Job description

(EXTRACT FROM “THE FIRM” BY J. GRISHAM)

Ø 1) Before reading the text answer these questions:

a) What’s your job? How long have you been at your job?

b) Do you remember the interview before you were hired?

c) What kind of organization do you work for?

Ø 2) Look through the text and name the paragraphs containing information on or a definition of:

a) why Mitchell Y. McDeere chose Harvard for studying;

b) a dossier on him from ex-CIA agents;

c) his family;

d) his wife;

e) requirements of moral qualities of those the firm hires;

f) his sudden change in the mood and a strong desire to be hired by this firm;

g) the most profitable way to operate;

h) the productive lawyers.

(1) The senior partner studied the resume for the hundredth time and again found nothing he disliked about Mitchell Y. McDeere, at least not on paper. He had the brains, the ambition, the good looks. And he was hun­gry; with his background, he had to be. He was married, and that was mandatory. The firm had never hired an unmarried lawyer, and it frowned heavily on divorce, as well as woman­izing and drinking. Drug testing was in the contract. He had a degree in accounting, passed the CPA exam the first time he took it and wanted to be a tax lawyer, which of course was a requirement with a tax firm. He was white, and the firm had never hired a black. They managed this by being secretive and clubbish and never soliciting job applications. Other firms solicited, and hired blacks. This firm recruited and remained lily white. Plus, the firm was in Memphis, of all places, and the top blacks wanted New York or Washington or Chicago. McDeere was a male, and there were no women in the firm. That mistake had been made in the mid-seventies when they recruited the number one grad from Harvard, who happened to be a she and a wizard at taxation. She lasted four turbulent years and was killed in a car wreck.

(2) He looked good, on paper. He was their top choice. In fact, for this year there were no other prospects. The list was very short. It was McDeere or no one.

(3) The managing partner, Royce McKnight, studied a dossier labeled “Mitchell Y. McDeere - Harvard.” An inch thick with small print and a few photographs, it had been prepared by some ex-CIA agents in a private intelligence outfit in Bethesda. They were clients of the firm and each year did the investigat­ing for no fee. It was easy work, they said, checking out unsus­pecting law students. They learned, for instance, that he pre­ferred to leave the Northeast, that he was holding three job offers, two in New York and one in Chicago, and that the highest offer was $76, 000 and the lowest was $68, 000. He was in demand. He had been given the opportunity to cheat on a securities exam during his second year. He declined, and made the highest grade in the class. Two months ago he had been offered cocaine at a law school party. He said no and left when everyone began snorting. He drank an occasional beer, but drinking was expensive and he had no money. He owed close to $23, 000 in student loans. He was hungry. McDeere was their man.

(4) Precisely at two-thirty someone knocked on the door. Lamar looked at the partners, who slid the resume and dossier into an open briefcase. All three reached for their jackets. Lamar but­toned his top button and opened the door.

“Mitchell McDeere? ” he asked with a huge smile and a hand thrust forward.

“Yes.” They shook hands violently.

“Nice to meet you, Mitchell. I’m Lamar Quin.”

“My pleasure. Please call me Mitch.” He stepped inside and quickly surveyed the spacious room.

“Sure, Mitch.”

(5) Lamar grabbed his shoulder and led him across the suite, where the partners introduced themselves. They were exceedingly warm and cordial. They offered him coffee, then water. They sat around a shiny mahogany confer­ence table and exchanged pleasantries. McDeere unbuttoned his coat and crossed his legs. He was now a seasoned veteran in the search for employment, and he knew they wanted him. He relaxed. With three job offers from three of the most presti­gious firms in the country, he did not need this interview, this firm. He could afford to be a little overconfident now. He was there out of curiosity. And he longed for warmer weather.

(6) Oliver Lambert, the senior partner, leaned forward on his elbows and took control of the preliminary chitchat. He was glib and engaging with a mellow, almost professional baritone. At sixty-one, he was the grandfather of the firm and also handled the recruiting, and it was his mission to sign Mitchell Y. McDeere.

(7) “Are you tired of interviewing? ” asked Oliver Lambert.

“Not really. It’s part of it.”

Yes, yes, they all agreed.

“May I ask a question? “Mitch asked.

“Certainly.”

“Sure.”

“Anything.”

“Why are we interviewing in this hotel room? The other firms interview on campus through the placement office.”

“Good question.” They all nodded and looked at each other and agreed it was a good question.

“Fair enough. What kind of firm is it? ”

“Tax. Some securities, real estate and banking, but eighty percent is tax work. That’s why we wanted to meet you, Mitch. You have an incredibly strong tax background.”

“Why’d you go to Western Kentucky? ” asked Oliver Lam­bert.

“Simple. They offered me a full scholarship to play football. Had it not been for that, college would've been impossible.”

“Tell us about your family.”

“Why is that important? ”

“It’s very important to us, Mitch, ” Royce McKnight said warmly.

(8) They all say that, thought McDeere. “Okay, my father was killed in the coal mines when I was seven years old. My mother remarried and lives in Florida. I had two brothers. Rusty was killed in Vietnam. I have a brother named Ray McDeere.”

(9) “Mitch, our firm is in Memphis, ” Lamar said. “Does that bother you? ”

“Not at all. I'm not fond of cold weather.”

“Have you ever been to Memphis? ”

“No.”

“We’ll have you down soon. You’ll love it.”

(10) Mitch smiled and nodded and played along. Were these guys serious? How could he consider such a small firm in such a small town when Wall Street was waiting?

“How are you ranked in your class? ” Mr..Lambert asked.

“Top five.” Not top five percent, but top five. That was enough of an answer for all of them. Top five out of three hundred.

“Why did you select Harvard? ”

“Actually, Harvard selected me. I applied at several schools and was accepted everywhere. Harvard offered more financial assistance. I thought it was the best school. Still do.”

“You’ve done quite well here, Mitch, ” Mr. Lambert said, admiring the resume. The dossier was in the briefcase, under the table.

“Thank you. I've worked hard.”

“You made extremely high grades in your tax and securities courses.” “That’s where my interest lies.”

“We’ve reviewed your writing sample, and it’s quite impres­sive.”

“Thank you. I enjoy research.”

(11) They nodded and acknowledged this oblivious lie. It was part of the ritual. No law student or lawyer in his right mind en­joyed research, yet, without fail, every prospective associate professed a deep love for the library.

(12) “Tell us about your wife, ” Royce McKnight said, almost meekly. They braced for another reprimand. But it was a stan­dard, no sacred area explored by every firm.

“Her name is Abby. She has a degree in elementary educa­tion from Western Kentucky. We graduated one week and got married the next. For the past three years she’s taught at a private kindergarten near Boston College.”

“And is the marriage -“

“We’re very happy. We’ve known each other since high school.”

(13) “What position did you play? ” asked Lamar, in the direction of less sensitive matters.

“Quarterback. I was heavily recruited until I messed up a knee in my last high school game. Everyone disappeared ex­cept Western Kentucky. I played off and on for four years, even started some as a junior, but the knee would never hold up.”

“How’d you make straight A’s and play football? ”

“I put the books first.”

(14) Oliver Lambert cleared his throat and decided to get per­sonal again. “Mitch, our firm frowns on drinking and chasing women. We’re not a bunch of Holy Rollers, but we put busi­ness ahead of everything. We keep low profiles and we work very hard. And we make plenty of money.”

“I can live with all that.”

“We reserve the right to test any member of the firm for drug use.”

“I don’t use drugs.”

“Good. What’s your religious affiliation? ”

“Methodist.”

“Good. You’ll find a wide variety in our firm. Catholics, Bap­tists, Episcopalians. It’s really none of our business, but we like to know. We want stable families. Happy lawyers are pro­ductive lawyers. That’s why we ask these questions.”

Mitch smiled and nodded. He’d heard this before.

(15) The three looked at each other, then at Mitch. This meant they had reached the point in the interview where the inter­viewee was supposed to ask one or two intelligent questions. Mitch recrossed his legs. Money, that was the big question, particularly how it compared to his other offers. If it isn’t enough, thought Mitch, then it was nice to meet you fellas. If the pay is attractive, then we can discuss families and marriages and football and churches. But, he knew, like all the other firms they had to shadowbox around the issue until things got awkward and it was apparent they had discussed everything in the world but money. So, hit them with a soft question first.

(16) “What type of work will I do initially? ”

They nodded and approved of the question. Lambert and McKnight looked at Lamar. This answer was his.

“We have something similar to a two-year apprenticeship, although we don’t call it that. We’ll send you all over the coun­try to tax seminars. Your education is far from over. You’ll spend two weeks next winter in Washington at the American Tax Institute. We take great pride in our technical expertise, and the training is continual, for all of us. If you want to pursue a master’s in taxation, we’ll pay for it. As far as practic­ing law, it won’t be very exciting for the first two years. You’ll do a lot of research and generally boring stuff. But you’ll be paid handsomely.”

(17) “How much? ”

Lamar looked at Royce McKnight, who eyed Mitch and said, “We’ll discuss the compensation and other benefits when you come to Memphis.”

“I want a ballpark figure or I may not come to Memphis.” He smiled, arrogant but cordial. He spoke like a man with three job offers.

The partners smiled at each other, and Mr. Lambert spoke first. “Okay. A base salary of eighty thousand the first year, plus bonuses. Eighty-five the second year, plus bonuses. A low-interest mortgage so you can buy a home. Two country club memberships. And a new BMW. You pick the color, of course.”

They focused on his lips, and waited for the wrinkles to form on his cheeks and the teeth to break through. He tried to conceal a smile, but it was impossible. He chuckled.

“That’s incredible, ” he mumbled. Eighty thousand in Mem­phis equaled a hundred and twenty thousand in New York. Did the man say BMW! His Mazda hatchback had a million miles on it and for the moment had to be jump-started while he saved for a rebuilt starter.

“Plus a few more fringes we’ll be glad to discuss in Mem­phis.”

Suddenly he had a strong desire to visit Memphis. Wasn’t it by the river?

(18) The smile vanished and he regained his composure. He looked sternly, importantly at Oliver Lambert and said, as if he’d forgotten about the money and the home and the BMW, “Tell me about your firm.”

“Forty-one lawyers. Last year we earned more per lawyer than any firm our size or larger. That includes every big firm in the country. We take only rich clients - corporations, banks and wealthy people who pay our healthy fees and never com­plain. We’ve developed a specialty in international taxation, and it's both exciting and very profitable. We deal only with people who can pay.”

(19) “How long does it take to make partner? ”

“On the average, ten years, and it’s a hard ten years. It’s not unusual for our partners to earn half a million a year, and most retire before they’re fifty. You’ve got to pay your dues, put in eighty-hour weeks, but it’s worth it when you make partner.”

Lamar leaned forward. “You don’t have to be a partner to earn six figures. I’ve been with the firm seven years, and went over a hundred thousand four years ago.”

Mitch thought about this for a second and figured by the time he was thirty he could be well over a hundred thousand, maybe close to two hundred thousand. At the age of thirty!

They watched him carefully and knew exactly what he was calculating.

“How many partners in the firm? ”

“Twenty, active. We try to keep a ratio of one partner for each associate. That’s high for the industry, but we like it. All of our partners are multi-millionaires by the age of forty-five, ” Royce McKnight said.

“All of them? ”

“Yes, sir. We don’t guarantee it, but if you join our firm, put in ten hard years, make partner and put in ten more years, and you’re not a millionaire at the age of forty-five, you’ll be the first in twenty years.”

“That’s an impressive statistic.”

(20) “It’s an impressive firm, Mitch, ” Oliver Lambert said, “and we’re very proud of it. We’re a close knit fraternity. We're small and we take care of each other. We don’t have the cut­throat competition the big firms are famous for. We’re very careful whom we hire, and our goal is for each new associate to become a partner as soon as possible. Toward that end we invest an enormous amount of time and money in ourselves, especially our new people. It is a rare, extremely rare occasion when a lawyer leaves our firm. It is simply unheard of. We go the extra mile to keep careers on track. We want our people happy. We think it is the most profitable way to operate.”

They watched him carefully to make sure all of this sank in. Each term and each condition of the employment was impor­tant, but the permanence, the finality of his acceptance over­shadowed all other items on the checklist. They explained as best they could, for now. Further explanation would come later.

Ø 3) Point out the sentences corresponding to its content:

a) The firm had never hired a black and managed this by being secretive and never soliciting job applications.

b) Mitchell owed close to twenty three thousand dollars in student loans.

c) Mitchell has just returned from the similar interview in one of the most famous law firms in Chicago.

d) All the interviewers were greatly impressed with his resume and especially with the extremely high grades in the tax and securities courses.

e) Mitchell’s wife was also a graduate from Harvard.

f) Mitchell was interested in the kind of work he would do.

g) The firm invested an enormous amount of time and money in themselves.

h) All the partners of the firm become multi-millionaires by the age of thirty five.

Ø 4) Answer the following questions:

a) Who and what were the interviewers?

b) Why did Mitchell feel a little overconfident at the beginning of the interview?

c) What kind of firm was it?

d) How did Mitchell manage to make straight A’s and play football while at Harvard?

e) What is the attitude of the firm to the religious affiliations of the employees?

f) What is the policy of the firm towards continuous education of its employees?

g) How many hours a week do they work?

h) What is the firm’s hiring policy?

i) What was the main idea the interviewers wanted to sink in Mitchell’s mind?