Page 78 of Just A Little Fling

“Yes, I provided my client with an offer that was received last week. The opposing side agreed to our entire demand.”

“And did your client sign off on that offer before it was sent?”

“Yes, of course, she did.”

“Then why is she calling me at home to say you’re refusing to assist her in getting an appropriate offer?” He peered at me over his glasses. More than once, I’d thought his face was eminently punchable, but never had it felt that way more than right now.

“What she wants is something she cannot have. The beach cabin, which is more like a chalet, is not on the table as an option. It’s been in his family for generations and was willed to him before the marriage. The upkeep funds for the cabin are in a separate trust. There is no claim.”

“Then you need to find one.” Weatherly stared at me with dead eyes and a blank expression. I must’ve misheard him because there was no goddamn way he was suggesting what I thought he’d just suggested.

“Do you have any ideas about what I might find?”

“He made a promise after the marriage and failed to comply with it.”

“Why hasn’t Mrs. Wellington-Chaumont ever brought this up before?”

“She didn’t want to bring forward the claim until she was sure it was something she wanted, and now it is.” Oh, he was proposing exactly what I thought.

“At the initial consultation, she complained she had no claim to the cabin. It seems like that would’ve been a great time to bring up this conversation.”

“It must’ve slipped her mind.” The staring contest we were engaged in was not one either of us was willing to budge on.

“Mr. Weatherly, I have zero desire to get slapped with a violation for filing a frivolous claim and be disbarred for suborning perjury.”

“That’s an issue only if you are aware it’s untruthful. She says it happened.”

“I am aware it is untruthful, and I am not doing it.”

Weatherly looked at me over his steepled fingers. His mouth was twisted in a sneer, as if, somehow, I gave a shit about what he thought. “This client is critically important to the firm, and we expect, as they also expect, our attorneys to do whatever is necessary to win their cases. If this case was in the win column, we might reevaluate our thoughts on your potential partnership.”

“She doesn’t meet the statutory requirements to have a claim, and I can’t do anything about that. Nothing indicates she has a claim. There is no evidence of any agreement. There is no memorandum. There is no paper trail of payment out of marital funds. Obviously, I’ll do whatever is necessary to help my client be successful in their case, but that has to be within the bounds of the law. I’m not willing to risk my license so this woman can screw her ex-husband more.”

“I don’t like the insinuation that we are doing something untoward.”

“That is quite literally what you were asking of me. There are no circumstances where I can legally or ethically do what you’re implying. And even if I wanted to do it, which I don’t, it would put the firm at risk.” Never in all my years of being an attorney had I ever encountered this situation, and I wasn’t exactly sure how to respond to such blatantly unethical behavior.

“Are you aware she’s part of the Wellington family?”

“She has mentioned it several times, yes.”

“Her family has the potential to bring a significant amount of business to our firm. However, if we are unsuccessful in resolving her divorce satisfactorily, that won’t happen.”

“It will be resolved appropriately. We have received everything on her wish list, which, by the way, was extreme. There is literally nothing left that she’s legally entitled to claim.”

Weatherly and I stared at each other for an inordinate amount of time. Neither of us was willing to break the staring contest we were engaged in. Regardless of what happened with this case, my time at the firm was done. They couldn’t force me to suborn perjury, but they were skating close to it. Their willingness to skate the law to benefit a high-paying client was a bridge too far.

“Should I enter the appearance motion myself, or will you be filing the notice of substituted council?” Weatherly asked when he broke the stare.

“Are we calling this a termination or a mutual parting?”

“It’s a mutual parting. I have no intention of letting the firm’s dirty laundry be the subject of gossip.”

“The odds that anyone gives a shit about the interworking of our firm are low.”

“I knew hiring you was a mistake, but I was overruled by the hiring committee.”

“Is that so?”

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