Chapter 7
CHAPTER 7
Jordan
"You wanted to see me?"
Callahan looked up from his polished mahogany desk in his corporate law office. "Yes, come in. Shut the door behind you."
I closed the door, not too worried about what this might be about. Lawyers loved their private meetings. They gossiped as much as the next group of people, but it was all done in whispers and clandestine meetings. Unless they wanted you to hear, that is. There'd been more than one muttered comment about Callahan favoring his "pet."
It didn't bother me, because it wasn't true. Callahan didn't have pets. He demanded excellence, and if you could deliver, he kept you close.
Sometimes too close for my liking.
The internship at his law office had seemed like a great opportunity when I started last summer, but that was before he also appointed me his teaching assistant. Callahan was a man better taken in small doses.
"What's up, Professor?"
"Call me Callahan here," he said, waving me over. "These cutthroat bastards like to think my professorial title makes me soft."
"These cutthroat bastards are your partners?"
He chuckled. "That's just how the game is played, Jordan. If you're going into corporate law, you might as well get used to it now."
I nodded. With my double major in business and law, that was the logical course forward. But I couldn't say I loved the atmosphere at Callahan's offices.
"Sit down," Callahan said. "I want to talk about your future here."
"Okay." I perched on the seat.
"Your research work is impeccable," he said. "You've helped more than one person around here save face when it counted."
"Thank you."
He steepled his hands, pressing his fingers to his lips. "We have legal aids and a research specialist. I don't need another top-notch researcher."
"Oh." I hesitated, confused. "So, are you…firing me?"
Callahan barked a laugh. "No, Jordan. Christ. I'm saying it's time to take you off the bench. I didn't bring you over here so you could study. I know you can do that. You've proven it at school. It's time to swim with the big boys."
The mixed metaphors weren't doing me any favors. "What do you want me to do, exactly?"
He tossed a case file onto the desk in front of me. "Take the lead on this one."
My eyes widened. "The lead. But you don't even let the new associates do that."
"The associates write up legal briefs and summary statements, but not one of them has shown me half the potential you have. But it can't all be behind-the-scenes work, Jordan." He tapped the file. "This is your chance to show me you belong at Callahan after graduation."
I picked up the folder. "You're putting a lot of trust in me. I've never done this."
He nodded. "I'll be watching. If you choke, I'll be there to save you. But Jordan…"
"Yeah?"
"Don't choke. If you do, you won't have a place here next fall. Maybe not even this spring."
"No pressure or anything," I joked weakly.
Callahan's lips quirked. "You thrive on pressure or you don't last long in this field."
My stomach flipped. Was I cut out for this? I hadn't ever questioned it. I had a head for business and a fascination with the working of the law. I loved studying it, analyzing old cases, crafting legal arguments. In a lot of ways, law was a game of chess. You had to strategize, anticipate other moves, leave no holes in your defense.
But taking the lead on a case meant client meetings, witness interviews, verbally sparring with lawyers.
Unless he'd given me a simple contract. I could do those in my sleep.
I flipped open the folder, and my heart sank. A lawsuit. That was a little more complicated. Unless…
"Should we be looking to settle this?" I asked hopefully.
"The client can't afford it, and the plaintiff is out for every penny."
"Great."
"You didn't think I'd really test you with a cakewalk, did you?"
"No." I sighed. "But a guy can hope."
Callahan chuckled. "If settling is the best outcome, then by all means, settle it. But I want you to work the case, Jordan. You'll be making those decisions, so don't screw it up."
I flipped through the thick file. "This is a lot on top of my classes and TA work…"
"That's why I'm giving you some help."
Finally, some good news.
"You'll get three interns from my crop of first and second years."
"Interns," I echoed. "But they won't have any experience either."
"That's right. I couldn't very well test you if I gave you seasoned assistants." Callahan picked up his glass of bourbon and sipped it. "I'll choose the interns best-suited to aid you in the case, but you'll have to lead them."
I blew out a breath and stood. "All right. I guess I better get started on reviewing the case."
Callahan held up the glass in a mock toast. "I look forward to seeing you exceed my expectations, as always."
I left the office in a daze. I'd always known that eventually I'd have to take the lead on a case, but I thought I had years to prepare for that eventuality. Most new lawyers were stuck drafting legal arguments on paper to prove themselves before being given more responsibility.
Dread settled over me as I crossed the parking lot. The file folder sat heavy in my hand, like a weight ready to drag me down.
He's not setting you up to fail. He thinks you'll succeed.
But would I? I excelled in the classroom. I knew the law inside and out. But this would be entirely different.
My phone beeped with a text, and I pulled it out, eager for a distraction. It wasn't Ellis, as I'd expected, or Zach with his unneeded reminder about movie night tomorrow.
It was Mark, from my executive leadership class.
Dude, this project is killing me. Is there any way you could help me get started? I'll buy the beer.
He dropped a GPS pin into the message locating a little bar not far from the university. I snorted with amusement. Apparently, he trusted I had no better plans.
He wasn't wrong, of course. Study sessions with Ellis were the most action my social calendar had seen in months.
I'll be there in ten.
You're a lifesaver!
Mark sat at a corner table, a half-full pint glass in front of him and his tablet on the table. His forehead was creased.
"If this is how you always study, I think I know the problem."
He grinned and pushed out the chair across from him with a foot. "Hey, man, thanks for coming."
"No problem." I dropped into the seat and picked up the second beer he'd ordered for me. It was cold and sweating, so he must not have ordered it too long ago. I took a swallow, the beer a bit on the tart side, but good. "I needed this."
"Long day at the office?" he asked, taking in my sports jacket.
I shrugged it off and hung it on the back of my chair. "Yeah. My boss just upped the ante. Wants me to prove myself."
"You're up to the challenge," he said without a hint of doubt.
Well, at least everyone else seemed to think so. I lifted my glass, tapping his. "And you're up to this challenge."
He groaned. "I don't know, man. I've been struggling to find direction, you know?"
I scooted my chair to his side of the table and peered at his tablet screen. "Tell me what you've got so far."
"Uh, does my name count for something?"
I laughed, then started scrolling through the slides of the presentation he was putting together. We all had to do hypothetical projects that would showcase our leadership in the business community.
"Okay, this isn't terrible."
"Thanks, man, but I'd like better than a C."
"Your topic is great. Really smart." I paused. "Think about what you're selling your audience on though. Everything should reinforce that goal. You've got a lot of extraneous details. Like this slide about this Forbes study. I just don't see how it's relevant."
"It is, though!"
Mark launched into an impassioned speech about the study's impact on product safety, and I realized his problem was the direct opposite of mine. He was passionate and charismatic when he spoke, but he didn't know how to lay that out strategically in written form.
I was the opposite. I could make incredibly compelling arguments on paper, but stand me in front of people and I was awkward and tactless.
That was why Callahan's challenge made me nervous. Everyone at his firm was so smooth and polished, and I hadn't yet figured out to project that kind of confidence.
"Earth to Jordan? You with me?"
"Yeah. So, you've got a much better handle on this than you think." I tapped the slide. "This didn't say any of what you just told me. Add a few more bullet points, but mostly, trust yourself to win people over when you give the presentation. You're got the charm to do it."
"Aw, thanks, man. I know I bought you a beer, but this isn't a date."
I rolled my eyes. "Good, because you're not my type."
He snorted. "We both know who is. You gonna do anything about that?"
"There's nothing to be done." I picked up my glass and drained it. "You feel better about this?"
He hesitated. "Yeah. But would you mind reviewing the rest? Just in case…"
"Sure." I went through his presentation, slide by slide, helping him talk out his points and ensure he was on track. He had more work to do, but by the time I was ready to leave, he seemed more sure of himself.
"You're a good teacher," he said.
I stood and pulled on my jacket. "I'm basically a professional student at this point."
"Yeah, but not everyone is so good at helping other people. Thanks, man. I'll owe you one."
"Nah. You bought me a beer and took my mind off my problems for a while. We're even."
He held out his fist for a bump and knocked his knuckles with mine. But as I walked out, his words resonated inside me. You're a good teacher.
I couldn't magically become a charming extrovert like Mark, but maybe if I used Callahan's lawsuit to teach those interns how to build a case, I could lean into my strengths and pass his test.