An Equal Justice

by Chad Zunker

  “Is that why you wanted to become a lawyer?” Jen asked.

  He shrugged. “I knew lawyers made a lot of money if they worked really hard. So after I got hurt playing ball freshman year, I set my sights on law school. I rolled up my sleeves and worked twice as hard as anyone else around me. That got me into Stanford. I kicked ass while I was there, and I got several high-paying job offers. I took the one at Hunter and Kellerman. I swore a long time ago I would do whatever it took to never be poor like that again.”

  “Seems all of your hard work has paid off.”

  “I suppose.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “Why do you not sound overly happy about it?”

  “I am. It’s just . . . nothing.” He was starting to feel a little too exposed, so he quickly changed the subject. “Tell me more about how the Advocate works.”

  TWENTY

  David found Nick’s girlfriend, Carla, on Facebook and then reached out to her through email. She agreed to meet him on Sunday night at Dell Children’s Medical Center, where she was an ICU nurse. They sat on a bench in a well-landscaped courtyard surrounded by the serenity of several water fountains. A short brunette in scrubs, Carla looked exhausted. She told him she’d just finished a difficult twelve-hour shift.

  “I appreciate you meeting with me,” David offered.

  “You worked with Nick at the firm?”

  “Yes, well, sort of. I’d just started when, you know . . .”

  “That place is a real sweatshop. Nick and I barely saw each other.”

  “How long had you two been dating?”

  “About six months.”

  “So you were serious?”

  “About as serious as two people could be who both put in long hours.”

  “It must have come as a shock to you.”

  She nodded. “I still can’t believe it. Every morning when I wake up, for just a moment, I hope it was all a bad dream. I mean, Nick was stressed out all the time because of his work, but I would’ve never expected this. It still doesn’t make any sense to me. We had just talked about marriage two days before . . .” She bit her bottom lip, her eyes growing moist.

  “I’m really sorry, Carla.”

  She sighed. “I’ve been picking up double shifts here at the hospital, just so I don’t have to think about it all the time. My counselor says I’m delaying dealing with it, but I don’t know what else to do. I’m so sad but so angry with him at the same time.”

  “Did Nick tell you what was stressing him out so much?”

  “All of it. The hours, the cases, the pressure. No offense, but I’d already grown to hate your firm before this happened.”

  “I understand. Did he say anything specific about his work?”

  She thought about it. “There was always something going on over there that had him worked up. His boss could be really hard on him.”

  “Believe me, I know. Nick and I talked about it. Did he ever mention wanting to go to the police about something related to a client?”

  She looked up, like something registered. “Yeah, he did, actually. The day before, he’d mentioned he’d gotten an email from someone who was trying to blackmail one of his clients.”

  “Really? He say what it was about?”

  “No. We were on the way out the door and in a hurry.”

  “He say which client?”

  She shook her head. “No, he didn’t like to talk about work too much when we were together. Neither did I. Which is why I think we were so good together.” She looked over to David. “Why’re you asking me all these questions?”

  David wanted to be careful not to say anything that would upset Carla further. Especially when he really didn’t know what he was searching for just yet.

  “I’m just trying to understand,” David said. “That’s all.”

  “I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to make sense of what Nick did.”

  TWENTY-ONE

  David met Thomas for an early breakfast at a café a block from their office. David devoured French toast covered in powdered sugar, butter, and syrup. Thomas ate the garden omelet and strongly encouraged David to start guarding his health better if he didn’t want to have a heart attack by forty. David figured he was in for another stern lecture of some sort, which was fine. At least someone at the firm actually cared about him in a way that was not directly related to his overall billing sheets.

  Staring out the front window, David had noticed an old man with a shaggy beard and a dirty camouflage jacket sitting on the sidewalk. He looked a little like Benny. They were probably around the same age. The man held a cardboard sign in his lap that read: ARMY VETERAN. ALL HELP IS APPRECIATED. GOD BLESS. The man didn’t say much—he just sat there on the sidewalk, staring off into space. David noted that, in the ten minutes he’d been sitting inside the café, not a single passerby had uttered a word to the man, or dropped anything into the man’s Styrofoam cup. They all just scooted around him as if he were a pothole to be avoided. David wondered how often he’d done the same thing over the years.

  “How was New Orleans?” Thomas asked, sipping on his orange juice.

  David shook his head. “Interesting, I suppose.” He quickly filled Thomas in on the Gulfstream, lunch at Antoine’s, the golf, and finally their boss’s drunken and despicable behavior with a young woman while inside the spa. He left out the part about breaking into Lyons’s phone while on the plane ride back and discovering the text exchange with Nick. David still wasn’t sure how to navigate this situation. A big part of him just wanted to cast it all aside and get on with his new life as a rich attorney. But then the image of Nick hanging by his neck kept showing up in his dreams and turning them into nightmares.

  “Pretty common knowledge around the firm, I’m afraid,” Thomas explained. “Lyons does what he wants, when he wants, both at work and at home. I’ve even seen it happen at firm parties with Sharon in the same room. I think she puts up with it because she likes the big house on the lake, the one in the mountains, the ranch, and the monthlong shopping trips in Europe. She’s not the only partner’s wife who puts up with more than they should. I tell you what, Lori would kick my ass sideways if she ever found out I was even talking inappropriately with another woman. And Lori would know, I promise you. I can hide nothing from her.”

  David grinned. “Well, at least I got to see my sister and nephews, so all was not lost on the trip. Lyons says he wants to take me saltwater fishing in Spain.”

  “Keep setting billing records, I’m sure you’ll get to travel all over the world.”

  “You act like that’s a bad thing.”

  “No, it’s not all bad. I’ve just been around here long enough to see this pattern repeated. Every few years, a new guy will catch Lyons’s eye, and he’ll start tossing around the word protégé in the hallways. Honestly, David, it’s probably the worst place you can be. The other associates quickly grow to hate you. And you work yourself into the ground trying to live up to Lyons’s unrealistic expectations. It’s a no-win situation. One day, I hope you’ll wake up and realize this is a long game, not a short one. The problem with you rookies is that there’s glory in the sprint. And glory can be like crack at places like Hunter and Kellerman.”

  “So who was the protégé before me? Let me guess. Hoskins from Northwestern?”

  Thomas shook his head. “No, it wasn’t Hoskins, although he’s a good lawyer. It was a guy named Derrick Moore. Graduated number one from Duke. A good kid. You remind me of him in a lot of ways. Really smart and lots of energy. He hit the ground running. Not quite at your pace, but he was going at it hard. Of course, that made Lyons warm up to him real quick. He peppered Derrick with praise and moved him in next door. Soon came the bonuses and the exotic trips, along with the hollow look in Derrick’s eyes.”

  “So what happened to him?” David asked, brow bunched. There was no Derrick Moore still with the firm. “He get recruited away to another big shop?”

  “The opposite, actually. Derrick got hooked on coca
ine and lost control. He crashed and burned in spectacular fashion. It happened at the firm’s Christmas party, of all places. Derrick arrived stoned out of his mind, wielding a revolver, and telling everyone at the party he was going to shoot Santa Claus. It was total chaos before security quickly came and got him. We later found out there were at least no bullets in the gun. Needless to say, Derrick didn’t last long afterward. The firm got him into a rehab clinic and then basically cut all ties to him. Last I’d heard, Derrick had relapsed again and lost his law license altogether.”

  “Damn,” David muttered, thinking about the blue pills.

  Thomas took another bite of his vegetarian omelet. “I keep telling you, the firm can make you do stupid things. You can easily lose yourself if you’re not careful. The relentless chase, the hours, the power grabs, the politics, and of course, the money. Hell, it’s better than crack. Until the money becomes your prison cell.”

  “How do you mean?”

  “I see it all the time,” Thomas declared. “If we’re not wise to it, we can quickly build ourselves a prison of affluence. The best houses, the best cars, the best vacations. If we have kids, which many of us do, we send them to the best private schools, clubs, and summer camps. We max out our lives at every turn. Early on, we don’t think too much about it, because we know as long as we stay in the game and keep grinding, the money will continue to grow. So we spend away. Our wives get used to spending away. We want them to be happy, because we’re never at home, so we encourage them to enjoy the money. Even our kids get really comfortable with it, as they have the best video game systems and sports gear. Of course, the partners encourage us to overindulge, because they know the truth—if we do it, they’ll own us. Before we realize it, we take a hard look around us and feel trapped. We feel like we can never break free without disappointing damn near every person in our lives.”

  David considered that line of thought. “Lyons actually encouraged me to not get married or have any kids until I made partner, if then. He suggested it was a surefire way to kill my drive and hook detrimental anchors around my own feet.”

  “A real romantic, that Marty Lyons.”

  David studied Thomas a moment. “If everything you’re saying is true, Thomas, then why the hell do you stay? Or have you already built your own prison cell?”

  Thomas’s lips slowly curled up at both ends, as if he were giddy about what he was going to share with David next. “On the contrary, my man. I’m about to make my prison break.”

  David eyeballed him. “What do you mean?”

  “It’s why I wanted to have breakfast with you outside the office today, so I could tell you face-to-face. I’m turning in my resignation to Lyons this afternoon.”

  David’s mouth dropped open. “You can’t be serious?”

  Thomas never flinched, the lines in his face firm. “I’m as serious as the heart attack you’re going to have if you keep eating like a teenager.”

  “Wait . . . are you joining another firm?”

  His mentor smiled wide again. “Not even close.”

  “Then I don’t get it. What the hell are you going to do?”

  “I’m starting my own firm.”

  David dropped his fork on his plate. “I don’t believe you. You’re probably only two years away from making partner. Your income will nearly triple.”

  Thomas shook his head. “Damn, QB, have you not been listening to me? Making partner cannot be your end goal. Have you noticed any of the partners actually working any less than us? Hell no! If anything, they all dive even deeper into the madness of that machine. You don’t get your freedom when you finally make partner there—you officially terminate all rights to the rest of your life.”

  David cursed, drawing attention from nearby tables. “Sorry, I’m just surprised by this news.”

  “I can see that.”

  “I mean, I’ll admit I’ve overheard other associates talking about it. Mostly the guys who’ve already been in the grinder for several years, like you. The topic of walking away seems to be a common fantasy talked about over beers. But no one ever actually does it. No one ever walks away. The money is just too damn good.”

  “Well, call me Columbus, because I’m setting new sails. Look, I’m not planning on being broke, okay? I can still make decent money on my own. But I can do much more meaningful legal work in the process. Sure, I’m probably not going to be jumping on any Gulfstream, or saltwater fishing in Spain, but I’ll for damn sure be at every single one of my girls’ soccer matches and dance recitals over the next decade. And I’ll no longer have to worry about an irrational, half-drunk lunatic barking in my ear on my cell phone—literally cursing me out and demanding that I immediately get my ass back to the office—right smack in the middle of one of my girls’ birthday parties.”

  David cocked his head at the mention of that.

  “True story,” Thomas confirmed.

  “Sheesh.” David exhaled, cursed again. This time more quietly. He still couldn’t believe Thomas was actually doing this. “What kind of law will you practice?”

  “Mainly family law. Children’s issues. I’d like to do some work with the foster care system. Help with adoption matters. I’ll still handle litigation matters for smaller companies who can’t afford the big boys, like H and K, but I want most of my work to mean something more. I’ve already found a space on the second floor of the James H. Robertson Building. It’s not much—just three little offices. It won’t have ten-thousand-dollar rugs in the lobby, but it’ll do the trick. I’m signing the lease today.”

  “That building is directly across the street from H and K.”

  “Correct. Right next to the Speakeasy.”

  The Speakeasy was a three-level bar with 1920s-style decor.

  “Unbelievable. What do you think Lyons is going to say?”

  “Doesn’t matter. He can kiss my ass. I’ll probably say that to his face.”

  David smiled at that thought. What he wouldn’t give to be in Lyons’s office to see that exchange. “Speaking of Lyons, let me ask you something. Have you ever known him to do something really bad when it comes to handling one of his clients?”

  “You mean unethical?” Thomas queried.

  “I mean . . . criminal.”

  “No. The man certainly pushes the ethical line around to get the results he wants, but I haven’t seen him overtly break the law.”

  “Have you ever seen a guy in the office who works with one of Lyons’s clients who has a buzz cut of short white hair, probably late thirties?”

  “Not that I recall. What’s with the questions?”

  David considered telling Thomas his concerns but then decided against it. His mentor was walking out of H&K today as a free man, and David didn’t want to spoil the moment for him.

  “Nothing, man,” David replied. “Are you sure you want to do this? If you leave and it doesn’t work, you can’t come back. Lyons would never allow it.”

  “Lori and I have been considering it for two years now. We’ve been saving up to make the leap. It’s time.”

  David’s initial shock was slowly wearing off. “Foster care? Adoption? I’m going to have to start calling you Saint Thomas.”

  “I’d rather you call me partner.”

  David cocked his head. “What?”

  “I want you to join me, David.”

  David’s mouth dropped wide open again. “You mean, like Gray and Adams, Attorneys at Law?”

  Thomas shrugged. “Or Adams and Gray, I don’t care. I have no ego with this.”

  David’s head was again reeling. “I don’t . . . I don’t even know what to say. I think you’ve been drinking too many cocktails at the Speakeasy. I just got started at H and K.”

  “Yeah, I realize that,” Thomas agreed. “But you’re better than that place, and I can’t say that about most of the other associates. I don’t think most of those guys have much left of their souls. But you’re a good lawyer who actually cares about real people. You sometime
s act like you don’t care, because that’s the culture around there, but I can tell otherwise. I just don’t want to see that place change you, that’s all.”

  David struggled with a response. The thought of walking away from H&K was nowhere on his radar. But Thomas had been so good to him the past month, so he tried to play along for a moment. “Okay, hypothetically speaking, what kind of salary are we even talking about?”

  “No salary,” Thomas admitted. “We’d be full-on partners and evenly split all profits. I’ve saved enough to give us a year to make a strong go at it.”

  David leaned back, ran his fingers through his hair. “A year? This is crazy, man.”

  “Crazy enough to work. And think of all the benefits.”

  “What benefits?”

  “Your commute wouldn’t change.”

  “If I were to go with you, I couldn’t afford my condo. I couldn’t afford much of anything. I’d probably be sleeping on your couch.”

  “No, you could have one of my girls’ bedrooms.”

  “What about health insurance? Would we even have it?”

  Thomas laughed. “Okay, not really sure about that just yet. But how about Hawaiian shorts and flip-flops on Fridays?”

  David didn’t laugh. “With all due respect, Thomas, if you think I’m going to join you on this deal, you’ve lost your mind.”

  “I think I’ve finally found it,” he countered, turning serious again. “Look, don’t answer me on this right away. I understand this is all a bit of a shock this morning. I just want you to think about it for a while. Hell, take a few months; the offer will remain out there. If and when the time is finally right for you, you’ll know, trust me.”

  TWENTY-TWO