Free The Justice Game by Randy Singer

a big case than 90 percent of the litigation partners at the largest law firms in this city.” He chewed a little more on his cigar. “You’ve got a knack, Jason. And I want to help you land at the right place.”
        Sherwood paused, as if he was spontaneously thinking this up. But Jason knew better. “You’re licensed in Virginia, right?”
        “Yes, sir.”
        “And don’t call me ‘sir.’ We went over this before.”
        “Right.”
        “I’ve got some friends at a few of the larger D.C. firms. Starting salaries are about one-fifty.” Sherwood went to his desk and grabbed two manila folders and plunked them on the table in front of Jason. “I’ve already made a few calls if you’re interested.”
        Jason looked at the names on the folders—two prestigious K Street firms. Not bad for a guy who graduated from the University of Georgia Law School.
        “I appreciate it,” Jason said. He pulled the folders toward him and stacked them neatly together. “But I’ve actually thought about starting my own practice. Criminal defense. Plaintiff’s contingency fee work. I’m not sure I’d be happy working at a big firm where I’d spend my first five years in the library.”
        Sherwood chewed on his cigar, studying Jason as if he were some kind of lab experiment.
        “I’m a courtroom lawyer, Mr. Sherwood, not a desk jockey.”
        “It’s Robert. And I knew that.” He grinned. He walked to his phone and hit the speaker button, summoning Olivia into his office. “Can you get Jason the contact information for Dr. Rivers?” he asked. “And bring me the Jacobsen and Bakke files.”
        He turned back to Jason after Olivia left. “Dr. Rivers just retired as the chief toxicologist for the Commonwealth of Virginia. She’s setting up a consulting firm in Richmond, Virginia, to work the defense side of the aisle. She knows all the skeletons in the closets, Jason, all the places the bodies are buried, so to speak. But she’s just an expert. She needs to team up with a really good trial lawyer.”
         Richmond, Jason thought. Far enough from Atlanta to escape the past. Big enough to make a name for himself.
        “I’ve already talked to Rivers about you,” Sherwood said. “She’s working two major criminal cases right now that will hinge on hair testing evidence. Maybe you move to Richmond. Maybe you and Rivers become the go-to team for cases involving hair evidence.”
        It sounded good to Jason, almost too good. But things were moving pretty fast. From New York to Richmond. From mock trials at Justice Inc. to real cases with lives on the line. Was he really ready to try a major criminal case just two years out of law school?
         Of course you are, he said to himself. He had watched a lot of mediocre lawyers on the actual cases that Justice Inc. had been tracking. They were afraid to take risks. How could he do any worse? After all, he’d just been fired for being too good.
        Sherwood gave Jason that look that said he knew exactly what Jason was thinking. “Make sure you get sizable retainers up front,” Sherwood advised. “That’s the first and most important rule for criminal defense attorneys.”
        His own practice. Two new clients. A top expert witness as a partner.
        Jason cast a disdainful look at the blue chair. “Maybe I will have a cigar,” he said.

10
    Jason spent nearly an hour in Sherwood’s office, by far the longest amount of time he had ever spent with the CEO of Justice Inc. He learned that Sherwood had served nearly ten years as managing partner of a large New York law firm, and Jason soaked in law management tips, at one point even asking to borrow a legal pad and pen so he could get it all down. The conference ended only after Olivia interrupted again, reminding Sherwood of his next appointment.
        “Okay,” Sherwood said, “we’re wrapping it