Chapter 1 - The first meeting
"Katrina I cannot stay here anymore. Cameron has been keeping me away from the best cases for the last 3 months. Something is fishy and I don't want to be involved with it" I say to my best friend and Harvard mentor.
"I know Mike, but you know if you leave now than you might have to start from the bottom again." Katrina replies.
"So it's like starting over again, but I look forward to the challenge." I wisecrack.
"Did you just quote Lee Majors to me?! … Wait, don't reply. This was a rhetorical question. What are you going to do now?" Katrina say, giving me a look that says stop fooling around this is serious.
I respond "Okay, okay… I already gave in my resignation so …" "WHAT YOU ALREADY RESIGNED! WHEN DID YOU WANT TO TELL ME ABOUT THAT?!" Katrina cuts in furiously.
"Well, I just told you now, because I didn't want you to try to stop me. I know that I may have to start over, but this is my chance to start going into corporate law. You know how much I have been struggling with seeing thousands of crimes scene pictures every day, because my damn mind won't forget about them. Also, the pay is so much better." I answer while relieving the memories of the case I handled last month. A little girl about 5 years old raped and brutally murdered by her own uncle. The police report picture haunting my dreams.
Katrina looks at me with pity and a little bit of jealously and asks "So, which law firm offered you a new job?" I look at her with my I didn't plan this through smile to which she responds "MICHELLE NINA ROSS DID YOU JUST QUIT YOUR JOB WITHOUT A BACKUP?! ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND! … Why are you giving me your puppy eyed look now?"
"Because I need my best friends to help me find a new job." I answer continuing my puppy eyed look which I know she cannot resist. Katrina rubs her temple frowning and sighs "What do you need me to do?" "I got an email today stating that Harvey Specter from Pearson Hardman is looking for a personal associate. I already got an interview for tomorrow. What I need from you is to help me find out what I have to say to Specter that will distinguish myself from the others and gets me the job" I state.
"Personal associate? … suits you. You always need a mentor to guide you. Like I did with you when you were a 1L at Harvard and I was your 3L mentor showing you the ropes. What, you know it's true without me you wouldn't have survived a day. Okay your first place at Harvard and eidetic memory should impress him but we must find you a trump card that will put you into his good graces and nobody else has. Harvey Specter worked at the DA's office before joining Pearson Hardman. We could ask Bertha if she knows something, she has been here the longest time." Katrina renders.
"That's the reason why you are my best friend" I tell her and while we go to Bertha.
-After the conversation with Bertha-
"Cookies for the secretary, nobody else is going to think about that. Good that you are great at baking. Writing your own CV will not be a problem for you and we do not need to work on your confidence, because you already have enough of that. I believe we only need to go shopping!" Katrina exclaims.
I look at her confused and comment "We? I think I can buy the baking supplies by myself."
Katrina looks at me with her you are so naïve smirk and exclaims "I wasn't talking about the cookies. I was talking about your clothes. You cannot go to this interview with anything that you own. This is an interview for one of the best corporate law firms in New York and you need to look like you are already one of them."
-The next day-
Wearing a dark blue pinstriped suit by Altuzarra, a white Chanel blouse, Beige Iriza Patent Louboutin's and a Louis Vuitton Iena handbag and my long blonde (normally wavy) hair up in a professional French twist, I wait for my name to be called. Admitting to myself that Katrina was right to go shopping with me, while I look at the other candidates.
"Michelle Ross" I hear and go to the redheaded woman who I know is Donna Paulson the woman I must get on the good side of to get this job. "Ms. Ross, what makes you think that I should let you interview for our firm" she asks me.
Okay Mike here it goes showtime.
I smile and respond "I am better than all these newbies and I can prove it. I know that you play the deciding factor in who gets to walk through these doors with a good first impression to Mr. Specter. So, I got something for you" She looks at me with a raised eyebrow and I open my bag get a box out of it and hand it to her saying "I made these for your homemade chocolate chip cookies with pistachios." She looks at me smiling and asks, "How did you know about my one weakness?"
"I walked at the DA's Office and you are quiet fondly remembered there, especially Bertha misses you" I reply and give her a wink, because I know that I just got on her good side.
Donna turns to the door and what I suspect is a wink and turns back to me saying "Mr. Specter will be right with you can I get you anything a water or a coffee?"
I go into the room shaking Mr. Specters hand, only thinking that he is way more handsome than the pictures suspect and scolding myself for thinking something like that about my potential future boss.
We sit down, and he takes my CV gives it a onceover while nodding and says "First in her year at Harvard 3 years at the DA's Office. Quite impressive, but why are you here and not still at the DA's office? You know that the invite said that my personal associate would start as a first-year associate at the firm" I take a breath and look him in the eyes and answer "I am aware of that and I don't have a problem with it. About the question why I am leaving the DA's Office, well I could ask you the same question, but as I am being the one who is interviewed I tell you why I did it. I need a challenge. I have an eidetic memory and lately the cases at the DA's office have not been quite that much of a challenge to me. My mind gets easily bored and corporate law is very intricate, which should occupy it. The best lawyers go into corporate law and I want to be up there with the best of the best."
He looks at me smirking and says, "Did you just quote Top Gun on me?"
"Yes. I am sorry it is my favorite movie and I couldn't resist" I reply, suddenly feeling quite nervous.
"Nothing to be sorry for. Eidetic memory … how does that exactly work?" he says and looks at me with his big brown eyes that are so … stop it Mike get a grip on yourself. This is your chance to land a touchdown. I look on his desk and see my chance. "That's a BarBri Legal Handbook right there, right? Open it up. Read me something. Anything." I respond.
He picks up the book, he looks slightly intrigued, but also doubtful. He opens it up and starts reading "Civil liability associated with agency is based on several factors, including - "
"Including the deviation of the agent from his path, the reasonable inference of agency on behalf of the plaintiff, and the nature of the damages themselves." I cut in.
He asks me shocked "How did you know that?"
I look at him smirking and reply "I read it while I studied for the bar."
"Okay, hotshot. Fire up this laptop. "He says suddenly and stands and walks to the other side of the desk I follow his instruction and sit down in front of the laptop. He continues "I'm going to show you what a Harvard attorney can do. Pick a topic."
I counter "Stock option backdating."
He responds, "Although backdating options is legal, violations arose related to disclosures under RIC section 409A."
I cut in "You forgot about Sarbanes-Oxley.""
He retaliates" The statute of limitations renders Sarbanes-Oxley mute post-2007."
"Well, not if you can find actions to cover up the violation as established in the Sixth Circuit May 2008." I retort.
He looks at me stumped and says" That's impressive, but you're sitting at a computer."
I turn the laptop around. "Playing cards. Sorry, if you want to beat me, you're going to have to do it at something else. "I counter and close the laptop and continue "Once I read something, I understand it, and once I understand it, I never forget it. That's how my eidetic memory works."
He comes around the desk looks at me and smirks saying "Move over. I'm emailing the firm I just found our next associate. You start two weeks from Monday. That should leave you enough time to finish everything at the DA's Office. You get a 25,000 Dollar signing bonus."
I reply smiling "Thank you Mr. Specter"
"Harvey. Call me Harvey, Michelle. We will be working rather close together and I like to perform such things on a first name basis" He returns.
"My friends call me Mike" I respond while I walk out the door.