CHAPTER 5 LONG HOURS

His future progress at the firm, he was warned, depended on how much _____ he made for thefirm. He learned that it was acceptable to _____ _____ more than he actually worked. 'If you think abouta client while you're driving over to the _____ in the morning,' Avery told him, 'add on another hour.'He could bill clients for _____ _____ a day, even if he never worked twelve hours a day. Mitch alsolearned that Avery liked to _____ the firm's _____.

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Read Chapter5 and answer to these questions:

1. What did Mitch learn about the way things were done at the law firm?

2. What does a new associate’s progress at the law firm depend on?

3. What was Mitch determined to do while working at the law firm?

4. Where is Mitch’s brother and why?

5. Why does the firm gather information about Mitch and his family?

v

Mitch learned fast. He was appointed to work with one of the partners, Avery Tolleson, and helpedhim with several of his clients. He learned to respect Avery's talent for hard work. Avery taught Mitchall about billing clients for his time. As an associate he could bill $100 an hour. His future progress atthe firm, he was warned, depended on how much income he made for the firm. He learned that it wasacceptable to bill clients more than he actually worked. 'If you think about a client while you're drivingover to the office in the morning,' Avery told him, 'add on another hour.' He could bill clients for twelvehours a day, even if he never worked twelve hours a day. Mitch also learned that Avery liked to bendthe firm's rules. His marriage was breaking up and his eyes followed every good-looking woman hesaw on the streets. He also drank at lunch-times.

From Avery and the other partners Mitch learned the way things were done at Bendini, Lambert &Locke. He learned that secrecy was valued highly; he learned to talk to no one outside the firm, not evenAbby.

Mitch was determined to become a partner in less time than anyone else ever had before. He wasdetermined to earn the firm more money than any associate ever had before. He had heard the storiesabout how many hours people worked; even sixteen hours a day was not unknown in the firm.

It was said that Nathan Locke started work at six a.m. every day. On his first full day Mitch arrivedat the office at 5.30. No one else was there.

He climbed the stairs to his office on the second floor, made himself a cup of coffee and began towork. After a while he got up from his desk and went over to the window. It was still dark outside. Hedidn't notice the figure suddenly appear at his door.

'Good morning.'

Mitch turned round from the window. 'You frightened me,' he said. 'I'm sorry. I'm Nathan Locke. I don'tbelieve we've met.'

'I'm Mitch McDeere, the new man.' They shook hands.

'Yes, I know.'

Mitch could not stop himself staring at the man's eyes. Nathan Locke's eyes were cold andknowing. They were the most evil eyes he had ever seen.

'I see you're an early riser,' Locke was saying. 'Yes, sir.'

'Well, it's good to have you in the firm.'

♦

After a few days DeVasher, Lambert and Locke had a meeting. They were sure Mitch could notkeep going: nobody could work a hundred hours a week for more than a few months.

'How's his wife taking it?' Lambert asked.

'This will change, but at the moment I can only hear his side of the conversations,' DeVasher said.'She's not delighted. She's practicing her cooking for the first time and he's getting sandwiches fromthe shops, because he's never home in time for dinner.'

'What do you mean, "This will change"?' asked Locke.

'I mean Chicago is still worried, you know? We don't think Kozinski and Hodge told the FBIanything important, but Lazarov wants to be safe. He wants the homes of all associates bugged.'

'Don't you think that's going a bit too far?' asked Lambert. 'Chicago doesn't think so.'

'All of them, even McDeere?'

'Yes. I think Tarrance will try again. Oh, and before I forget, we've found McDeere's brother Ray —or rather, McDeere led us to him. He's in Brushy Mountain Prison, near Nashville. He accidentally killedsomeone in a bar fight and the court gave him fifteen years. He's done four of them. McDeere went tovisit him last Sunday. I wonder if we could use this as a lever against McDeere, if we ever need to.'