Rising Star in Law

The smiling Mrs Goodman hugged Jocelyn and the people immediately behind them heard her say, "Now I can understand why you asked me to dress exactly the way I was on that dreadful day, You did explain why at the time, but I'd forgotten most of what you said in the meantime. Jocelyn, you really are a very clever young lady, and I predict a big future awaits you in law."

Chapter 4

The morning after her mother had been cleared of an assault charge in court, Sally Holmes posted on the law office's internal password-protected internet network a large photo taken outside the courthouse of herself, her mother, with her arm around Joycelyn, and supporters in the background.

Attached was Sally's brief summary of the proceedings including that surprise revelation to herself and family that her mother was suffering early stages of dementia that had been known only to Mrs Goodman, and no one in her extended family until her condition was revealed in court as a result of meticulous defence preparation by the firm's recently recruited young graduate Jocelyn McDonald.

The statement concluded, "We of the family had decided none of us should represent my mother and I personally decided to invite Miss McDonald, a recent law graduate from Canterbury, to take on the role on my behalf."

"Was I making a reckless decision?

"I thought not and as a result of Miss McDonald proving herself in court, I'm declaring that she is my protégé. Another reckless decision?"

"I think not."

"You see, Miss McDonald has been a high school dux, brilliant as a student and sportswoman at university, a champion skier, a highly successful car rally driver and acknowledged as the youngest Mountain Woman ever, whatever that means, in her high-country farming region of the Southern Alps."

"I was alerted to Miss McDonald's possible potential by two things.

"The first one was my son telling me, sounding almost as if in disbelief, that 'a new chick' added to our law team, had scooted up the climbing wall in the basement of this building in a full 36 seconds faster than he'd ever managed. Until then Chris had held the fastest time for the climb over the past four years."

"That encourage me to read her file held by HR. And lo, what did I find? That in her graduation year, our new recruit Jocelyn McDonald had won the BNZ national award in Courtroom Defence Advocacy by only five marks short of the highest points ever recorded in the 97-year history of the award."

"Miss McDonald clearly has been under-utilized in assisting in the preparation of briefs for proceedings in traffic and minor civil offence matters where I had placed her. In recognition of her outstanding representation of my mother in court, and thereby relieving me of stress in having to prepare for an appeal, Miss McDonald may immediately transfer to the department where she wishes to work and continue to move to other departments in due course to gain rounded experience. She will be invited to do this before you all read this, and I must openly confess this is most unusual staffing memo I have ever written as Managing Partner."

Jocelyn arrived unannounced at the Business Law department, headed by the bad-tempered and constantly inter-departmental feuding Alice Drum, known throughout the firm in beyond in local legal circles as Pugnacious Alice.

Alice was conducting a staff meeting, looked up to identify the intruder and yelled, "No you're not coming here to disrupt my smooth-running department with your Hollywood theatrics, clear off."

With around 30 lawyers and support staff turning to gape at her, Joycelyn said mildly, "Good morning Miss Drum. You'll be aware where I choose to work from today is out of your hands. Please welcome me warmly as an alternative to buying a fight you might not win."

"Mrs Drum, it may interest you to know, according to my research, that my late mother Gwen Williams was your sculling team-mate in the women's pairs New Zealand Universities' championships three years running and many people thought after three championship wins that you two would win through to represent this country in the Olympics but, alas, not to be."

Alice cried, "Omigod, you're Gwen's legacy and could out-ski your mother, a former ski champion and ski instructor by the time you were eleven. You sky young bitch, researching me before meeting me," she smiled.

The assembly erupted into laughter.

Alice said, "Everyone, welcome Jocelyn McDonald to our department. Now, be warned, she won't be better at law than any of you providing you outshine her. Already proving in manner she's like her late mother, there never will be blood on the floor. It will be totally IDE, meaning Intelligence, Determination and Execution of the strategic plan like a skier launches into the downhill."

"Join the group Joycelyn and be warned, never challenge me again."

Joycelyn walked into the group with a pathway opening for her and then immediately closing around her.

Alice gave everyone 30 seconds to say hi and then called enough and settled into her meeting agenda.

The meeting ended, everyone dispersed and Jocelyn was pointed to a vacant three-sided glass cubicle. The cubicles lined two sides of the central core where meetings were held and desks for support staff were lined 4-abreast beyond that cleared area and at the rear where three larger glass partitions with doors, obviously for the senior lawyers and a further similar offices at each end of the two lines of cubicles.

Jocelyn was given no briefing and assigned no work and assumed, intelligently, that she was being left to find her own level and scratch around for work.

She soon found work assisting more junior lawyers but realised that was leaving her 'flat-lining."

"Who's the most senior guy or gal in those four offices?" she asked Linda White, the support team manager.

"Bill West and Pearl Kingi."

"In your opinion, which one struggling at times."

"God, I'd be practically crucified if I answered that."

"We're here to succeed in delivery of legal services Linda, not to win a popularity contest. Whisper the name to me."

"Pearl, but take care; she is Alice and husband Frank's adopted daughter."

"Thanks, sexy perfume."

"Omigod, are you gay?"

"Linda, do you want me to rip your left breast from your chest for making heinously false sexual misrepresentations about me?"

"Oh god no, a thousand pardons for my mistake Jocelyn."

"Accepted. Actually, nice tits but don't repeat my compliment to anyone and be assured although I'm not gay, I'm tolerant of gays of both sexes."

"Oh, for sure you are destined to become a legend in this department."

"That's romanticised burbling Linda, but you are lovely. It has been nice meeting you."

Jocelyn walked into Pearl's mini-office and closed the door.

Pearl looked up, eyed the closed door balefully and then said, "I'm not aware you have made an appointment to see me."

"Wow, you are sharp Pearl. I need work. I'm here to assist you with your currently most difficult case."

"Fuck off Miss Bright Star. If I ever need help from you, which is very unlikely, I shall call you."

"Good morning then," Jocelyn said sweetly and walking to the door added, "I trust I'm wrong that in you rejecting my offer you appearing to be providing evidence of a practising loser."

The was greeted in silence and Jocelyn was halfway back to her cubicle when she took a call.

"It's Pearl, I'm sorry and feel such a fool. I do have a case I'm struggling with. I can brief you now."

"On my way to you Pearl. Now you're acting the way of a winner."

Jocelyn shut the door and said, "Pearl, you are one of my seniors in this department and so no pulling rank as it's taken for granted, also no grovelling because I've been named as Madam's protégé. We must act as lawyer to lawyer."

"Wow, we were told you were formidable Jocelyn and I had a taste of that a few minutes ago and now you appear to be boot-licking."

"Oh, a great analogy but all personal presentations are little more than mirages. The dog with the biggest bark is never the more cunning, not the most brutal. You know that and we should all be equally sharp in defining people."

"Brilliantly argued," Jocelyn,

Pushing a file across the glass desk, Pearl said, "First, you won't be aware that Alice is my foster mother?"

"I've heard it said."

"Jocelyn, you've only been in this place a few days and that relationship is not talked about, ever. I have to asked, who told you?"

"I gave my undertaking not to name to my informant."

"Jocelyn, I'm struggling to accept your credibility."

Pearl's eyes widened when told it was the woman with the best boobs in the firm.

"I can think of three women."

"Then you are near enough there and with a little bit of thought you'll identify my informant. But please, don't do that without good reason because I traded my undertaking never to name her in exchange for the information, I required of which senior in this department was possibly in need of the greatest assistance from me when supposedly I'm the office's latest guru."

"But why shouldn't I work out who it was?"

"It's to assist me to retain my honour because any clue, including a magnificent pair of tits that reveals a name will have led to the identity of an informant who'd understandably believed she would be guaranteed of anonymity."

"Omigod," Pearl laughed, "You are hiding behind a pair of breasts that holds the identity of an informant. The mind boggles."

"Please, Pearl?"

"Very well, I promise to push thoughts of attempting to identify breasts to a recess in the memory bank of my mind."

"Excellent," Jocelyn said pushing the folder back. "You must take the leading role in this case you classify as difficult in order to impress your mother even if she sees my fingerprints on the execution of proceedings. Do you agree?"

"Agreed."

"Right then, please brief me concisely as if you were briefing your department head."

Clarkson's General Store was one of smaller business clients of Holmes and Partners but the firm, quite rightly, valued all clients.

Clarkson's took up the frontage of an entire block in the city and had traded on that site for 123 years, in that time acquiring all five other neighbouring operating on that same block of street frontage.

Under it's new chairman, Tim Clarkson, great-grandson of the founder, the company had lifted turnover considerably and had purchased the warehouse on the street behind its multi-department store to bring all five of its warehouses together under one roof.

The company had applied to construct an elevated crossing known as a sky bridge over the road to link its two buildings to escape the street congestion below in the cross movement of goods.

The city council had rejected the proposal as being 'environmentally undesirable'.

The company had legally forced the council to conduct another Town Planning hearing to allow the company to contest the Town Planning hearing committee's contested decision that the elevated bridge of modern design was 'environmentally undesirable."

The full council endorsed the committee's decision to reverse its earlier rejection of the company's application but a group of various civic parties took the council to the Environmental Court and the court found in favour of the objectors.

An application had been made on behalf of the company to have the Environmental Court's decision reviewed by the High Court.

After that briefing, Jocelyn said it was a straightforward process complicated only by 'parochialism and 'emotional twiddle twaddle' that could infiltrate the legal argument.

The next morning, she handed Pearl a list of 52 requirements to build a case for the client and to attempt to cover possible contingencies.

"Omigod, we'll need a big team to build this preparation."

"You mean you'll need a big team, as leader. Go to Alice with your proposals. She'll accuse you of involving me with my nit-picking and don't deny it, because she's seen me several times working closely beside you. Just look her straight in the eye and say does she or does she not wish to have Holmes and Partners Law win this case for its client?"

"Omigod, she'll thump me."

"Pearl, are you a mouse or are you a tigress?"

"Um, the latter."

"Good girl, err lady. Tell her you don't want any seniors to help you because you'll have me and we have all the ammunition required. Remember that punchline, we'll have all the ammunition required for the hearing."

"Jocelyn, I really don't think..."

"You can do it babe. This is a career decision; you can do it."

"I can do it," Pearl mumbled, shoulders slouched,

Pearl Kingi, of Holmes and Partners Law, who held barrister qualifications, convinced the High Court to find in favour of her client, Clarkson General Store. The High Court referred the matter back to the Environment Court asking it to reconsider its earlier decision looking at the points of law that had been presented in the High Court that suggested the Environment Court may have had been presented with sometimes questionable or inadequate legal argument and the omission of some fundamental points of law.

New media attending the High Court hearing and probably not expecting to work hard had suddenly sensed a story in the making when it was submitted that evidence presented to the Environment Court suggesting there were only two commercial elevated or so-called sky bridges in the city was misleading. Photographs and details of seven sky bridges in the city were presented to the court. It was also argued there was nothing in either Government legislation or council bylaws prohibiting the erection of sky bridges or any indication in town planning law suggesting they were 'environmentally unacceptable.'

New media reported the argument on behalf of the applicant stated that cities were created by investors, designers and builders whereas civic groups with a specific barrow to push had points of perhaps good taste to push but contributed nothing of substance to the physical development of a city.

Moreover, the Clarkson General Store had contributed to the development and economic growth of the city in its 123 years of existence and submitted that the erection of a sky bridge between its two substantial buildings would substantially reduce traffic congestion in one of the city's busiest secondary streets. It also submitted vertical buildings were allowed and welcomed in cities subject to building codes and so why shouldn't horizontal structures such as sky bridges be allowed and welcomed subject to building codes.

* * *

Pearl returned to the office and entered the Business Law Department, her performance result had preceded her.

Everyone stood and greeted her with vigorous hand-clapping.

Although buoyed by that reception she turned to pull Jocelyn forward to identify her as the principal instigator leading to success, but Jocelyn was nowhere to be seen.

"It was Jocelyn, she was incredible in setting up our assault and leading me into unbelievable confidence in myself."

"So what?" a senior colleague Bill Mason said expansively. "It's what Jocelyn is paid to do, to bring the best out of our people. Haven't you noticed she has no specific duties and is never given any briefs directly or isn't seen representing even one client?"

"Pearl, it was you who fronted for the client in the High Court today and excelled yourself in your inspired presentation irrespective of how well you were coached. At last you have truly found your feet in law. Enjoy the moment."

Pearl and her department head/foster mother, were called to Mrs Holme's office.

"Congratulation for your success today Pearl as it is usual for a lower court to follow the High Court's direction to 'reconsider'.

She handed Pearl an envelope, saying it was a success bonus.

"Mrs Holmes, it wasn't me; the driving force was Jocelyn McDonald."

"Pearl, believe me Joycelyn's reward is greater than money in assisting an apparently struggling colleague to fly. She was left to find work, and for whatever reason she chose to focus on you."

"Let me say this: Jocelyn McDonald has a special gift that few of us will ever have and that is to identify or accept a challenge and run with it to its logical conclusion if that's at all possible and in the process to ferret out supportive evidence. To use the street venular, she's capable of punching hugely above her weight and knows that she'll not always find total success."

"Pearl, what you need to do now is to focus on yourself. Jocelyn has shown you the way and you should not focus on her."

Alice said to her foster daughter, "You have been given quality advice Pearl. You should heed it."

At the end of that day, the department had drinks and Alice proudly congratulated Pearl for her remarkable success that day.

Alice added, "Pearl was hugely assisted by the significant assistance in meticulous planning by Jocelyn for which Pearl is hugely appreciative."

Everyone was applauding when Pearl noticed one of the group was applauding most vigorously, her beautifully and lightly-clad sculptured bosom thrust forward in her enthusiasm.

"Omigod," Pearl breathed, realizing she'd identified the informant.

Next day after her lunch break, Linda White, the support team manager returned to her desk and found a slender package on her desk.

She opened it and gasped, as she was looking at a rather expensive simple silver necklace with a sterling silver and gold flat heart hanging from it. The note read: 'Thank you Linda'.

Holding it up, Linda asked, "Who gave me this beautiful gift?"

No one responded.

"Was it you Pearl?"

"No and why would I," she lied. "You appear happily married and I'm not looking for a lesbian relationship."

Everyone laughed.

"Have you been playing around Linda and now your mystery man has decided to excited you," Kitty called.

Linda put on the necklace and received several complimentary comments.

"I feel a fraud wearing this without knowing who the giver was," she complained.

"Perhaps the donor doesn't want you to know who he or she is," Pearl said, standing at her office door. "I suggest you tell your husband you bought it to draw his attention to your beautiful neck."

"It's not her neck that's his focus but rather the twin beauties," called Caroline and the incident ended in laughter.

Pearl looked across the office and saw Jocelyn in her cubicle staring at her. She waved and returned to her desk. She thought that probably was the end of that because Linda apparently hadn't suspected Jocelyn as being the possible donor. Pearl probably suspected the mystery donor was Jocelyn but because of her initial involvement, Pearl would feel obliged to do nothing about her suspicion.

Jocelyn was thrilled by her success in assisting Pearl to win success in court with that vital referral decision. Total success would not be won until the multi-step legal process was completed or alternatively, abandoned.

She decided to seek more experience in litigation and went to work in the section in the Insurance Department dealing with claims and litigation where she did well, and after three months went to the Taxation Department dealing with claims and litigation,

To her dismay, Jocelyn was handed what was believed to be a straightforward case to defend but found herself up against the Chief Crown Prosecutor. It transpired that the IRD (the Government's Inland Revenue Department) had investigated the client company several times for suspected false claims involving shady deals over pre-used car importations but until this occasion had found insufficient evidence to mount a prosecution.

The defendant company had withheld vital facts from Jocelyn in the preparation of her defence strategy and the company personal were furious at its three-person legal team led by Jocelyn after the company was found guilty on three counts and ordered to pay $538,000 in fines and unpaid and overdue payment of taxes plus court costs.