hours were at the very top of the firm on a regular basis.
He smiled and nodded. “Was there something else you wished to speak about?”
“Not at this time,” Richard said and Anthony left the office, stopping by Jasper’s desk on his way to his own.
“We need to talk right away,” he told him, and Jasper followed him in and closed the door.
Anthony sat at his desk and motioned for Jasper to take one of his chairs.
“I just landed the defense for Hansen Jacobs. His father engaged us on his behalf after firing his previous attorney. Now, of course we’re acting as defense, but you know how I like to do things. ”
“You want me to find out the facts?” Jasper asked.
“Yes. I want to build a case for the defense, and get me a copy of the police reports and any witness statements. Let’s see what we’re dealing with. Also, I sent you the Johnson brief. Get that filed with the court this morning.”
“I saw it and filed it electronically along with all our exhibits while you were in your meeting. I got a confirmation of receipt and added it to our files and emailed you a copy.”
“Great. We have a meeting at one on Thursday. I want you to be there, and make sure Brenda is there as well.” She was his intern, and he wanted her there to listen and learn. Brenda was smart and showed real promise.
“What about anyone else?” Jasper asked.