This story is a work of fiction. Any similarities to any real person or organization are unintended and entirely coincidental. There is no sex in this story. My aspiration is to set the stage for later installments that will be more exciting.
*****
I had started my job as an associate at a large law firm in town in 2003. Although I had gotten outstanding reviews and raises each year, I had not built a very substantial book of my own business. The financial crisis started in 2008. As corporate America felt the crunch, and some companies disappeared entirely, revenues at all large firms took what the senior partners considered to be a hit. Law firms started cutting costs. "Costs," of course, did not include the senior partners' take-home. Consequently, cuts had to be made elsewhere and those of us employees who could be let go without any significant loss of clients were let go.
With a sudden glut of relatively young lawyers all looking for work at once, jobs were scarce. I decided to have a go at running my own practice. I figured that my high-end experience coupled with the lower fees I could charge due to my low overhead would make me an attractive option. It didn't quite work out that way and there were more than a few months when I was behind on the rent or my mortgage payment.
Back when I was still making money, I had bought a small house in a middle income suburb. I had put a lot of free weight equipment in the basement. That equipment came in very handy when I could no longer afford my membership in a downtown gym. Since I had a lot of free time to lift and run, I was in the best shape I'd been in since I wrestled in college.
Another thing that I did with my overabundant free time was volunteer. My thinking was that I would meet new people and some of them would become paying clients if I impressed them with my volunteer work. That was how I meet Vivian Starnes.
Vivian Starnes was a local girl. She had gotten an accounting and finance degree from our flagship state university and then an MBA from Wharton. She had gone to work for a venture capital firm. Through that firm, she met and married a tech entrepreneur. Together, they built a wildly successful business. The marriage ended when Vivian learned that her husband liked to get to know their new hires, boys and girls, very intimately. Having helped start the business, Vivian was able to force her ex to buy her out for many millions as part of their divorce.
Vivian moved back to the Midwest with a good understanding of how to start and grow a business, a good understanding of tech, millions of dollars, and a burning desire to prove that she could build a very successful company on her own. She started a company that made software that did a number of things most people didn't notice. For example, she developed software and a sensor system that cities could install on their parking meters that would sense when parking spaces in a given area were all occupied and immediately adjust the parking rates to account for the scarcity of spaces. Her products sold well and most generated additional revenues through post-sale support and upgrades.
Vivian was 50 when I met her, but looked no older than 30. Her deep red hair surrounded an unlined face with piercing eyes and a sensuous mouth. She worked hard to stay in shape and had a very nice figure and long, sexy legs. As circumstances required, Vivian could be a demure society lady or curse like a trucker. Vivian also liked to be perceived as "out there" and unpredictable.
I had volunteered to do legal work for an ad hoc community group that was trying to block blasting at a quarry that was close to both a sensitive wetland and some recently built very high-end houses. One of the houses was Vivian's and she funded the opposition to the blasting. It took 18 months of litigation, but I finally obtained a permanent injunction against blasting at the site. Vivian was effusive in her praise for my efforts, which led me to hope that she might throw some paid work my way. Consequently, I was pleased, but not surprised, when Vivian invited me to a meeting at her office about a month after the blasting litigation concluded.
Vivian's company, Freya Technologies, LLC, had its own one storey building in the middle of what seemed like a private park about six miles from where I lived. You turned off of the street and followed a drive about a quarter of a mile. The building was set among the trees. To the right as I approached the front of the building was a decent-sized pond and a picnic shelter. From the outside, it seemed serene. Inside, you could immediately sense a buzz of activity. I followed a young lady to the administrative suite, which was dominated by Vivian's office in the northeast corner of the building. Vivian stood and shook my hand as I entered her office. Her dark green suit set off her copper hair well. At first glance, the suit seemed entirely appropriate for our city's most successful female entrepreneur. However, a second glance disclosed that the skirt was quite short and Vivian's blouse was open far enough to show cleavage. I wasn't offended. Vivian is a powerfully attractive woman.
After the initial pleasantries, Vivian asked, "Harry, how much do you know about intellectual property?"
"I handled a few cases, mainly copyright matters, when I was at Turkle, Strong & Hall," I answered.
"Good," Vivian said. "Freya has a lot of legal work. We often have to protect our rights in our software or some competitor whom we've aced out of a contract claims we've copied something proprietary of theirs. We have issues with vendors and customers. We sell a lot to government entities so we have government contracting issues. We have 125 employees so we have employment issues. Since I started the company, we've sent all of that work to outside counsel; but, the last couple of years, we've seen our legal expenses more than double. That's mainly because the firms we use have many fewer younger lawyers now so our work goes to older lawyers with higher hourly rates."
"A lot of firms jettisoned a lot of younger lawyers," I commented.
Vivian's conversational tone took on a hard edge. "Well, I'm tired of it," she said. "I own 90% of this company. It has done very well. I want that money to stay with me and the other people who have built this company, not to be siphoned off by leaches in expensive suits. Lawyers are a cost, not an addition to our bottom line."
"There are a number of lawyers out there now working in small, low overhead offices who have sophisticated experience," I said. "I'm sure that my hourly rate is only a fraction of what you are used to."
"I'd rather not send it out at all," Vivian said. "I want to be able to ask questions and get advice without knowing that the meter is always running. I also want someone whose interests are completely aligned with Freya's and mine." Vivian stood and came out from behind her massive desk. "Stand up Harry," she commanded. I stood. Vivian looked at me for a moment. "You stay in shape," she said.
