Page 71 of A Dead End Wedding

But we can advertise and say to the public, "Hey, I'm a lawyer.Ifyou have a case, hire me."

(If the distinction confuses you, you're not alone, trust me.)

Then, when somebody's wife or child suffers an injury that may be related to a bad drug, they call their family lawyer. Or their friend's lawyer. Or the lawyer who did their taxes or their divorce or their will.

None of these lawyers will have a clue about how to run a drug case, so they refer the case—for a fee, of course—to one of the big firms in the private jet-set group. So, basically, a handfulof law firms who never, ever meet their clients run all the cases against the manufacturer or manufacturers of the drug in question.

It's efficient. It's expedient.

I'm not sure it's exactlyjustice.

The defense side operates with similar war-room strategies and battle-honed precision. If a few plaintiffs (or a few hundred) get crushed under the wheels of the machine, well, that's how it goes.

It's also efficient. And expedient.

I'm not sure that it's always justice onthatside of the playing field, either.

Not really the time for philosophizing, though. Sometimes you're the windshield.

"Sometimes you're the bug." But I didn't intend to let Charlie Deaver be crushed.

"Excuse me?"

"Nothing, Addison. Thank you for the call and for the spirit of cooperation. I'd like to talk about some of your discovery responses, which appear to be seriously past due. If you —"

"Oh, no need to get into all that, now, is there?" He chuckled warmly, all jovial-let's-you-and-me-be-buds now.

"Excuse me?"

"Well, you and I both know, no offense, that you don't have the expertise to handle this case. Your client deserves experienced counsel. You don't want his case to suffer while you try to learn your way around a mass tort case, do you?"

I leaned back in my chair, intrigued. Nowthatwas a new tactic. Trying to get the inexperienced lawyer to give the case to somebody better equipped to handle it? It wasn't an arrow in any defense counsel quiver I'd ever used. The cynic in me wasn't buying altruism as a motive, however.

"So, you're suggesting I refer the case out?" I tried to keep the surprise out of my voice. I couldn't wait to hear how this played out.

"Definitely. And I know just the lawyer. Sarah Greenberg at Greenberg and Smithies. I'll give you her direct dial number. She's handling all the cases that have been filed against BDC to date. She's been doing this almost as long as I have, the old battleax."

I'm sure Greenberg would get all warm and fuzzy over being called a battleax. I might have to mention it when I met her around the bar some day. (That's bar association, not the beer and nuts kind, usually. But, whatever works.)

"Okay, just to get this straight, you want me to refer my client's case to a more experienced lawyer, so Mr. Deaver will achieve a better result? Against BDC Pharmaceuticals. Who isyourclient. Is that about right?"

"You got it. After all, we're working for justice here, aren't we, December?"

"You know, Addison, I can't seem to rememberwherein the Rules of Professional Responsibility—you know, the part where it talks about a lawyer's duty to zealously represent one's client—I can't remember where the part about getting your client'sopponenta better lawyer was written. It sure wasn't on the Florida bar exam I took last summer."

Addison's warmth turned cold fast. "Yes, last summer. So you've been licensed to practice law for what, six minutes? Do you really think that makes you qualified to go up againstme? Lady, I've beaten the top plaintiffs' lawyers in the country. Ask around before you decide to take me on."

I decided I'd heard enough. "OK, then, Addy. Thanks for your advice and the spirit of cooperation and all that, but I think I'll keep this case. Mr. Deaver and I will do just fine on our own. Thanks for calling, though."

I slowly replaced the phone in its cradle, feeling my forehead scrunch up in confusion. I was going to look like a Shar Pei by the time I was thirty-five. Did the employee health plan cover Botox? Did we evenhavean employee health plan yet?

And, more important:what the hell wasthatall about?

The phone rang under my hand, and I flinched back a little, blinking.

"It's for YOU, girlie," bellowed my new employee from somewhere down the hallway.

I picked up the phone and punched the button for Max's extension.

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