a/n: This is a short chapter, but it was kind of difficult to capture that "pompous Alan Shore intimidation" thing…let me know what you think!
Michael Lewis was exactly the type of lawyer that Alan had always hated. He was the type of person that had proclaimed in junior high that he had wanted to be a lawyer, but you invariably knew it was more about the money and power, than about any actual intellectual interest in the profession. He was also the type of person who shared his opinion freely on any topic, whether it was wanted or not. He was the type of person who cared less whether or not he actually knew what he was talking about. And he was the type of person that Alan Shore detested.
Mr. Lewis was representing the families of the teenage girls who had experienced Kate Harris' "rope-play" demonstration. Although Alan could see why the families were upset about their girls being exposed to such controversial material, he thought that a settlement was very likely. The case had a lot of emotional appeal, but the law was fairly clear on the issue of what was defined as explicit behavior.
After walking into opposing counsel's firm, Alan knew he was going to have trouble controlling himself in the presence of Mr. Lewis. Everyone in the building had an air of pretension, and Alan knew he was supposed to feel intimidated. A crisply dressed, yet unattractive secretary led him to an open door that Alan assumed was Mr. Lewis'. His office was mid-sized and decorated so as to portray authority and swank. Unfortunately for Mr. Lewis, it failed horribly. Alan had a suspicion that he never actually worked in his office, just yelled important things into his phone all day.
"Hello, Mr. Lewis, my name is Alan Shore and I represent Kate Harris. You, your clients, Ms. Harris, and most importantly, I all know that this case is trivial, in the ultimate scheme of things. I suggest we reach an agreement, and then instead of going to trial, we can all go out for drinks. Or perhaps, chain each other to the furniture. Your office or mine?"
"You seem to find the situation amusing, Mr. Shore, but I assure you my clients and I find it anything but. Not only did your client Ms. Harris introduce a sexually explicit topic to a group of minors, but she made an egregious step out of her prescribed boundaries when she dispensed relationship advice to her daughter's friends, regardless of what that advice might have been." Alan wasn't impressed or intimidated by his use of large words.
"I do find the situation amusing, Mike. May I call you Mike?" Alan didn't wait for the answer. "I find it amusing that Ms. Harris was doing nothing more explicit than what is shown on MTV every week, and yet your clients exhibit an egregious lack of parenting skills when they don't sue the television company. You will not win this case. You don't even have a legitimate cause of action – absolutely nothing illegal occurred under the watch of Ms. Harris."
Despite Alan's passionate deliverance, Mr. Lewis looked smug. "You see, Alan, it doesn't much matter to me whether or not we win at trial. What really matters in this case is that your client and her family will be exposed as perverse, sexual deviants. Introducing bondage to her daughter's friends is so abhorred in multiple ways, that your client won't be able to exist in society without a negative stigma. My clients care less about getting a monetary settlement than they care about getting revenge, and going to trial will cause irreversible harm Ms. Harris. "
"Well, off to trial we go then," Alan said sarcastically, as he picked up his briefcase from the floor of the tacky office. "But I assure you that it takes quite a lot to embarrass me or my client in open court, Mr. Lewis. I would take care so as not to embarrass yourself."