Light's Out

 

     I was employed at a small law firm for about ten years. At a time my employer suffered a heart attack. It was not serious but it required bed rest for two weeks.   took care of the office and since the employer resided in my neighborhood , I would stop by his house every evening to report that everything was being taken care of. One evening,I raised the question of becoming a partner. He appeared to be receptive and said he would give it consideration.

    Several months passed and there was no mention of my becoming partner. So finally one day in  mid November, I pressed the matter. It became clear, not only would a  partnership not occur, the employer was not even being civil in discussing and rejecting it, and time had come for me to resign. I did so immediately saying I would prepare memorandums on all the cases I currently was handling and would leave at the end of December. It was 4 P.M. and I had my car parked in a local garage. I had a meeting with a client in midtown Manhattan at 5 P.M. and I did not want to have to drive up to there at that hour. I suggested to my employer take my car home and pick me up the next morning. He refused. So off I went, driving to my  appointment  and as I was about to park my car in midtown, suddenly all the street and building lights, went out resulting in total darkness. It turned out it was an entire electricity shut off, a citywide blackout.  The lack of lights turned out not to be be a problem for me,I had a car and was able to drive home. My employer had no car and was stuck in the city the entire night. Such shadenfreude!!!

     The above was minor compared to the result of the partnership rejection. While I knew I would have no problem seeking a job elsewhere, I decided to practice law on my own. It did take  a few years to get started  but it turned out my sole practice professionally and financially

greatly exceeded  that which I would have had as a junior partner aforesaid. 

     I thank my employer for not  taking my car that night  and not making me a junior partner.

Ben Haber