/*
READ THIS SYNOPSIS FIRST!
This is my first mature story. I welcome your comments.
Again, it is loosely based on my experiences with my attorney at the time...
I'm a 27-year-old tech guy in 1999, who left his job to start his own dot com.
Within a few months, the business is taking off with dozens of new customers and $10 million in fresh venture capital.
But now, a disgruntled employee is suing the company for $1M because he wants to sell his illiquid shares.
We join this crisis in progress...
*/
One Bad Apple
The new company was off and running, we had leased new space in tech ally, our core staff was in place, and release 1.0 of our new subscription service had launched. Everything was looking great. Our only issue was that one sour employee had hired his brother, an attorney, and they decided to launch a frivolous lawsuit against the company claiming more than $1 million in damages.
In my office, I was on the phone with my old boss asking him if he knew an attorney experienced with equity disputes, especially in tech startups.
"This is awful Mike," my old boss, Don, said in an apologetic tone. "Employees like that can ruin it for everyone else."
"I'm certain he wouldn't have brought the suit if his brother wasn't willing to do it for free," I complained. "This could cost us a couple hundred grand just to defend this."
"It could," Don replied, "But if you get a tough lawyer, it may force them to settle."
"I've used Jill Taylor over at Warren and Stern," Don advised, "She is an up and comer and smart as a whip."
"Is she experienced?" I asked.
"She's been litigating for almost 20 years," Don explained. "She's very experienced, and she wins cases. I'll call and make an introduction today and see if we can get you in with her yet this week."
I thanked Don for his help and hung up. Later that day, I saw a calendar invite for the following morning with Jill Taylor.
"Is this meeting confirmed?" I asked Sara my admin as I held up my blackberry and walked into her office.
Sarah looked at my phone and then answered, "Yes, I thought it was urgent, so I moved some things around and got you in first thing tomorrow.
"You are awesome!" I said, smiling at Sarah and walking back into my office to finish my work for the day.
Legally Speaking
It was 9 a.m. on a bright June morning as I waited in the lobby at Warren and Stern for Ms. Taylor. It was an impressive setting, on the 22nd floor, in the middle of the city. Large windows opened to the skyline and the light cast shadows on the expansive hard wood floors that are common in upscale law firms and venture capital firms.
I was sitting in a comfortable leather chair reading emails from my phone when I heard the click of high heels approaching. I looked up to see a stunning brunette approaching me with a purposeful walk. She had shoulder length hair, piercing blue eyes, and a friendly smile.