Legally Addicted by Lena Dowling Page A

imaginary mosquito against his head.
    What an idiot.
    Georgia was withdrawn now, slumped back into her chair, speaking only when spoken to, but not actively taking part in the discussions.
    He should have made it clear that it was always his intention the cigars and scotch session would include her. It was meant as a convenient way to break off from Dayton and Llewellyn’s gossipy wives, though it was a damn shame they had to endure the outdoors, even on an unseasonably balmy autumn night, complete with biting insects, to make their escape complete.
    He passed Georgia the insect repellent, and she sprayed it on absently.
    He tried to concentrate as Dayton and Llewellyn gave a summary of the financial position of the practice, going into unnecessary detail about the partnership’s overheads, liabilities and the current state of cash flow, but his attention kept straying back to Georgia.
    She looked stunning. Her black dress, tied up around her neck, set off her delicate shoulders, the dim outside lighting bounced off her honey coloured hair and her eyes simmered deep in thought.
    He wished Dayton and Llewellyn would push off to bed, but they were still only halfway through the agenda and both ageing men seemed to have plenty of life left in them yet.
    ‘Now, starting with the priorities for the family law team,’ John said, introducing the first item of any weight on the agenda. ‘Roger and I have talked, and we both feel that Bradley joining the practice is good timing. We would like to see a repositioning of our emphasis to target the high-value and celebrity markets, and progressively divest ourselves of our lower value clients.’
    Georgia, who had been leaning back in her chair, sat upright, gripping the tabletop until her knuckles gleamed white.
    ‘Since when has the quality of legal advice provided by our firm been governed by the depth of the client’s pockets? I’m not going to turn people away just because they can’t produce a postcode for the Eastern Suburbs.’
    John Dayton’s grey moustache twitched.
    ‘No-one’s suggesting anything unethical like turning people away on the basis of ability to pay, Georgia, but if our client list is already full with more complex matters, then it will be legitimate for us to take a pass on the low value work. You, of all people, should see the benefit in that.’
    Brad winced. Dayton’s reminder to Georgia of her unequal standing as a non-equity partner within the firm wasn’t a great idea, coming so soon after her self-induced humiliation at the dinner table.
    ‘Low value work or lower value human beings?’ Georgia’s retort came swift and fierce, as Brad had expected.
    ‘Before we get too far on with this, gentlemen,’ Brad said, wading in, hoping to calm the waters before Georgia got any more upset, ‘Can I say that to a certain extent I agree with Georgia, although for different reasons. Low value can equal high volume work, which leads to technical skill and experience.’ Georgia took a sharp breath and opened her mouth to speak, but he gave her no leeway to interject, anticipating what, in her already piqued state, her likely objection would be. ‘Not that I’m suggesting that Georgia doesn’t have either experience or knowledge, but variety refreshes our skills and keeps the work interesting. Take it from one who often gets bogged down in a handful of complex cases at a time.’
    Dayton shrugged.
    ‘Let’s leave things as they are then, for the time being.’
    Llewellyn looked at his watch.
    ‘Since we’re not going to progress these discussions any further tonight, I think I might turn in. I suggest we also postpone the last item regarding increasing our office space until we see how the additional revenue from the family section stacks up against the expense of taking on more square footage.’
    Brad swore a silent oath. Llewellyn was taking one last stab at Georgia, making her regaining an office conditional on her increasing the revenue from