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“Unfortunately, this is how the court system works, sir. In contested divorces, the court would prefer the parties resolve things on their own. Trial is considered a last resort.” Steven cleared his throat. “But if you’d like to start over with someone new, potentially delay your divorce another year, and give your wife an upper hand in the proceedings, I have several attorneys I can recommend.”
The silence on the other end of the line was deafening, and Steven smiled. The only thing his client would hate more than a further delay of his divorce was giving his wife a win.
“I know my rights,” Mr. Willoughby finally said. “And I have a right to a speedy trial.”
Steven rolled his eyes to the ceiling. “That’s for criminal prosecution.” Sometimes he wished his fellow citizens had been required to take basic civic and government classes as adults. “A divorce is a civil matter.”
“Oh,” Mr. Willoughby said. “I don’t see how it’s fair she’s been able to drag this out for so long.”
Pinching the bridge of his nose, Steven took a deep breath. The fact was, Mr. Willoughby, not his wife, had caused the delay. But mentioning that would only aggravate his client.
“I promise, Mr. Willoughby, I’ll file the motion for the pretrial hearing tomorrow, and we’ll work to get your divorce on the court’s docket as soon as possible.”
“All right. But I expect you to keep me updated on the process.”
Translation: He expects a daily phone call. That wouldn’t be easy with Steven coming into the office only sporadically, but he would make it happen. After his discussion with Rose about the law firm’s finances, he couldn’t afford to lose Mr. Willoughby.
“That shouldn’t be a problem,” Steven promised.
“And I want to schedule a meeting to go over a real estate dispute I’m having with my neighbor.”
“I’ll have Leslie set up a time.”
“Good,” Mr. Willoughby said with a grunt. “Glad you’re finally earning your keep again.”
“Yes, sir. I’ll talk to you soon.”
After he hung up the phone, he put his head in his hands. His accident couldn’t have happened at a worse time. But he’d managed to salvage his relationship with his client.
He glanced at the clock and groaned. It was almost ten. With a resigned sigh, Steven gathered Lanie, Sandra, and Michael and led them into the conference room. Michael and Lanie sat on one side of the table with Steven and Sandra on the other.
“How are you settling in?” Steven asked as he laid out several folders in front of Michael.
“So far, so good. Leslie got my computer booted up, and I’m logged in. I took a look at your electronic filing system, and it looks similar to what I used last summer during my clerkship.”
“That’s great!” Steven tapped the folders. “While we’ve mostly set up everything electronically, we do maintain paper files as well. These are some of the cases I was working on before my accident.” He slid them across the table. “I’d like you to review these today. We can meet either this afternoon or tomorrow morning to discuss any questions you have. There are several deadlines coming in fast, and I’d like to get you up to speed so you can draft the necessary motions.”
“Sounds good,” Michael said as he flipped open the first folder.
“Sandra is familiar with the cases and has old drafts you can look at to get a feel for how we word things here. But if you have any questions, I’ll be in and out of the office this week and available by phone.”
“Are you anticipating any court dates in the near future?”
Steven shook his head. “I’ve filed continuances on all of my court hearings for this month, and I’m not sure if they’ll be rescheduled before the summer is up.”
Michael’s face fell. “Oh, okay, then.”
“But if anything does come up, I’ll of course be taking you with me.”
That perked the law clerk up, and he smiled. “I appreciate that. I haven’t had much of a chance to be in a courtroom.”
Steven pressed his lips together. How he wished he could say the same. “Don’t worry. That’ll change soon enough, I’m sure.” As he maneuvered out of the room, exhaustion began to take its toll. “Sandra will give you a quick summary of where we are in each case before you start your review, but I’m afraid I need to rest for a minute.”
Lanie immediately jumped up and came to his aid, pushing him to his office. Unable to find the energy to protest, he sagged against the back of his chair. Once he was behind his desk, he leaned forward and rested his head on the wooden surface.
“You really shouldn’t be overdoing it.” Lanie slipped into the chair on the opposite side of his desk. “Maybe I should take you home.”
“Stop mother-henning me.” He closed his eyes and took several deep breaths as the pain in his chest subsided. “I’ll be okay. I just need a minute.”
