Chapter 11: Professional—an Interlude

Law is a Good Job

“Having a will is important for everyone, not only those who own a lot of property. Without a will, anything the deceased owned will be managed by the state and after taxes and fees will revert to the next of kin. If no next of kin can be found, it will revert to the state. But avoiding probate is an inadequate reason to have a will. Think of your family and loved ones. In times of great stress, like the death of a loved one, family members tend to focus on small things they think they can control. Mother’s diamond brooch may become a matter of great contention. An insignificant pile of letters might become more important to everyone in the family than a bank account with fifty thousand dollars in it. Your will should deal with the small things.”

Karen sat in the class taking copious notes. Estate Planning was not only the name of the course, but one of the things she hoped to do as a career. Her adviser had suggested that she focus on family law, but conflict did not interest Karen Reese. She had seen enough conflict in her family. After she received news that she could attend Green Hill Women’s College with all expenses and maintenance paid, her parents’ marriage fell apart. That was a problem in families with only one child. Without the child the parents often found they had no other shared interests. The squabbles became fights. The fights became insurmountable obstacles to their marriage. Divorce—long, drawn-out, nasty divorce—had ensued. Karen did not want to ever deal with divorce or child custody cases in her career. They were just too messy.

She had carefully chosen law as her focus thinking a young royal who she was sent to mentor would need to navigate the waters of legal agreements and situations. She would be well-prepared to help him with that. He could do the negotiating and she would put the formal words on paper to make it airtight. Law was a good profession. Now that it looked like she would never mentor a young Royal, she felt best about estate law. Planning an estate was a matter between the lawyer and one client. The assets belonged to that one person and that one person could determine how they should be divided and among whom.

This would be her last term at Green Hill. Dr. Parolini had suggested that she move to the University Law School at midterm. It wasn’t very urgent, Karen supposed. Meredith had moved out and started at the University for the Fall term. But Dr. Parolini had said her expenses would continue to be paid and law school would be tuition free. As soon as she had that in writing, she would plan to move.

She brought her attention back to Professor Mills. He was someone she admired and wanted to please. His mind was sharp and he could manage the phrasing of a sentence so it was airtight. She would have him look over the support agreement before she signed it. She was disappointed that she was not chosen to mentor Liam Cyning, but knew it had not been guaranteed. It was hard to believe that a mere servant would be awarded the position. The young heir really needed her legal expertise. He needed a will.

“I’m glad you could meet me on such short notice. Life at the University moves faster than it does at Green Hill. The first week has been a flurry. I already miss the calm atmosphere of our alma mater.” Meredith had asked Karen to meet her for coffee on Friday afternoon. They had often enough done that over the years and even though Karen was a little jealous of Meredith’s selection as the Cyning mentor, it was no reason to be upset with her friend.

“I’ve been told I can start at the law school at winter break. I’m sure I’ll face the same rush and pressure you do. And what will Green Hill be without us? I’m sure already it will be boring with you gone.”

“That’s wonderful news. Why don’t we tour the campus together soon? I’ll fill you in on what I’ve learned about the school.”