Free Big Law by Lindsay Cameron

assumed the background material would be in the documents he provided.
    I called Anna, hoping that she’d inadvertently missed a few documents. I really, really didn’t want to go back to Saul with questions if there was any way I could track down the information myself. That would be like handing him a loaded gun and helping him pointit at my own head. Anna confirmed she’d given me everything she had and I hung up the phone, knowing I’d hit a dead end. “Shit, I’m screwed! Day one of working with Saul and I’m already screwed,” I exclaimed aloud, burying my face in my hands.
    Sadir leapt up from his seat. “He’s thrown something at you or threatened to fire you ALREADY?” he asked excitedly.
    “No,” I responded softly, feeling a bit embarrassed about my theatrics. Saul hadn’t done anything to me yet. “He just … he’s put me on this deal which I have no time for and he hasn’t given me enough information to do what he wants. And by not enough information, I mean he’s given me like, NO information.” I dejectedly flipped through the documents again.
    “So … ask the senior associate on the deal for more information,” Sadir replied, sitting back down, clearly disappointed that I didn’t have a Saul torture story for his collection.
    “That’s the worst paaaart,” I whined. “There isn’t another associate—it’s just me!”
    “Oh, man, you’ve got no buffer? You really ARE screwed. There’s no way to avoid failure in that situation.”
    I slumped back in my chair, sulking. What did I do to deserve this? I wondered, filling with self-pity. It had to be karma. I must have been a terrible person in a previous life. Maybe Attila the Hun. Why else would I deserve my present fate?
    “I’m going to go grab a sandwich.” Sadir stood up and grabbed his coat off the back of his chair. “There’s no use sulking about your situation, Mackenzie. It just … it is what it is.” He shrugged.
    It is what it is. I had grown to hate that expression. That, and “it’s the nature of the beast.” Leave it to the legal profession to overuse two expressions which essentially amount to saying “you have no control over your life, so don’t try and do anything about it, just suck it up and take it.”
    I’m building this up too much in my head , I thought as I typed out the email to Saul. I’ve dealt with difficult partners before.
    I reviewed my email three times, proofing it for errors and ensuring I’d asked everything I needed to know in the most succinct waypossible. Finally I hit send. Staring at my inbox, I exhaled a long breath. The only thing left to do was wait for a response.

    Ten minutes later I heard someone thundering down the hallway. Is there some kind of emergency? I wondered, as I stood up to see what was going on. Then there he was. Saul. He gripped both sides of the door frame, his eyes blazing, breathing heavily.
    Partners never visited associates’ offices. I stared at him, stunned.
    “What the hell do you think you’re doing? This deal is under a STRICT Chinese Wall. A fucking CHINESE WALL.” Spit was flying from his mouth. “You put the name of the target company in the email, you stupid shit.”
    I stood at my desk, in shock, the burn of mortification creeping up my neck. I swallowed hard. “I … ummm … you….” I sputtered as I reached down, fumbling to gather the documents his secretary had provided me.
    He lurched forward a few steps, pointing his finger at me. “Are you an idiot? Are you an idiot? Are you a God-damned fucking IDIOT?” His voice rose higher with each repeated question until he was shrieking. “A Chinese Wall means you NEVER refer to the buyer or seller by anything other than their fucking codenames. I should FIRE you right here.” He waved his hands wildly. “And what the fuck would possess you to send ME that email instead of asking Sarah your questions,” he said through clenched teeth. “I’m running six MULTIBILLION dollar