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Chapter 3
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From Pro Bono Client to My First Defendant Chapter 12
At the end of the year, the law firm held its annual gala.I stood on the main stage, delivering a speech as the firm's Partner of the Year. The ballroom erupted into roaring applause, and bouquets lined the stage.Looking down at the starstruck expressions of the young associates in the audience, I decided to share a personal anecdote."There was a time when I thought being a lawyer meant having ideals and helping anyone who needed it," I said. "But experience taught me that kindness without boundaries is nothing but weakness. Your expertise and your time carry real, measurable value."Never allow anyone to diminish your worth, especially those who try to weaponize guilt to manipulate you."The applause turned deafening.Once the dinner wrapped up, my phone buzzed with a notification from the bank. It was a collection processing alert about the final unpaid portion of Zack's legal fees.He hadn't had the money to pay, so I'd filed for a court-ordered asset seizure. The cour
From Pro Bono Client to My First Defendant Chapter 11
Zack and Helena were escorted out of the firm, but they weren't willing to let the matter end there. In fact, they filed a formal complaint against me with the bar association.However, every single step of my process had been perfectly legal and compliant. My ironclad contract was unassailable, and the audio recordings provided irrefutable proof.Thus, the bar association dismissed their complaint without a second thought.Next, they tried to find a firm to help them sue me for fraud, but not a single attorney in the city would touch their case.Word of this toxic couple had already spread like wildfire through the local legal community, and everyone knew exactly how I'd handled them. No one wanted to make an enemy of me over them, much less get dragged into their chaos.More ironically, because of the violent protest at the developer's headquarters, they now carried permanent criminal records.Zack struggled to find another job, while Helena eventually found work at a superma
From Pro Bono Client to My First Defendant Chapter 10
Just as I'd expected, winning the case turned out to be the easy part.Once we filed for the enforcement of the judgment, the court reported that the developer had no assets left to collect against.Its bank accounts had already been frozen, with only a few hundred dollars remaining, while the land had long since been pledged to the bank.And because the unfinished construction was an abandoned eyesore, it was completely unsellable at auction.In short, Zack won the lawsuit, but he wasn't going to get a single penny.To make matters worse, dissolving the purchasing contract meant they legally forfeited all ownership rights to the property. Even though the building was an abandoned shell, it had still been a physical asset they could claim. Now, even that shell was gone.Furthermore, while the judge ordered the developer to issue a full refund, the bankrupt company didn't have the cash to pay them back.On the banking side of things, while the court granted a temporary freeze o
From Pro Bono Client to My First Defendant Chapter 9
Zack and Helena ended up signing the new contract anyway.With nowhere else to turn, they put a lien on his parents' property, scraping together the 50,000 dollars to secure my services.I filed the necessary paperwork, posted their bail, and finally had them released from police custody.The moment he stepped past the gates, Zack looked like he had aged 20 years. Even Helena had lost the energy to argue or make a scene, looking completely defeated."Thank you, William…" Zack said hoarsely.Ignoring his gratitude, I pulled a document from my briefcase and handed it to him. "This is your statement for the month. "Between the consultation fees, field investigation charges, appearance fees, and the criminal defense retainer, plus your outstanding balance from our prior sessions, the total comes out to 83,500 dollars. Deducting the funds you've already advanced leaves a remaining balance of 30,000 dollars."You have three days to settle the balance. If you don't, I'll suspend all l
From Pro Bono Client to My First Defendant Chapter 8
When people got desperate enough, their common sense usually went out the window. To avoid paying those few thousand dollars in court costs, Zack and Helena cooked up a colossally stupid plan.They figured that since I'd already secured the paperwork proving the funds were embezzled, they could bypass the legal system altogether and cause a scene.They thought if they made a big enough stinking mess, the local government would step in, and the developers would cave under pressure.Without giving me a heads-up, Zack and Helena rounded up dozens of desperate homebuyers. Brandishing makeshift protest signs, they swarmed the real estate developer's corporate headquarters.The mob didn't just blockade the front entrance. They trashed the lobby, smashed up the reception desk, and a few people even threw punches at the building security guards.Zack led the charge at the very front, waving the photocopies of the escrow records I'd tracked down for him as he bellowed at the top of his l
From Pro Bono Client to My First Defendant Chapter 7
Three days later, Zack called me. The exact moment the call connected, I hit the timer on my desk."Hey, William. We're down at our local housing authority right now. "The staff here are totally giving us the runaround. They claim the escrow account history is proprietary business information and won't let us see it! Can you hop on the phone and talk some sense into them?"I kept my tone perfectly even as I said, "This counts as a phone consultation. Per our agreement, phone consultations are billed in half-hour increments. That comes to 2,500 dollars. Are you sure you want me to speak with them right now?"A sharp gasp echoed through the receiver, followed almost immediately by Helena's shriek."2,500 dollars? Just for a phone call? Hang up! Hang up right now!"The line went dead.I smiled and added another item to their bill. "Phone consultation: 2,500 dollars."That same day, my phone rang again. This time, Zack sounded like he was on the verge of tears."Mr. Harvey, we're
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