Leaving our briefcases in the “robing room”, Boaz and I walked to Nahalat Benjamin Street. Ignoring Boaz’s covetous glance in the direction of David Mizrachi’s Eatery, I steered a course to the old fashioned restaurant which served home cooked Jewish dishes. Boaz sighed as he perused the bill of fares but cheered up when the salt beef, boiled chicken, mashed potatoes and a mixed salad were placed in front of us.
“Today it’s on me, Eli” he said.
For a while both of us concentrated on the excellent food. Initially, the peace and quiet surrounding us was comforting but, eventually, I found the silence depressing.
“Boaz: what’s the matter. It’s not like you to sit here and brood! Have I offended you somehow?”
“Of course not, Eli. Don’t be silly. The little games we play when we practise law are contests of skill. But there are certain matters on my mind.”
“I hope nothing is wrong …” I started and stopped dead in my tracks, apprehensive of asking a tactless question.
“No, Eli, nothing’s wrong at home,” Boaz hurried to assure me. “Now that things are back to normal, Miri is again her good happy self. And – let me tell you – a few days ago Ruthi got a distinction in school for her essay!”
“So maybe one day she’ll outshine Dad!” I grinned.
“Let’s hope she picks on something better than our bloody profession,” answered Boaz, then hastily covered his mouth with his palm.
“So, something’s wrong at work. Care to tell me?”
For a moment Boaz hesitated. “You see, Eli, some two weeks ago, just before I was back at work, they had their quarterly partners’ meeting. Well, they constituted me a salaried partner!”
“Congratulations. That’s excellent news. So what on earth is wrong?”
“They elected Leah Sapir and that fellow Dror Ergass full equity partners! I keep telling myself both have been with the firm longer than me. But I still can’t understand why they were jumped from associates to full partners in one go!”
“It is unfair. Both are average. Dror is also bone lazy! And Leah is useless; in her two years with Keren, she was nicknamed ‘the mother of all lost cases’!”
“Well, neither of them has changed for the better over the years.” Boaz, broke our eye contact and fixed his dejected glance on the plate in front of him. I, in turn, looked at him with understanding.
Boaz’ chagrin and my sympathy might have puzzled an outsider. Indeed, to anybody except a fellow lawyer, Boaz’ new designation would have sounded grand. In reality, though, a ‘salaried partner’ was nothing but a well paid associate. He had no say in the running of the firm, was not entitled to a share in its profits and, unlike an ‘equity partner’, remained an employee. In a ‘Sole Proprietorship’, such as ‘J. Keren & Associates’, such an appointee was known as a ‘Senior Associate’. His pay was higher than a mere associate’s. But the ‘Sole Proprietor’ remained the one and only boss!
“Surely, Boaz, you’ll be made an equity partner next year! Still, I don’t understand how Israel Silver could do this to you!”
“He didn’t, Eli. You must remember that, unlike Jacob Keren, Silver is just the Senior or Managing Partner. The younger partners have the power to outvote him. This time they did! They argued it would be safer to consider my case after I’d recovered. Silver had to give way but wrung out the Salaried Partnership and an undertaking that I would be reviewed again next year!”
“Well, at least he fought for you. And I hope he got you a good salary.”
“He did, rather. I’ll get as much as Dror and Leah. And the firm will also pay me a percentage of my billings. If I pull my weight my ‘take home package’ will be fine. But there’ll still be the thorn in the flesh: I can’t bear to think these two have been advanced before me.”
“They’ve been with the firm much longer than you. It’s not as if they had stolen a march. And perhaps it was their last chance.”
“That what I keep telling myself. But Dror and Leah trot home by 5.00 p.m. and I stay behind till 9.00 or even 10.30 p.m. I’ve worked my guts out for the firm: and just because I’ve crossed swords with some of these bastards, they do a dirty on me when I’m ill in bed!”
“You mustn’t let this get you down. If it does, they’ll have the last laugh!”
“I know. Thanks, Eli.”
Soon the waitress cleared the table and brought us two cups of steaming, strongly brewed and aromatic coffee. Seeing that Boaz remained lost in his thoughts, I prompted: “Is there anything else you wanted to tell me?”
“As a matter of fact, there is. When this Omri Tal case is over, I want to have a chat with you. If there is any unexpected development at work, please take it easy. I have a plan you might find interesting!”