My seat was to the left of Mr. Appleby with Zach Mays across the table from me. To my left was Barry Conrad, the lawyer I'd met when I first visited the firm. I started to ask him about his golf game, but he immediately began talking to the lawyer on his left. I heard the sound of a glass being tapped with a spoon and turned in my chair. It was Mr. Carpenter.
'Welcome to the firm luncheon in honor of our summer law clerks, Vince Colbert, Julie Feldman, and Tami Taylor. Before we begin the meal, I'd like each of them to tell us why they decided to spend the summer at our firm and an interesting or unusual fact about themselves. Tami, please go first.'
I'd not known an introductory speech was part of the program. Going first made it worse. My stomach suddenly felt queasy and my mouth went dry. I took a quick sip of water and stood up. Everyone was looking at me. I licked my lips. Julie, who was sitting beside Mr. Carpenter, gave the same eye roll she'd delivered in the car.
'It's an honor working here this summer,' I began. 'I'm here because Mr. Carpenter sent me a letter offering me a job.'
There was a smattering of laughter.
'And after praying about it and discussing the job with my parents, I decided to accept it.'
The smiles were replaced by a few puzzled expressions.
'I look forward to working with as many of you as possible. I want to learn, and I'm willing to work hard.' I paused and glanced at Zach. 'There are many unusual facts about my life, but one that I share with Zach Mays is a homeschool education. Thank you.'
I sat down. No one clapped or said anything. Vince was next. He was from Charleston and mentioned his family's longtime personal connection to Mr. Appleby as the reason for his interest in working for the firm. As an interesting fact, he described his Eagle Scout service project, in which he created a training program to teach and implement household safety in lower-income areas and a database of needy families to receive help. The program was adopted in Charleston County as part of a United Way initiative. There was polite applause when he finished.
Julie stood up. 'I'm here because Savannah has always been my favorite city on the coast.' She hesitated and then spoke with feeling. 'I wouldn't trade two Charlestons and three Wilmingtons for one Savannah.'
Several lawyers pounded the table in agreement.
'I'm as excited about being here as I was spending two months last summer sailing across the Caribbean with my father. We visited over a dozen ports including the Caymans and the Virgin Islands. I didn't think about law for eight weeks and spent most of my time working on my tan.'
'You can come on my boat!' one of the younger lawyers called out.
'Mine's newer and bigger!' another lawyer countered.
'And you're married,' Mr. Carpenter said, pointing to the second lawyer. 'Thank you, clerks. Enjoy lunch.'
I looked across the table at Zach. He avoided my eyes.
'What's this about a homeschool?' Mr. Appleby asked the young associate. 'You never mentioned that before.'
'Who taught it? Your mother?' Conrad added.
Zach looked at Conrad with a steely expression. 'Yes. All the way through high school. She was an excellent teacher.'
Having caused this problem, I wasn't going to abandon Zach and sit on the sidelines.
'The tutorial system was the preferred method for educating European royalty for hundreds of years,' I said. 'And several modern studies have proven it works well today, even if the parents aren't college educated.'
Mr. Appleby spoke. 'My brother and I had a private tutor when our family lived in Nigeria. My mother taught grammar and literature; the tutor handled math and science. I've always thought those were the best years of my education. I was way ahead of my peers when we moved back to Baltimore.'
I saw Conrad turn in his chair and begin talking to the person next to him.
'Tell me more about your educational background,' Mr. Appleby said to me.
I started to give a two-sentence answer, then remembered Zach's advice about taking the opportunity to talk when asked a question by one of the partners.
'I'd be glad to.'
It was an easy subject. I'd defended homeschooling against all comers for years. Mr. Appleby asked several insightful questions, and I talked steadily through the salad course up to arrival of our entree, a seafood dish as rich as anything I'd ever eaten. Once, I looked at Zach and silently offered to pass the ball to him, but he gave a slight shake of his head. This was my chance to impress Mr. Appleby. So, I continued talking.
'And do you believe this type of education makes you a better law student?' Mr. Appleby asked.
'Yes sir. I didn't wait until law school to learn how to analyze an issue and evaluate possible solutions.'
Mr. Appleby turned his attention to Zach, and they began to discuss a case involving a Norwegian shipping company. I couldn't follow the unfamiliar admiralty terms. Learning the law of Georgia was challenging enough; the prospect of applying U.S., Norwegian, and international law to a legal problem was overwhelming. As a waiter took away our plates, Mr. Appleby looked at his watch.
'It will be too late to call Oslo when we get back to the office,' he said. 'Send Bergen an e-mail outlining our position so he can read it in the morning. If he wants to continue to do business with our client in the port of Savannah, there will have to be concessions on the container surcharge and agreement on the arbitration language.'
Dessert was a custard dish that dissolved on my tongue and sent shivers down my spine. I wanted to ask for the recipe so I could make it for my family, but I didn't want to draw attention to myself. Julie didn't seem to have that problem. I could hear her laughing loudly at the other end of the table.
Mr. Carpenter stood and tapped his glass again. The room became quiet.
'I hope you've enjoyed this luncheon. Every time we do this, it makes me wish we spent more time together as a firm.'
I heard Conrad clear his throat. Mr. Carpenter continued.
'We don't have any prizes to give away, but there is a drawing of sorts for our summer clerks.'
I sat up straighter.
'Judge Cannon has agreed to allow our summer clerks to handle minor misdemeanor cases under appropriate supervision. These are pro bono matters. The clerks won't be providing as important a contribution to the community as Vince did with his Eagle Scout project, but every citizen of the land deserves legal representation. Ms. Taylor picked up an order authorizing this work at the courthouse this morning. The judge is authorizing the firm to delegate the cases; however, I think it would be appropriate for the clerks to have a hand in the selection process.'
He paused. I suspected his last comment was meant to be a play on words, but no one laughed. He held up three folders.
'Each of these folders contains a brief description of a case and an order from Judge Cannon specially authorizing you to make an appearance on behalf of the defendant.'
One of the younger lawyers called out, 'When I was a summer clerk I had to represent a man caught playing video poker!'
Mr. Carpenter spoke. 'And as I recall you gambled with his future, and he spent ninety days in jail.'
'Bob lost a hundred dollars playing the machines while investigating that case,' another lawyer said.
'If our clerks will step forward,' Mr. Carpenter said, 'I'll let them choose their fate.'
Julie stood beside Mr. Carpenter. Vince and I joined her. Mr. Carpenter held out the three folders.
'Ms. Feldman,' he said.
Julie chose the one in the middle and opened it.
'State v. Ferguson,' she said. 'I think he's charged with impersonating a public official-a water-meter reader.'
'Say that fast three times in front of the judge,' one of the lawyers said.
'Why would someone do that?' Julie asked Mr. Carpenter.
'Allegedly,' Mr. Carpenter corrected. 'Meet with your client and investigate the facts; then we'll talk about a theory of the case.' The sen for partner pointed to the lawyer named Ned. 'Mr. Danforth, I want you to supervise Ms. Feldman's efforts on behalf of the defendant.'
'Can we do it on my boat?' the lawyer asked.
