Chapter 58: Partners Meeting

Friday August 29, 2008.

Day #1 of the Labor Day Extended Weekend Law Firm Social

Resort Meeting Room at 7:00 PM

On the last Friday in August, Abril and I drove up to the resort in the Marauder, it was comfortable and fast enough to make good time. Normally, driving time was a total of 4 hours on the Interstate and on some very picturesque local roads, but we easily cut that by an hour. Samantha and Kwit drove her customized Magnum/Charger woody wagon because they needed to bring some computers. Red and Phil drove her big custom Sprinter van, it was customized to meet her every need, including driving with only one leg.

Red and Sam played a game of rock-paper-scissors and Red lost, so she also brought along Birdy and Wiretop, from the computer firm, to handle the computers and the cell phone app for the auction. They only needed one person, but since the orgy would be in progress Sam sprung for the extra person for relief purposes. Plus, it would be an orgy, and she did not want anybody hurt if they had a fight about going to see all the sexy naked folks.

Because of the distance, some of the partners flew light aircraft for the trip, the resort had a grass airstrip for small planes and the lake itself was good for float planes. I considered it, but dealing with any airport in LA really killed the travel-time advantage, and one would miss the beautiful country. Plus, on a holiday weekend, every out-of-practice pilot would want to fly. Also, I was not a pilot. I could fly a Cessna, but I never did the test or the paperwork.

After arrival, checking-in, and the informal dinner there was a short partners-only business meeting set for 7. Phil Townes and I were invited to wait outside when the meeting started. We expected that the first order of business was to vote us in as new partners. Otherwise why invite us to wait outside?

In June, 10 names were on the list of candidates being considered for partnership, including my name. The June social was all about evaluating the candidates and their wives. In their week-long mid-July meeting the partners reduced the list to 5. In August Phil was added to the list as a ‘possible’ and met the final requirement a few days before the meeting, when he married Red, who knew the score. There was no paperwork on file, as they used a confidential wedding license. Barnes was a witness to the event on behalf of the partnership.

Two of prospects on the final list were not ready financially for partnership. (Each new partner must buy-into the firm, it was a significant investment.) These two had budgeted based on getting their partnership next January, including the 2008 year-end compensation and bonus (their largest ever) to pay for part of their buy-in. Cutting their four biggest monthly paychecks out of their savings was something they could not afford. Their names would be considered on the normal schedule in October and November for a partnership starting in January, as originally scheduled.

One of the prospects was a mutual decision that he was not ready, he had been an outside choice and he did not yet have what it took. He understood he had been marginal for this year, but would be considered for January 2010.

An associate named Ted Rodgers was on the list, but word of a last minute failure to finish a project - he was in over his head and didn’t ask for help - led to his resignation from the firm on August 19. He would start with a more conventional firm in mid-September. The sneaky bastard was taking two clients with him. They would all do worse because of the move. This was a betrayal, once he had the clients committed and a contract with a start date at the new job he tanked his current project with our firm, which he would never finish anyway.

With Ted’s limitations as a lawyer his departure really was better for the firm.

Ted planned to take his work with him, and if he had quit last April when he first realized he was over his head and stated looking, that would have been possible. But the work was on the internal system and in July Samantha had tightened security there, foiling Ted’s plan to take the work-to-date (easily worth a half million dollars) with him. He found out the day he quit, he had not tried stealing before that. It was very frustrating for him, he could see the text on his computer screen but could not print it out or copy the file in any way. He could not even physically take the computer. This fiasco put him in trouble with his new firm from the start, he had promised to bring the work, which a client wanted, along with him. Now he had to rely on his memory, which was a very slow and faulty. He was going to be working day and night from when he quite until his new start date.

Samantha made a full report to the partners about what Ted tried to do and how it was stopped. Barnes could have taken the facts to the state ethics board, but he did not want the details of our system exposed. Plus, he figured the guy was a snake which his new law firm deserved to embrace, it was his nature to bite them in the ass and they could suffer the loss.

The partners figured the client would come crawling back to us, the background work was specifically targeted. It would be very unethical for us to sell the work to their opponent. But making them pay a higher price when they came back? That sounded okay for all concerned.

Still, Barnes saw that the underlying issue was more basic, the Rogers defection reflected how the firm was understaffed at the upper level, our senior partners were spread too thin to give the clients and our junior lawyers the supervision and attention they needed. It was potentially a dangerous situation.

With those issue the short list for partnership starting in September became two: Phil and I were in the waiting room and the vote was more a formality than anything else, we knew the firm needed us as partners.

The partners took about two minutes to vote Phil and I as new partners of the firm. Barnes invited us into the meeting where we were applauded with enthusiasm and brevity. Important papers were signed quickly. Speeches were not required, without further ado we were seated and the partners went to the next item on the agenda.

Next was the formal announcement that Gordon Turner (age 52) would retire at the end of the year. This was expected, the guys with budget issues would have the money by then, and Gordon was already introducing one guy around to his clients, so that transition should go smoothly.

The next issue had become a problem. Since May Barnes had been pushing to have an Executive VP as a formal second-in-command or underboss. The question of responsibilities and such had been worked out via email discussion since mid-July, they had mutated a bit with fewer powers. The big question was who should get the title. I knew that Pope and Stern had expressed an interest from the start. In July the position was more power and more money. Since then things went the other way. The biggest change in the job description was that recruiting quality people was now the top priority. As jobs go, recruiting in LA was a real pain. This was long before Zoom, meetings had to be face-to-face, usually at odd hours in seedy places where the prospects would not be recognized by members of their current firm. That in turn required a lot of time driving the LA expressway/parking lot system during early and late hours.