Page 25 of Near Miss

Carly had been a graduating law student at Yale, number one in her class, when Stone first met her. He had been so impressed that he recommended her to Woodman & Weld for a job as an associate.

Stone pressed the button. “Carly? How are you?”

“I’m terrific,” she replied, “as always.”

She made him laugh, too. “How’s life at Woodman & Weld?”

“Interesting. I took the bar exam this morning.”

“So soon? I thought new associates spent a couple weeks cramming for it.”

“Nah, I read the cram book once, and I think I aced it.”

That she would say that out loud was typical Carly. She did not have the same social filters as others.

“When do you get the results?” he asked.

“They say in a week.”

“I think it’s likely that somebody at Woodman & Weld will whisper the results in your shell-like ear before that. Somebody told me when I had taken it that I’d finished in the ninety-something percentile, and only the next day.”

Someone spoke to her at the other end. “Can I call you back?” she asked.

“Sure. The law comes first.”

She hung up.

Stone’s phone rang again. It was Carly.

“It’s me again. You were right, somebody told me I did very, very well on the bar, but they didn’t have a percentile.”

“Then you’ve got nothing to sweat. Relax and learn how to practice law.”

“Oh, I already know how to do that—the criminal part, I mean.”

“Yes?”

“Sure, I’ve seen every episode ofLaw & Orderat least twice, and I never forget anything.”

“You’ll find there’s more than that to learn, and don’t forget the civil side—that’s where most of the money is made, year in and year out.”

“Well, they’ve got me working for Herb Fisher, and he practices whatever law walks in the door, so a year or so of him, and I’ll be ready for a partnership.”

“Carly, take my advice: never even whisper those words to any person at Woodman & Weld, or you’ll discover you have a big target on your back. You must try, as hard as it may be, to display a becoming amount of modesty, even though that is not in your nature.”

“Okay, sure.”

“I know it won’t be easy for you, but know that it will make life easier for you in a big law firm. And handle Bill Eggers, in particular, with kid gloves. He’s your managing partner, and your career rests in his hands, not yours.”

“I’ll remember that.”

“Forget it at your peril. You’re going to have to acquire some editorial skills when wagging your tongue. A slip can come back to haunt you, when you least expect it.”

“I understand.”

“I hope to God you do, or you’ll find yourself hanging out a shingle at an office in the cheapest neighborhood in the city. Remember, there are two words that can damn any young lawyer to hell in a handbasket. The words are ‘private practice.’ At cocktail parties, especially ones where there are a lot of lawyers present, hearing those words will cause eyes to glaze over.”

“You sound as if you want me to be afraid,” Carly said.

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