As soon as the judge left the Courtroom, Boaz departed in the company of Omri and his attractive fiancée. Hannah left in a hurry, mumbling she had to report to Ruth Schwartz. Fearing David Mizrachi’s eatery would be crowded, I crossed the road to a nearby sandwiches and coffee bar. Munching away, I started to soliloquise about the events of the morning and about the legal fraternity.
My years with Jacob Keren’s firm convinced me that law and drama coincided mainly in films and in poorly written books. Undoubtedly, every trial had had its tense and often unpredictable moment. But I had never seen a witness crumbling in the box and coming up with a tearful confession. Most trials were less momentous than the Omri Tal case. Victory was secured by careful preparation, sound tactics and skilful arguments. On many occasions the final result was dictated by sheer luck.
Lawyers, too, were not the Olympian heroes portrayed by writers of fiction. By and large, lawyers fell into three groups. Just a handful were super stars. The bulk of the profession was comprised of practitioners reasonably competent in their chosen fields. The rest – fortunately a minority – slogged on notwithstanding their incompetence. Abraham Kadmon, who had had great expectations in his early days, was a case in point. Somehow, he managed to hang on despite the steadily increasing number of his failures in court. Generally, though, useless advocates like him were weeded out by the market when their disappointed clients turned elsewhere.
A competent lawyer did not have to possess outstanding skills. His tools of trade were good memory cum concentration and the ability to assimilate facts and to comprehend and recall the contents of documents. Obviously, the craft of establishing rapport with court and with witnesses, the gift of repartee and the ability to think quickly on ones feet were valuable assets. By and large, though, these could be acquired in the course of practice. Colleagues, who had appeared hopeless in their first few cases, often became capable technicians as time passed by.
Few of them, though, could rise any higher. Having observed most of the super stars of the older generation, I had come to realise that they were set apart from their fellow practitioners by qualities that could not be acquired by mere training or dedication. These comprised a robust constitution that enabled each of them to carry on when lesser mortals had long exhausted themselves, an uncanny ability to assess a situation effortlessly, an ability to analyse legal points and a vivid imagination. In addition, each of them had a special gift which was best described as his individual forté.
During his years at the Bar, Ehood Morag had been admired for his unparalleled handling of subtle legal points. His sharp tongue, too, was a fine asset. Other lawyers feared its lashes. From amongst the current virtuosos, Jacob Keren excelled in tactical skills and meticulous planning. These enabled him to avoid traps and to place smart obstacles to hamper his opponents. Boaz Tamir’s boss, Israel Silver, could not match Jacob Keren on those fronts. But his masterful delivery and his presence of mind were often just as effective. I had seen him shrugging off bombshells which would have demolished any other lawyer. Silver used to come up with a convincing counter reply or move.
I knew, that like most of my contemporaries, I was unlikely to become a courtroom star. My poor timing and tendency to get lost in my thoughts compounded my inadequate manoeuvring ability when on my feet. In time, I should develop into a competent lawyer; that, though, was my limit. Hannah, too, was not going to rise above the ranks. Her performance in the Omri Tal case underscored her faults. Boaz Tamir, in contrast, was a young man of promise. His masterly delivery, excellent rapport with the judge and his fine tactical skills should in due course compensate for his somewhat inadequate analytical ability and occasional lapses. With the help of reliable supporting staff he might, in due course, reach the same standard as his current employer.
Wiping my lips after I had drained my cup of coffee, my thoughts turned to the new leader of my team: Rachel Zeitlin. Instantly, my face brightened: in recent months she had become the centre of my life. I had been captivated by her trim figure, lush hair, self-assured manner and gift of repartee; and I was proud of our fine professional record. Out of the six cases we had handled since Jacob Keren pronounced us a team, we won five, including three Keren had described as hopeless. And we had settled the remaining one on favourable terms.
We had celebrated our latest victory in a fashionable restaurant in Jaffa. Rachel insisted on settling the bill, left a generous tip and, with a twinkle in her eye, observed it was high time she made a man out of me. She then drove us over to her comfortable flat on Nordau Boulevard.
“A penny for your thoughts,” Boaz’ resonant voice interrupted my daydreaming.
“I was reflecting on an old question, Boaz”, I answered readily. “What does it take to become a star lawyer?”
“Luck, competence and above all perseverance.”
“Luck and competence are essential; but is perseverance that important?”
“It’s crucial, without it you sink.”
“How about Hannah?”
“She perseveres. But look at her performance this morning: she lacks judgment.”
“And Rachel Zeitlin?” I asked, trying to sound casual.
“I thought you were thinking of her,” grinned Boaz. “Your expression when you sat there all on your own told its tale. And, to your, question, Rachel will make it with you by her side; not on her own.”
“Why?” I protested, blushing scarlet. “She is always in the lead!”
“But without your pushing, she’d take things easy. Rachel likes her comforts. And, Eli, she’s not really good when it comes to legal points.”
“Perhaps; but her delivery is brilliant, and she is not easily rattled.”
“Quite,” agreed Boaz. “But she needs somebody to spur her on and be around when needed; and you love to work with her.”
“How about yourself, Boaz; do you think you’ll make it to the top league?” I thought it best to change the subject. “I’m confident you can get there; but sometimes I’m not sure if that’s what you want.”
“Spot on,” smiled Boaz. “And look here, Eli, how much respect and admiration do you feel for our super stars?”
“They are great lawyers!”
“But do you enjoy their company? Do you regard any one of them as a model member of our society?”
“Perhaps not; but nobody’s perfect.”
“True. But what’s the point in slogging it out for years, rising at 4 0’clock in the morning to get ready for your next appearance at 9.00 a.m. only to drop onto your bed, flat out, as soon as you get back home late at night? Is this the sort of life you aspire to?”
“I won’t make it in any event. I’m not robust and my timing is poor. But you can make it.”
“I made a few booboos today. I don’t know how I let that blasted Omri pull the wool over my eyes on the working method. I made a fool of myself!”
“But you won’t make that mistake again. And it’s not as if today’s luminaries were good right from day one.”
“True. Silver, you may be interested to know, likes to amuse us with stories of gaffs he made in his early cases.”
“So, you see! And today your performance on the loss of enjoyment of life issue compensated. Actually, how did you work out that bit about the Petidin?”
“I had a spot of luck there,” conceded Boaz. “Baruch Shoham’s bad back is common knowledge and I’ve spotted the pill bottles on his desk. I put two and two together.”
“And the Dr Levi business? Did you send Omri to him?”
“Off the record and between friends?”
“Sure!”
“Well, I met Levi in the army. He handled the case of a trooper of mine who busted his knee in training. Levi’s a fine doctor and knows how to relate to difficult patients. And like all GPs with an interest in psychiatry he’s a good man when you need some … unorthodox arrow to your bow!”
“Brilliant!”
“But, still off the record, you suspected something was wrong?”
“Still talking in confidence – so did Jacob Keren!”
“But Hannah Hod refused to listen. She had to lead with her chin to prove she was Miss Know All. That – in a nutshell – is why she’ll never make it! But enough of that. We’ve got to talk about the case. Have you given any further thought to a settlement?”
“You better have a word with Hannah. I’m sure she’s discussed the matter with Ruth Schwartz during the break!”