By the time Alexandra swung open the front door to her condo on 5th and 80th, it was 9:45 PM. She'd left for work at ten to seven, making today another fourteen-hour day – and it wasn't over yet. Working long hours wasn't a requirement for employment at Goldstein & Park. In fact, the firm boasted no billable hour requirement as a perk of employment, signaling that work/life balance was of high importance. On the flip side though, the firm also had incentive plans that included increased bonuses and perks for hitting certain billable thresholds. It wasn't that Alexandra needed the money – no, she wanted to be next on the list for one of the senior associate positions that would be opening up mid-year. Two of the senior associates were leaving next year, one branching off to open their own practice, the other having been appointed to the bench. Alexandra knew, if she wanted to make partner at this firm, she'd have to move up the ranks quickly. Six years as a junior associate was enough for her.
Alexandra Cabot supported herself, for the most part. But that's not to say she hadn't been dealt a rather helpful hand. Her parents had taken care of any tuition costs not covered by scholarships, helped out with things like rent and bills while she went to school and took various internships, and had given her the deed to their penthouse in New York City as a graduation present. Because of that, thankfully, Alexandra had no mortgage, but between property taxes and maintenance fees in her building, Alexandra was shelling out over $12,000 a month to sustain the penthouse. But she could afford it. She'd gotten a few raises over the years, now receiving a base salary of $365,000. She typically billed about 280+ hours a month, making her eligible for the top yearly bonus of $150,000, and she pulled in roughly $133,000 in fee sharing bonuses each year. The blonde attorney was proud of her success, but it was nothing compared to her father who had opened his own firm with his buddies right out of law school, Cabot, Lockhart, & Cortland, LLP, and grew it to a national level, now one of the top firms in the country with locations in all 50 states. Alexandra's older brother, Jake, had taken a position at their father's Boston office and was seeing similar levels of success as her father. Wesley, Alexandra's younger brother, had just graduated law school and took a job in the New York City office. Alexandra had never wanted to ride on the coattails of her father, denying every offer for her to join their firm. Unlike her brothers, Alexandra was content to make a name for herself, build her own empire – much to the disappointment of her father, but they loved her just the same. Alexander Cabot just wanted the best for his children, even if it wasn't necessarily what he would've wanted for them.
Alexandra tossed her keys and briefcase onto the small side table beside the front door and flicked on the light in the hallway. The condo enjoyed an open floorplan, the front door leading to a small hallway that opened up to a large open livingroom, the kitchen attached to the room to the left, separated by a large counter. The livingroom featured large floor to ceiling windows overlooking Central Park, and a fireplace. Alexandra had converted the small dining room nook into an office for herself so that she could use the second bedroom as a guest bedroom. The downstairs also had a half bathroom near the front door. The condo was split level with a lofted area upstairs that Alexandra had made into a second sitting room of sorts. The master bedroom and bathroom were situated toward the left of the lofted area, and the spare bedroom and bathroom were on the other side of the loft, giving space between the rooms. The master bedroom had a large terrace off of it, overlooking more of Central Park and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
The apartment was much larger than what Alexandra needed but taking the unnecessary expense off her parents was a good deal, especially since anything decent in the City would likely cost her $12,000 a month between a mortgage and property taxes. Instead, the condo was paid for, and all she had to worry about was upkeep. Her father no longer used the condo, having virtually retired from the practice of law. Alexander Cabot rarely took cases anymore, being of-counsel had its perks, and was more of a formality for him at this point.
She retrieved the paperwork for her settlement offer issue from her briefcase and headed toward her desk. Much like her office at work, Alexandra's home office was modern, white, and bright. Her desk was a mixture of light-colored woods and white lacquer, but much simpler than her desk at work. She had a Mac desktop in the middle of the desk, and a simple white computer chair. Behind her desk were two large bookshelves littered with pretty plants, figurines, and an obscene amount of law books, textbooks, statute books, case law books, anything she would need if WestLaw ever went down.
Within a few seconds of sitting down at her desk, her cell phone started ringing from across the room. Groaning, Alexandra stood back up from her chair and walked over to the front table to grab her phone.
Marla.
"Hey Marla," Alex said, answering the phone on the third ring, "Aren't you supposed to be at dinner?"
"Sorry for bothering you so late," Marla replied, "I just wanted to check in and see if the consult ever showed up?"
"She did," Alexandra answered, walking back over to her desk and sitting down, "It's worse than we thought… I think I've gained her trust… and I think it's imperative I don't lose it… I'd like to talk more with her about what she's comfortable being shared with the team before I tell you more on that."
"Do you have a plan?" Marla said, understanding that often times clients attach themselves to one attorney over the other.
"Not yet," Alexandra admitted, "I need to get on that… I just also need to get through this settlement agreement."
"Alexandra, it's almost 10:00, you've been up since at least 4, when do you plan on sleeping?" Marla asked her, "Do you need help with anything?"
"Civil isn't really your jam," Alex answered, opening up the necessary files on her desktop to finish the draft, "But thank you for offering."
"Alex, we have paralegals and law clerks and other associates specifically so everyone can have normal sleeping hours," Marla scolded, "How many hours have you billed this month?"
"Will be about 47 by the end of the night," Alex answered, figuring that between the pro bono hour with Olivia, the completion of the settlement draft, and the research she needed to conduct for Olivia, she'll have billed 5 more hours since the last time she looked.
"It's been 4 days Alexandra. Give me the damn settlement, get what you need done for the new consult, and I don't want to see you in the office until at 10," Marla said, a hint of frustration in her voice.
"Okay, Marla," Alexandra sighed, opening her email to send the, already complete, draft of the settlement agreement to her boss. She typed a bit of background information quickly into the body of the email and sent it off, "It's in your inbox now."
There was a moment of silence, and then Marla sighed, "Alexandra, this agreement is done."
"No, it's just a draft, I need to edit it still," Alex answered.
"It's a draft, it doesn't need to be perfect," Marla answered, "But, I'll take a look and get it over to the client. When is our deadline to opposing counsel?"
"Friday," Alex answered.
"Great, plenty of time," Marla answered, "Now get what you need to finished, and I'll see you tomorrow, after 10."
"9," Alex countered like a true attorney.
"9:30, final offer," Marla answered.
"Fine, thank you again Marla, have a goodnight," Alex offered.
"Let me know about the plan for new client tomorrow… I chose you for a reason, Alex – this woman needs the utmost standard of care, a perfectionist, if you will – but professional, and you're the best one for the job," Marla told her, "Have a good night kid."
Alex hung up the phone and placed it beside her. Truthfully, she was grateful that Marla had forced her to pass off the settlement agreement, not only was she exhausted, but she absolutely hated doing civil litigation work. The research part of it was fun, and having to know all the nuances of a multitude of laws, but it was incredibly boring to her. Alexandra opened her web browser and started searching for safe places for Olivia and Noah.
After nearly an hour or so worth of research, she had come across a plethora of services provided by the state, but nothing seemed like a good fit for Olivia. There were tons of ways to get Olivia out of this situation, take her to the police station and make a report, pursue domestic violence charges against Brad, file Motions to get her access to money, get her a new apartment, file for a restraining order, request Brad's time with Noah be restricted, hire private security. The problem was, Olivia didn't want this going public – didn't have the time to wait for court orders to come through to get her away from Brad when she had nowhere else to go.
Before Alexandra knew It, she was reviewing the New York State Rules of Professional Conduct saved on the law firms server. Rule 1.8, specifically – Current Clients: Specific Conflicts of Interest Rules. Per the New York rules, the firm was allowed to pay her court costs, and litigation expenses – she already knew that. Unfortunately, under the New York rules, that didn't allow for humanitarian aid – the firm wouldn't be able to ethically pay personal expenses for Olivia and Noah. She looked at the date on the PDF, 2017.
Alexandra thought to herself for a moment, while she didn't handle many of the firm's pro bono cases, she had taken one last summer and recalled that, at the time there were talks of updates to the rules. First, turning her attention to the American Bar Association's website, she noticed immediately that there had been a change to the Model Rules in August of 2020 – specifically to Rule 1.8. Clicking the available link, she learned that the model rules adopted 1.8(e), a change that permitted lawyers to provide financial assistance to their pro bono and indigent clients, even if they were entitled to fees under a fee-shifting statute. Alexandra smiled, this was great news – possibly. She jotted down a note to verify whether or not Olivia would qualify as indigent, probably not. As she continued her research, she learned that New York adopted the model change to their rules, and under special circumstances, the firm might be able to provide financial assistance to Olivia – but mostly to help with her smaller bills, like a phone, food, gas money. That was a start. She made a note to research the New York case law and draft a motion for the Court.
By midnight, Alex had drafted a memorandum, finally ready to call it a night.
Goldstein & Park, P.A
A Professional Corporation.
Attorneys at Law
Memorandum #01
To: Client No. 93509; A. Lowell; M. Goldstein; Files
From: Alexandra Cabot, Esq.
Date: December 6, 2021
Re: Notes to Team and Plan of Action
Please let this memo serve as a working document. As we progress through this case, we will need to adjust this plan of action, so careful attention to detail is extremely important in this case. Marla and Adrienne, please review this document in its entirety before 1:00 PM Wednesday, December 8, 2021. I'd like to have a meeting in the east conference room at 1:30 PM Wednesday. I will provide lunch for us, expect this meeting to run late. I've already cleared this time on both of your calendars.
This case will require caution, and confidentiality. While working in the office with others please refer to the client only as "Client 93509." The three of us are the only three permitted to work on this case, no exceptions. To access the case file, please follow the following path: Drive: A. Cabot: Pro Bono: Client 53509. You will be prompted to enter a password to access the file. The password will change every three days. I will update you via text message every three days with the new password. Please keep this in a safe place. The password, until Thursday, December 9, 2021 is GoldPark12062021!
Adrienne, please complete the following tasks by Tuesday, December 7, 2021:
1. Teleconference with me between 9:30 AM and 10:45 AM. I understand you may have class during this time, but the call will be short. Please text me an alternate time if this cannot be accommodated; and,
2. After our teleconference, call the client and set up a time for her to come into the office, preferably sometime Tuesday. I will accommodate any time she can make work.
Adrienne, please complete the following tasks by Wednesday, December 8, 2021:
1. Draft Entry of Appearance for Marla and Alexandra;
2. Draft Petition for Dissolution of Marriage, Summons, and Case Information Sheet; and,
3. Locate safe housing for client, preferably in the City for easier transportation.
Marla, please complete the following tasks by Tuesday, December 7, 2021:
1. Review the attached draft pro bono fee agreement, make any edits, and provide a copy to the client; and,
2. New York Rules of Professional Conduct Rule 1.8(e) Research: Below are my notes regarding the legality of Goldstein & Park, P.C. providing Client 53509 with financial assistance beyond the scope of litigation costs, court costs, and fees. Please review.
Alexandra, please complete the following by Wednesday, December 8, 2021:
1. Draft Emergency Forthwith Motion for special exception regarding humanitarian aid for client as pro bono client;
2. Book car for client for pickup at residence on Wednesday evening;
3. Set up bank account for client in name of trusted individual;
4. Complete paperwork for Columbia University Direct Deposit Change;
5. Get client burner phone;
6. Draft paperwork for address protection program; and,
7. Complete letter to client's Husband.
We will all need to work in tandem here. The current plan moving forward is as follows: Client 53509 and her minor child will be picked up Wednesday night at a time to be determined from their residence in Cold Spring Harbor. Initially, the client will be taken to her residence in Gramercy. Safe and secure accommodations for her and the child must be determined by no later than Saturday, December 11, 2021. Beginning Wednesday, the client will have an untraceable cell phone to use and will become financially independent from her current husband. Her first paycheck should disperse to her on December 15, 2021, providing her with access to funds to care for herself and her minor child. Neither the apartment, nor the bank account shall be in the name of the client.
Once a safe location has been established for the client and her child, the real work begins. Adrienne, you will need to call a discreet process server – I suggest Gail Whitlock – and have the husband served with the petition for dissolution, summons, information sheet, the letter from our firm, and the settlement offer we will have pre-packaged prior. The husband will return home to the Gramercy apartment on Sunday evening. We would like to have him served at the airport – the second he steps out off the plane – have her purchase whatever ticket necessary to get back there. At that time, the minor child and client will be home in their new apartment – under protective surveillance to ensure their safety.
On Wednesday, when we meet with the client, we will draft the appropriate paperwork for the settlement offer. The goal here is to effectuate a clean divorce, quietly. Our client is not interested in any of her husband's assets, all she wants is sole custody of their child. The husband in this case has a significant interest in keeping this entire ordeal quiet. With proper planning, we may be able to execute this quietly.
Again, this will be a working document where tasks and due dates will change frequently. I encourage both of you to keep this document as updated as possible so we can all keep track of where we're at and who may need some help. Be prepared at all times to shift gears, this could get very ugly.
Research Regarding PR 1.8(e):
The rule change was adopted by the ABA in August 2020;
New York adopted the change shortly after;
Permits pro bono clients to receive reasonable financial assistance from their law firm during the pendency of litigation;
Case law is slim since the rule change only occurred just over a year ago, and none are in the domestic relations context – some good, some bad:
Rosse v. General Practice Professionals, Inc.
Court permitted the advancement of cell phone costs, utility costs; and, transportation assistance from attorney during case for pro bono client.
Paulson v. Wrigley
Court denied the attorney's request to provide financial assistance other than litigation and court costs for client due to client's income of $55,000 per year.
In re the Matter of T. Sweeney
Attorney was sanctioned for providing $500 per month in rental assistance to pro bono client – the attorney appealed the decision and won.
The court permitted the firm to provide the client with $500 in rental assistance due to client's special circumstance. It was unclear what exactly the special circumstance was, but I gather it was drug related, and the client was only 18.
Reload Apartment Communities v. P. Gregory
Due to a recent disaster, the clients law firm was permitted to provide rental assistance to their client during pro bono representation.
If there are any questions, please shoot me an email so we can discuss. I will have more information for you both at our meeting on Wednesday, but for now this should suffice to get you both started.
Alexandra was no stranger to being awake at midnight. In fact, she was typically up well past midnight, hunched over her desk, a mess of papers spread out across it. At least this time, she'd be able to sleep in a bit.
The blonde turned off the light in her office area and headed into the kitchen. She opened her refrigerator, shaking her head at the contents. Alexandra wasn't one for grocery shopping, and her refrigerator reflected that. Its contents were slim, a couple cans of ginger ale, some leftovers, butter and other essentials, a carton of oat milk, and two oranges. Alex really needed to get out more. She grabbed a can of ginger ale and shut the door, walking into her livingroom.
The livingroom was Alex's favorite room in the house. She had a large, comfortable, white, u-shaped couch in the middle of the room situated around the fireplace, a glass coffee table in the middle, and a huge flatscreen on the wall above the fireplace. The room was tastefully decorated with neutral colors, shelves and walls adored with various plants and pictures she'd taken on childhood vacations. Sitting on the couch, she could see the moon shining over Central Park from her spot. She flicked the TV on, turning it to the news, and laid back to relax for a few minutes.
"NYC Mayor Holter encourages city residents to stay inside as storm prepares to pummel five boroughs"
Alex rolled her eyes at the sound of the Mayor's name. First of all, he wasn't even in New York. He'd miss the snowstorm entirely, if it even turns out to be one at all. Secondly, screw him, no one needs to take advice from a wife beater. She picked up the remote and lowered the volume as the news anchors started explaining the path of the impeding storm. Alex groaned, a storm would certainly make things more difficult in getting Olivia and Noah out of their situation safely. If I have to go get them myself, I will, Alex told herself as she pondered the situation.
Alexandra had taken cases like this before. Powerful people needing out of bad situations – she'd just done a huge settlement for a popstar involved in a domestic violence spat with her actor boyfriend. She'd handled contentious divorces, disgusting fights over children, horrible probate cases with horribly greedy children – but this one was bothering her. Something about the thought of someone putting their hands on Olivia's body in a violent manner had her truly irked. Olivia seemed so gentle, so kind, how could anyone want to hurt her?
It didn't make sense to Alex, but she wasn't going to try to psychoanalyze the actions of a perpetrator. She shook her head, and got up off the couch to grab her cell phone before walking back to the livingroom and plopping down on the couch. She opened her email application and scanned her inbox.
Marla had sent off the draft of the settlement agreement around 11, Trevor had sent two particularly prickly emails regarding the Hawthorn matter, and opposing counsel on Tyler had sent over a global settlement offer. Alex smiled at the offer of settlement, having worked hard that day to talk the other lawyer into shooting over something. Sure, it was probably a shit offer, but it was at least a starting point.
Just then, a text message came in: Adrienne.
Hey Alex. Sorry to bug you so late but the time frame won't work tomorrow morning. I'm in Family Law from 8:30 to 9:50 and then have to run straight to clinic for a 10:00 with my client. Then I have Legal Writing at 11:30 and Evidence at 1:30. I probably won't be free for a quick call until 3. Does that work?
Alex shook her head, often forgetting that Adrienne was still in law school. The girl was extremely skilled at oral arguments, client control, and legal writing for a 2L, causing most of the firm to forget she wasn't actually a full-time employee, and didn't have a bar license yet.
Shit. I always forget you're still in school. Can you talk now? I can call the client tomorrow. I'll be pretty busy tomorrow working on the Motion – it'll need to be flawless if we have any prayer of getting it granted.
A few moments later, her phone was ringing. It was Adrienne.
"Thanks for making time," Alex said when she picked up the call.
"You're up late," Adrienne said, her husky voice slightly hoarse from exhaustion.
"You sound like you were asleep," Alex answered.
"Ha ha," Adrienne said sarcastically, clearing her throat.
"This can wait until morning, I can send you a voice memo or something," Alex told her.
"I have alerts from you on high alert…. Sounds like an important case," Adrienne told her, ignoring the last statement from the attorney, "Is this the one you wanted to talk about earlier?"
Alex didn't know why, but the fact that Adrienne had emails from her on alert caused her cheeks to flush, "That's ridiculous, you know… having my emails on high alert."
"You rarely email me this late, so it's usually important. I told you, I'm here to help… anyway, what did you want to chat about over the phone?" Adrienne asked, refocusing the conversation.
"You'll need to know who the client is, and why this is so hush hush," Alex informed her, "And we are going to keep her name off of everything until the very last moment before filing or sending any important emails/documents."
"Okay," Adrienne answered, "Who is it?"
"Olivia Holter, Mayor Holter's wife," Alexandra replied simply.
"Well shit," Adrienne sighed, "I'm guessing there's abuse? Aren't they loaded?"
"Holter is, Olivia is an adjunct professor at Columbia… she's got a teacher's salary…" Alex answered, neither confirming nor denying Adrienne's statement about abuse.
"Okay, so I understand the secrecy, but how bad are we talking here?" Adrienne asked.
"I –" Alex replied, pausing to think for a moment. She hadn't spoken to Olivia about the level of information she could disclose to the rest of the team, but it was also obvious that there was something sinister going on if she was needing to make a witness protection type escape.
"That bad, huh?" Adrienne asked.
Alex didn't respond. She could say nothing, and allow Adrienne to make her own assumptions, she could tell her the same thing she told Marla, but that would only result in Adrienne making her own assumptions as well. She could lie, or she could be honest. None of the options really seemed like good ones, so Alex remained silent again.
"Alex?" Adrienne asked, again. "You still there?"
"Yes, sorry," Alex answered, finally, "I was just thinking for a second… Anyway, they've got a bunch of assets – two homes, investments, retirement accounts, husband has a good salary obviously, the charity foundation, cars… Olivia wants her son, and nothing else."
"Do you think he'll let her buy her son?" Adrienne asked. It was a common term in the domestic relations area of law, attorneys referring to buying your kid typically means that one parent will agree to whatever the other parent wants in order to keep the kid more often or get the custody arrangement they want.
"I hope so, or this will get ugly," Alex answered with a sigh and a yawn. Finally, she was starting to get tired after the short rejuvenation she'd had upon getting home from the office.
"Was that a yawn I just heard Miss. Cabot?" Adrienne teased, that familiar husk returning to her voice.
"Believe it or not, I am not a robot… I do get tired," Alexandra quipped back.
"Oh, I know for a fact you are all woman, no robot in sight," Adrienne flirted softly.
"A very tired woman," Alexandra answered, rolling her eyes, "Where did your sudden burst of energy come from? Weren't you sleeping a minute ago?"
"You said I was sleeping, not me," Adrienne answered playfully. It was true, Alex had decided she'd woken her up, Adrienne had never confirmed that.
"You sounded exhausted," Alex answered, rolling her eyes yet again.
"I am," Adrienne said suggestively, laughing out a soft husky sound.
"Adrienne, what are you doing?" Alex asked, the young woman having made her curious.
"Talking to you," Adrienne teased.
"What were you doing?" Alex asked, annoyed at Adrienne's joke.
"Wouldn't you like to know Miss. Cabot?" Adrienne teased. "I can assure you, my night was much more eventful than yours. My roommates and I went out after civ pro with some friends."
"Unless researching ethics is your kind of wild night, you win again Miss. Lowell," Alex said with a soft laugh.
"You and your ethics, Alexandra," Adrienne said, drawing out the attorney's name, "So noble… wouldn't hurt you to get a little unethical once in a while."
"How many drinks have you had tonight, Adrienne?" Alex asked with a laugh.
"Enough to be reminded of the 4th of July," Adrienne offered.
Alex paused, remembering back to that day. Alex had forgotten to lock the door when she went to the bathroom and Adrienne had walked in on her washing her hands. She'd apologized and gone to turn around just as the boat hit a particularly rough wave, causing Adrienne to lose her footing and fall into Alex.
They'd been exchanging hungry stares at one another all day. Alex had been going through a particularly rough dry spell and Adrienne was annoyingly attractive. Adrienne had come to the party alone, wearing a simple, royal blue strapless sundress. Despite being at a firm function, Adrienne had worn a two piece, a tasteful one, but a two piece nonetheless. From the moment the redhead emerged from the water of the Long Island Sound, intoxicated Alex couldn't shake the thought of what she'd have done to that girl if they'd met out at a bar instead of at work.
When Alex caught Adrienne, stopping her from falling, the touch of skin on skin ignited a fire neither of their drunken brains could put a stop to. Adrienne had just finished collecting herself when Alex had shoved Adrienne's back against the wall, pinning her there with both hands. Their eyes met in a drunken stare down for a few moments before Adrienne reached her hands up and ran them down Alex's body from her neck to her navel. Alex had brought one of her hands down to Adrienne's hip and pulled her lower body up against her own, her thigh sliding between Adrienne's. Adrienne had gasped. Their eyes then met again, and Adrienne slid her hands to the hem of Alex's short sundress, pulling it up and sliding both hands onto Alex's bikini bottom clad ass. Alex had leaned down first, and just as Adrienne went to seal the deal Marla had startled them out of their haze.
Alex must have taken too long to respond because Adrienne brought Alex out of her thoughts, "Guess you're thinking about it too?"
"As entertaining as that was, we're just fine as friends, Adrienne," Alex told the redhead, keeping the conversation light. It would be so easy to give in, just once.
"Friends, mhm," Adrienne answered.
"You need to go to bed," Alex told her with a laugh.
"You're right. See you Wednesday Alex," Adrienne told her.
"Goodnight Adrienne, thanks for taking the call," Alex told her, hanging up the phone. That girl was insatiable. Adrienne always got a little more forward with her flirting when she'd been drinking, and Alex was used to that, but she hadn't been prepared for it tonight after working such a long day. Alex knew it was harmless, and Adrienne would never cross any boundary Alex put up, if any at all – truthfully, Alex enjoyed the attention. It felt good to feel wanted by someone. Over the last year and a half, Alexandra had only "dated" two women – Hannah, who had been nice enough, and lasted a few months, but couldn't handle Alex's grueling work schedule, and Sienna, who was really just utilized for good sex after a particularly tough day.
Alex looked at the clock, 12:26 AM. She quickly changed the alarm on her phone, setting it to wake her up at 6 AM instead of 4. She'd go to the gym by 6:15, be home by 8, and heading off to work by 9. Sure, Marla had told her not to show up until 9:30, but she could hangout downstairs for a little before going upstairs.
By the time 9:30 rolled around, Alexandra had already been in her office for fifteen minutes. Marla hadn't been in yet, and Abby had given her the all-clear to head up when she got to their building on Madison and 68th. To be safe, Alexandra had shut her office door when she got there. She was sitting in her office staring at the Memorandum she'd drafted in front of her. She'd already picked up a burner phone for Olivia at the corner store and booked the car reservation for Wednesday evening – the car company warning that the impending snowstorm this evening could make that impossible.
Resigning to the fact that she needed to speak to the client before making any further moves, she scrolled through the email Marla had sent her the day before for contact information for Olivia. Once finding her phone number, Alex took out her cell phone and dialed the number. Typically, she'd use the firm's phone for phone calls, but the last thing Olivia needed was Goldstein & Park showing up on her caller ID or phone bill.
"This is Olivia Holter," the woman said finally after a few rings.
"Alexandra Cabot, of Goldstein & Park," Alex told her.
"Hi Alexandra, how are you?"
"Do you have a second to talk?" Alex asked.
"Yes, I have a few minutes before class," Olivia told her.
"We need the name of a trusted friend, or family member… someone who can help you set up a bank account in their name, someone who can sign a lease for you in their name. Do you have someone who can do that?" Alex asked her, cutting to the chase to save time.
"I – Maybe? My – my friend Fin, he'd – he'd set me up a bank account," Olivia said, "I just need to talk to him… but – Alexandra, he's a cop. I'm – I'm afraid he'll go after Brad – he's going to wonder…"
"We can talk to him if you'd like," Alex told her, "We'll need to be careful with how we address this… But it's essential that we get your paychecks flowing into your own account so you have access to money."
"Okay, I – I'll talk to him," Olivia agreed. She knew her friend Fin would have no problem helping her, it was just a matter of keeping suspicions down, or getting him to understand the need for silence.
"Great," Alex said, "I also got you a burner phone today, is there any chance you can come into the office today?"
"I can get there after my 5:00 class, Noah is in the city today, so I'll grab him from school and can be there by 6?" Olivia asked.
"Six is fine," Alex told her, "I'll give you the burner, and I'd like you to stop using this phone. Just turn it off at school after class and keep it with you…"
"Okay, is there anything else?"
"Not right now, I just need you to get on that. I'll have the paperwork for you filled out for the Direct Deposit change for your paychecks, and we will hold onto that until we're ready to execute," Alex told her, "We can talk about the rest of the plans when you come in this evening."
"Hey Alexandra?"
"Yes?"
"Thank you… for everything… I -," Olivia said softly.
"It's my pleasure, Olivia," Alex answered, "Let's get rid of this bastard together."
It was 11 when she received an email from Marla.
Alexandra,
The fee agreement looks great. I included some language regarding the humanitarian aid, to protect us – just in case. Please review and make sure it looks good to you. You're welcome to send it once you're satisfied.
I reviewed the provisions regarding Rule 1.8(e). We need to tread lightly. I'd like to see your Motion once you've completed it. The change is new, and option to interpretation – but we'll need to remain within the confines until provided with leave to do otherwise. The firm can allocate approximately $1,000 in assistance per month for her – if authorized.
Will the client be in today? I'd like to be there.
Marla
The fee agreement was attached and redlined by her boss. Alexandra made quick work of cleaning up the verbiage and finalized the document. Attaching it to the response, Alex informed her boss that the client would be there at 6, and she'd order them all dinner. Once the email was sent, she headed over to the printer between she and Marla's offices.
"Printing on letterhead," Alexandra called loudly so that those who utilized this printer knew not to print anything for a few minutes. Alexandra reached up to the white farm style cabinet above the printer, pulled the black iron handle, and opened the left side. In a dark blue cardboard box, Alex grabbed a few sheets of firm letterhead and closed the cabinet.
"Alexandra! Dear, I didn't see you come in this morning," a male voice said, approaching her from the left.
"Oh, hello, good afternoon Preston," Alex said with a smile, "Haven't seen you around here in a while."
Preston Lowe was a 70 something year old man who had been practicing family law since before Alexandra was even born. And he was good. Back in the day, he'd been close friends with Alexandra's grandfather – having been a huge supporter of his appointment to the bench. Even though Preston had known Alexandra since she was a baby, had watched her grow up, Alex wasn't truly sure of his age. He looked about 65, but he'd had a lot of work done over the years. Preston was very gay, and very rich. He'd been one of the first to employ Ted Park post-graduation, and when Preston was ready to retire, Ted drug him along as a silent partner at his new firm with Marla.
"You know me, only sneaking in for the good stuff," Preston commented, adjusting his lilac Michael Kors tie. "How are you, how is the family?"
Alexandra placed the letterhead into the printer, and quickly moved back toward her office, gesturing to Preston that she'd be back in a moment. She hit print on the computer screen, printing out a copy of the fee agreement to have Olivia sign later that day, and walked back over to Preston.
"Sorry, didn't want to hold anyone else up," Alex explained, "I actually went home last weekend. Dad's gone of-counsel at the firm, and Mom's prepping to retire. My brothers are both at dad's firm, Jake's at the Boston office and Wes is here in New York, just graduated in August, actually."
"Congratulations dear, your parents must be so proud of you all," Preston raved, looking Alexandra up and down. Having no court hearings, and no important in-person meetings, Alexandra had opted not to dress business professional today. Her long blonde locks were down, curled slightly at the ends. She wore a pair of skintight plaid ankle length dress pants, a loose black long-sleeved shirt, and her signature black heels. She'd had extra time this morning and had put on some light, natural makeup, "My, I don't know how you do it Alexandra, but you get more and more beautiful every time I see you."
Alexandra laughed, "Thank you Preston. You're so kind. Just a little older than the last time I saw you, I'll be 31 in a month."
"I must be getting old then," Preston answered truthfully, "Any lucky ladies come along yet? What was the last girl… the one you brought to the Thanksgiving potluck – Sierra?"
"Sienna," Alex corrected with a smile, "She was sweet, but we've decided to just be friends. I'm much too focused on my career right now."
"Oh Alex, don't let this job ruin your outlook on love," Preston told her. Preston had done just that. Throughout the years, he'd focused so intently on his career, trying to be the absolute best in the hopes that the fact that he was gay wouldn't hurt his chances of being successful. In doing that, Preston had completely sacrificed his ability to have love and a life, "Don't end up like me. Hot, gay, rich, and alone."
"It's never too late," Alex offered with a grin. She knew that a future like Preston's was inevitable if she didn't start giving women a chance, and chill on the billables – but Alex was ever the procrastinator in that area of her life, preferring one night stands over meaningful relationships. It was just easier for her right now.
"You're funny, Alex," Preston said, "Anyway – got any room on your plate to assist me on a case?"
"Truthfully, and I cannot believe I'm saying this – I don't think I do. If I can close Plackard, and Tyler, I can probably fit it on my plate, but I've got about 26 cases on my own right now, and at least 6 of them are pretty major," Alex answered honestly, knowing full well if she put another case on her plate, her work product would begin to suffer – especially one big enough to get Preston to even be in New York.
"That's too bad – let's just say it's a pretty big gay rights case… A discrimination case for a friend of mine," Preston teased, trying to entice the blonde.
"I can let you know next week?" Alex asked. She certainly was interested, but again, she'd need to knock Plackard and Tyler off her plate before she could even think of taking on another major case. Even with the Palomo settlement coming through, and the Rebecca Palmer Interiors civil case she'd been working on settling, her plate was still pretty loaded.
"Monday, or I give it to Rafael and Abby," Preston told her, turning to head toward the kitchen for a snack.
By the time 5:30 rolled around, Alexandra had completed most of the tasks on her list. Alex had taken care of the car situation, completed the paperwork for Olivia's direct deposit change, gotten her burner phone set up, drafted the paperwork for the address protection program, and finished ¾ of her draft of the Emergency Motion to the Court. Olivia had even called around 3, letting her know the bank account situation had been handled.
"How's it going?" Marla asked, entering Alex's office unannounced, causing the blonde to jump briefly out of her seat.
"Jesus, Marla, you scared the shit out of me," Alex laughed at herself.
"Sorry… Didn't mean to scare you. How's it going?" Marla asked again, leaning against in her typical chair – the left one.
"Honestly, not bad – I'll have the Forthwith Motion for Client 53509 ready for your review before she gets here, just putting the finishing touches on it now," Alexandra told her, looking up from her computer and pushing her glasses up on her face.
"She just called, they're running ahead of schedule, I alerted security downstairs and they'll be bringing her up the elevators shortly. Can you please go and shut the doors of anyone still at the office?" Marla asked, "I'll meet her at the door and bring her straight into your office."
"No problem," Alex told her, standing up from her desk and heading toward the door. She walked down the long hallway toward the senior associates' offices.
"Hey Abby, confidential client coming in now, I need to shut your door," Alex told her, knocking briefly on her door.
"No problem?" Abby asked curiously. Alex shot her a look that let her know she did not have time to explain. Abby shrugged and turned back to her computer as Alexandra shut her door and walked away. Alex repeated the same action, finding Rafael Barba, Ted Park, and Dominic Carisi all in their offices on this side of the hall.
Walking back toward the front of the office, she repeated the same action with Casey Novak, and their paralegal, Amanda Kincaid's offices. Heading back near her own office, she checked to see if any other attorneys were in their offices, finding only Ryan Tucker and Kim Greylik in their offices. By the time she finished explaining to Kim what was going on, and headed back toward her own office, the door to her office was already shut.
She knocked gently on it and waited for Marla's response before slipping inside. Marla was sitting at her computer, and Olivia and Noah were seated in the two chairs in front of her desk. Alex moved into the office and positioned herself so that she was leaning up against the edge of her desk, out of the way.
"Thank you for coming in," Alex said, leaning over to shake Olivia's hand.
"Hi Miss. Alex!" Noah exclaimed happily, waving at the blonde.
"Hi Noah, how was school today kiddo?" Alexandra asked.
"It was a good day. I made a snowman out of paper plates!" Noah exclaimed happily, moving to pull the arts and crafts out of his backpack.
"Noah sweetheart, not now, Miss. Alexandra has to do her job," Olivia told her son, taking his backpack from him and pulling out a small iPod. She took out the headphones, plugged them in and handed it to Noah, "Can you do like we talked about and listen to your music sweet boy?"
Noah nodded and took the iPod, following his mother's instructions.
"Sorry," Olivia said with a smile, "Sitter is still sick… I couldn't find someone else on short notice without ringing any alarms at home."
"It's not a problem," Marla told her with a wide grin, "I've got three of my own at home, older than this little nugget, but I remember the struggle." The firm was kid friendly, being that families were such a huge part of their practice. Not only did their clients have kids and obligations they had to work around, but, between the lawyers and support staff alone, there were at least two dozen kids at majority of the firm events. Kids were a part of their practice, whether they liked it or not.
"Thank you," Olivia said again. "So, Alexandra said you guys had an update for me?"
Alex smiled at the sound of her name coming out of Olivia's lips. She loved the way Olivia's sultry voice tended to linger on the -dra. Recognizing that she was starting to drift off on a fantasy she shouldn't be, Alex snapped herself back to reality.
"Yes… So, we've come up with a plan for you," Alexandra started, leaning forward slightly to speak closer to Olivia. She took a piece of paper off her desk – the memo – and handed it to Olivia.
"First, we got you a new phone. You'll use only that from now on. I've created you a new e-mail address so that communication with the firm is easier, and safe. I included the login information for that on your fee agreement," Alex explained. She leaned over Olivia for a moment, grabbing the letterhead she had printed earlier from off her desk, and handed it to Olivia as well, "This is the fee agreement… A car will come get you tomorrow at around 8 PM. If the snow prohibits that, I'll come pick you up myself. We'll take you to the townhouse in Gramercy. You'll stay there until we can get you moved. Things will be easier with you in closer proximity. You'll move out of the Gramercy home on Saturday, to a safe home for you and Noah… When Brad steps off the plane on Sunday, our process server will serve Brad with the divorce petition, and all the required paperwork, as well as a fully pre-packaged offer for a simple, clean break… If he agrees, our work is done, and you'll be able to move on with your life without issue… If not, we'll begin the game planning for the hard part we discussed yesterday," Alex finished with a smile.
"Whoa," Olivia said softly, looking at the documents in her hand, "That's a lot of moves to put in place in just a few hours… I never knew it could happen this fast."
"Unfortunately, it usually doesn't, but this is a special circumstance," Alex explained, "We don't have the time to fight Brad for attorney's fees – plus, with you being a pro bono client, we're granted more latitude in what we can supply for you, especially in special circumstances."
"I'm not going to get in trouble for this?" Olivia asked, looking up suddenly extremely concerned.
"No, Olivia," Alex answered, "The Court will understand – if we even get that far," Alex answered hopefully.
"Are you sure, because I – I can't leave Noah with him… Not safely at least. Thankfully he hasn't been the victim of any of Brad's violence… to my knowledge, but – … He – he doesn't deserve to be around this," Olivia said, trying to keep her emotions in control in front of Noah. She'd known that allowing Noah to be around Brad's abuse of her was abuse in and of itself for Noah. Olivia had tried so hard to keep him shielded from it, but lately, Brad had gotten out of control. Noah hadn't opened up about much yet, and preferred to simply be right near his mother at all times. The brunette wanted to get him help, but the mere suggestion of it had sent Brad into a rage – the cause of the latest bruises on her abdomen. She truly didn't know if Noah had fallen victim to Brad's rage or not.
"We're going to protect your son," Marla offered, "Don't you worry about that. Alexandra here is one of the best attorneys we've got. You could not be in safer hands."
"I know," Olivia answered, "I can feel it… This is the time I'll finally be able to get away from him… get Noah away from him. We deserve to be happy," She looked up over at Alex with a smile on her face. Something about the look caused Alex to shudder slightly under Olivia's gaze. She had to get ahold of herself – but something about the way the brunette's eyes were shining up at her had her mesmerized.
Marla looked between Alex and Olivia and raised an eyebrow, "I'm glad you feel confident in our firm Olivia… We're here for you every step of the way… Do you have any questions moving forward at this time?"
"No," Olivia said simply, still looking over at Alex, "I just – I just want to get out of there as soon as possible. I – I'm constantly watching the cameras, my back, the doors… just to make sure he's not coming home early."
"I understand," Alex told her softly, maintaining the eye contact Olivia had initiated moments before, "He won't be able to hurt you anymore… we will make sure of that… I – I will not let any detail slip through the cracks, we understand the gravity here."
"The abuse," Marla started, hesitantly, "It's physical as well?"
Olivia nodded, her eyes still locked on Alexandra, as if Marla wasn't even in the room, "He's good – they're never anywhere visible." Alex kept her eyes locked with the brunettes.
"I understand," Marla stated, deciding she'd ask Alex for more details later. It wasn't necessary to make Olivia rehash anything, now that the abuse had been confirmed, Alex would share it with her if need be.
"Have you spoken to him since yesterday?" Alex asked Olivia.
"Yes, we spoke this morning," Olivia said dryly.
"How did he seem?" Alex asked.
Olivia looked over at Marla, and then down to Noah, then brought her eyes back up to Alex's, fear evident in her deep chestnut eyes. Somehow, Alex understood exactly what Olivia was trying to say. She stood up from her place atop her desk and slid in front of Noah. She plucked one of the two earbuds out of the little boy's ears, and smiled at him, "Hey little man, can you do me a favor?"
"Sure Miss. Alex," Noah said softly, turning off the iPod in his hand.
"This is my friend Mrs. Marla," she said, gesturing over to her boss seated behind her, "Can you show her where the really good snacks are? She's hungry," Alex asked the little boy.
"Okay! Can I have one too?" Noah asked, turning and looking up at his mother.
"Of course, baby," Olivia told him, taking the iPod from him. She helped the little boy climb down off the chair he was sitting in and Alex grabbed his hand, leading him over to Marla. Marla stood up from the chair and took the little kid's hand.
"Thank you, Noah, I could really go for some cookies," Marla told him, leading him out of the office. Before shutting the door, she shot Alexandra another peculiar look.
"Thank you," Olivia said sheepishly, "I – I don't need Noah to overhear these types of things."
"I understand," Alex told her with a soft smile. She moved and sat in the armchair beside Olivia's, sitting with her body facing toward the woman, "Tell me only what you feel comfortable talking about, I just want to gauge his awareness."
"He – He's still upset over the latest – um, affair… he reminded me how – how I still owe him," Olivia explained, her voice laced with disgust.
"Owe him?" Alex asked, her voice gentle, yet even. What was she talking about?
"Yes," Olivia said softly, "He – he's a pig... I don't – I'm not ready to talk about the details… But he hasn't gotten any worse… I don't think he knows anything about any of this."
"Of course, tell me whatever you feel comfortable talking about," Alex told her, "I'm glad he hasn't caught on to anything, that means we're still safe to move forward."
Olivia didn't speak for a moment, seemingly lost in thought. A few moments later, the brunette's face contorted into an uncomfortable frown, and tears immediately began flowing down her cheeks. She lowered her head, letting it fall into her hands as she sobbed softly. Olivia wasn't one for crying, no less in front of people – but with Alex on her side, she didn't feel so weak.
Alex's heart broke for the woman in front of her. She'd had sad cases before, but nothing like this. Olivia seemed so defeated – strong, determined – but hurting. She leaned over and placed a comforting hand on Olivia's back, soothing her as she cried, "It's okay Olivia, everything is going to be okay… Piece by piece, we'll figure this all out."
"It has to be… I can't take any more. He has put his hands on my body for the last time," Olivia told her, wiping her tears and trying to regain her composure in case her son returned to the blonde's office..
"Has the abuse gotten sexual in nature?" Alexandra asked, trying to read between the lines of what Olivia was saying.
"That was the final straw," Olivia confirmed, "It's why I found the strength to get up and leave… I – I need out of this Alexandra."
"I know, we move tomorrow – and by Saturday afternoon, you'll be somewhere safe with Noah where he can't touch you. We'll be in touch with him regarding Noah's general where abouts, so we don't end up in a kidnapping situation, and we'll file the necessary emergency motions as soon as you leave Saturday afternoon," Alex told her, "We've got this. I just need you to trust me, Olivia."
"I do," Olivia answered simply. It was true, there was something about this young blonde attorney that had Olivia feeling safe, like she would be the one to finally set her free, "I do trust you."
"Let's finish going through all the paperwork and discussing the rest of the plan with Marla so you can get home with Noah and finish packing… We ordered a sandwich platter that should be here soon, so don't worry about feeding him… let's just get this all taken care of… the snow is getting bad out there, so you'll want to be on the train home soon," Alex told her, standing up and slipping out of her office to retrieve Marla and Noah.
Alexandra found herself in bed that night by 9:45. For once, it was an early evening. Olivia had left the firm with Noah around 7:30, and Alexandra had headed out with her. After getting home, she took a shower, sent an update email to Adrienne regarding Olivia, finalized a settlement offer for Plackard, and called it a night early. The snow was really coming down now, they'd gotten around 3 inches so far. The news was saying they were likely to get another 3-6 inches overnight. As per usual, Alexandra hadn't had time for grocery shopping – but had ordered some things on Instacart, just in case. They'd been waiting at her concierge downstairs when she got home. As per usual with the more luxurious real estate on 5th Avenue, Alexandra's building had 24/7 security, and a concierge that accepted and delivered all deliveries.
Before placing her phone on the charger beside her bed, Alex quickly checked her e-mail, nothing important. She'd received a couple drafts of things she'd requested from Adrienne, but nothing all that urgent for the night. Just as she was about to place the phone back on her nightstand for the night, her text message alert chimed, a number she didn't have saved in her phone.
Thank you again for today. I'll work on being less emotional but thank you for handling it with grace. I appreciated the discretion.
Alex smiled, realizing it was Olivia. She must have just gotten home. Between the trip back to Penn from their firm on Madison and 83rd, waiting for a Port Jeff line on the LIRR, and the drive home from the train station, with a little boy, it was quite the trek for her.
No need to thank me. Or to hide your emotions – this is a really tough situation to be in. We're here to support you in any way we can.
Texting clients wasn't an issue – Alexandra had actually recently attended a continuing legal education class on technological advancements and the young lawyer. After doing so, they'd immediately downloaded a new app that allowed them each to record and upload their text conversations with their clients directly to the firm's servers. Part of being one of the best law firms meant having the latest technology at their fingertips to make things simpler for their clients.
Thank you, Alexandra. For everything.
Fuck, Alex thought to herself, recalling the way the brunette said her name. She was getting slightly addicted to the way it sounded when Olivia said it. And Olivis was using it more often, maybe she'd noticed the affect it had on the young blonde attorney? She shifted in her bed, wrapping herself up in the soft jade green comforter.
We'll see you tomorrow, Olivia.
She placed the phone back on her nightstand, trying to shake her thoughts of the other woman. It was inappropriate. Olivia was a client, a married client – albeit in a very unhappy marriage with someone of the wrong gender. Olivia was a victim of severe abuse, who needed a team of compassionate impartial attorneys to protect her from her powerful abusive husband. Alex's attraction to the woman was just simply wrong. It's possible to want to protect this beautiful woman without having a ridiculous crush on her Alexandra, she scolded herself.
Regardless, it was completely against the ethical rules she swore to uphold. While consensual sexual relationships are legal in New York for nearly every practice area – they are forbidden between divorce attorneys and their clients if the relationship was not pre-existing. She and Olivia could not be more than friends without putting the entire firm at risk.
I just need to get laid, Alexandra thought to herself as she closed her eyes and groaned. "Alexa, turn off the lights," Alexandra said into the abyss of her bedroom. The Alexa device on her dresser lit up briefly, and complied, turning out all the lights in her bedroom. Yep, I'm just horny and she's sexy as hell and I need to get laid, Alex convinced herself.
She picked her phone up off her nightstand again, scrolling through her latest text messages. Sienna or Adrienne? They would both surely be easy selections. Sienna had made it clear she was willing to continue their relationship on a sex only basis. Adrienne had implied, during their many bouts of flirting that she'd be down for a friends with benefits situation – Alex just didn't believe her when she said that was a possibility. Adrienne liked Alex – Alex liked Adrienne's ass. That was too complicated for Alex, especially being such great co-workers, and friends – Adrienne was also the best law clerk they had.
Hey – come over?
She opted to text Sienna. Sienna was a thirty-two-year-old bartender Alex had met on one of the rare occasions she'd gone out with her friends in the Village – to the lesbian bars. She was funny, attractive, and the opposite of Alexandra in every respect. They got along well, mostly because, at the time, Alexandra wasn't looking for anything more than a woman to, as Adrienne put it, unwind her cork a little. Sienna was a little androgynous, slightly more masculine leaning, confident – and Alexandra was drawn to her immediately. The sex had been really good so Alex had given chosen to give the woman her cell phone number after their one night stand. They'd been using one another to scratch their itch for a few months now – less lately, now that Alex had gotten busy with work.
For sure. Be there in 20.
Alex smiled, Sienna was always reliable.
Front desk will give you a key.
Note: So, while I am an attorney - I don't practice in New York so this is all going to be a hybrid of my state's laws and New York's - that being said, none of this is real, okay? None of this is legal advice, but I will try to be as accurate as possible!
I hope you enjoyed this chapter!
