Microstory 418: Floor 25 (Part 1)

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I hated school. I was very good at it, but I just never liked how it was set up. I’m expected to learn how to solve for x, and then prove it on a test. That’s so boring. I don’t want to know things that I can just memorize. Anything like that can be discovered ad hoc with a simple Google query. What I love are the deep, thoughtful research questions. I like poring through tons of text, looking for that little bit of information I need to totally kick ass on whatever I’m trying to accomplish. It’s hard to explain that sense of reward and satisfaction I experience when I’ve figured something out that no one else was smart enough to see. That look on their faces when they realize I’ve beaten them...well, I don’t ever actually see that, but I can imagine it. Somebody does all the talking, and convinces things to people; some of which isn’t true. It’s my job to provide my colleagues with the necessary ammunition to get that accomplished, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Sure, it might be nice to receive some recognition for my work, but I knew what I would be missing out on when I decided to pursue the research side of the law. I would enjoy sitting at a deposition once in awhile and dropping some knowledge our opponent wasn’t expecting. No matter, it’s not like that happens a lot. Most of what I do is making sure the company follows the law the entire time so that things don’t ever come to a head in the first place. It’s rare for us to have to deal with opposing lawyers, because I’m usually too good for that to happen. Unfortunately, I’m not a miracle worker. I can give my legal advice, but it’s up to the people who run the company to actually act on that advice appropriately. I don’t consider it my fault that people died from Analion’s defective products. I didn’t personally know about them, nor do I have the expertise to have understood that anyway. It was their fault for not listening to me when I tried to change our procedures to accommodate otherwise unforeseen circumstances. Now things are tough, though. I have to come up with an argument that prevents Analion from going under from this terrible scandal. I’m going to stop and play a few rounds of chess. That usually gets my brain working. I need to be free from distraction.