Nicholas O’Reilly was a partner in a large New York law firm, Williams Gardner & Schmidt. He went to places with this firm and had a lot of prestige even though he knew that this type of firm was a ruthless undertaking. He had many friends at the firm. Nick felt very close to a lawyer, Evan, at the firm, but there was another lawyer who was there to criticize every move Nick made, good or bad. Phil was one of those guys who loved to cause trouble with his words and deeds. Phil was slightly superior in position within the firm than Nick and he loved to enforce that fact. Evan and Nick dreamed of once having their own firm that handled many in the entertainment business as their clients. But in the meantime, onward and upward where they now worked.
At a firm meeting, Nick was selected to start a new pro-bono department of the firm. Williams Gardner & Schmidt decided they needed more good publicity and felt that this free job for individuals or organizations who could not afford lawyers would place them very well in the public eye. However, your work for billable clients could not be affected by pro-bono clients. Nick’s first client was Dawn Nelson. Dawn was a beautiful young woman, mother of a young son, going through a horrible time with her husband. She wanted a divorce to escape all the physical and mental beatings she was receiving from her husband, but she could not afford a lawyer. Through a local organization, Drew found Nick, even though Nick had never handled any kind of law for domestic disputes or pro-bono work. As with most firms, it was a rule that no personal contact between clients and attorneys would be allowed that could be construed as sexual or otherwise too personal. After several meetings, Nick and Dawn had very strong feelings for each other and did their best to avoid any contact that could be considered inappropriate, but things didn’t end that way.
Nick was called before the management of the firms and criticized for his conduct and for causing the Dawns case to explode and spread when it should all end and the divorce final. The legal authorities censored Nick and, of course, fired him from the firm. Nick was devastated to lose his job and the position he had worked for so long and done such good and solid work, but even though he felt he was not guilty of such actions with a client, Dawn, he could see how his time and place with her could have caused her downfall. The board granted him a two-month suspension to practice law. This caused Nick to spin in circles and spin his wheels to determine his future. The suspension gave him time to meet Dawn and her son, Jordan, who grew happier each day and to reflect on what their future might be.
Before long, Nick got a call from Evan telling Nick that he had done what they had discussed years before starting his own law firm to handle his entertainment clients and expand the list. Nick was elated, but legally still couldn’t do this job, but he did everything he could to help the new company grow, and they did it quickly.
Then came the conversation about a wedding, a honeymoon, another baby, a new home, and with business growth, finances weren’t an issue. Things were going great until Nick started to feel bad. He hadn’t felt well for some time, but he blamed all his work and the problems at the old company. He continued to work hard, enjoying life, and looking forward to the wedding and their future together.
The Life O’Reilly is a story I’m glad I read. I honestly didn’t know what to expect when I started the book. I thought it would be just another lawyer story that was good, but I never expected the story Brian Cohen gave me. I felt very connected to this book. Many times we say that we had read a book that we could not put down. Trust me, The Life O’Reilly was one you won’t be able to put down until it’s done. Excellent writing style that contains an excellent story. Thanks Brian.