law school at Stanford then hired on with a big firm in Philadelphia.”
“What did he do here?”
“She. Evelyn, and she worked with black lung and mine safety. A hard worker, and very bright, but then she was gone after two years and left us with a bunch of open files. Wonder if she’s on the streets these days. Must be awful up there.”
“It is. Pardon me for saying so, Ms. Wyatt, but—”
“It’s Mattie.”
“Okay, Mattie, but you don’t seem too thrilled at the idea of an intern.”
“Oh, forgive me. I’m sorry. No, actually we need all the help we can get. As I told you on the phone, there’s no shortage of poor folks with legal problems around here. These people can’t afford lawyers. Unemployment is high, meth use is even higher, and the coal companies are brilliant when it comes to finding new ways to screw people. Believe me, dear, we need all the help we can get.”
“What will I be doing?”
“Everything from answering the phone to opening the mailto filing federal lawsuits. Your résumé says you’re licensed in both Virginia and New York.”
“I clerked for a judge in D.C. after law school and passed the Virginia bar exam.”
“Have you seen the inside of a courtroom in the past three years?”
“No.”
Mattie hesitated for a second, as if this might be a deal breaker. “Well, I guess you’re lucky in one sense. Don’t suppose you’ve been to jail either?”
“Not since this afternoon.”
“Oh, right. Again, sorry about that. You’ll catch on quick. What type of work were you doing in New York?”
Samantha took a deep breath and thought of ways to truthfully duck the question. Invention failed her and she said, “I was in commercial real estate, pretty boring stuff actually. Incredibly boring. We represented a bunch of unpleasant rich guys who build tall buildings up and down the East Coast, primarily in New York. As a mid-level associate I normally spent my time reviewing financing agreements with banks, thick contracts that had to be prepared and proofread by someone.”
Just above the pink and square frames, Mattie’s eyes offered a look of pure pity. “Sounds awful.”
“It was, still is, I guess.”
“Are you relieved to be away from that?”
“I don’t know how I feel, Mattie, to be honest. A month ago I was scrambling along in the rat race, elbowing others and getting elbowed myself, racing toward something, I can’t even remember what it was. There were dark clouds out there but we were too busy to notice. Then Lehman went under, and for two weeks I was afraid of my shadow. We worked even harder, hoping that someone might notice, hoping that a hundred hours a week might save us where ninety hours would not. Suddenly it was over, and we were tossed into the street. No severance, nothing. Nothing but a few promises that I doubt anyone can keep.”
Mattie looked as if she might cry. “Would you go back?”
“I don’t know right now. I don’t think so. I didn’t like the work, didn’t like most of the people in the firm, and certainly didn’t like the clients. Sadly, most of the lawyers I know feel the same way.”
“Well, dear, here at the Mountain Legal Aid Clinic, we love our clients and they love us.”
“I’m sure they’re much nicer than the ones I dealt with.”
Mattie glanced at her watch, a bright yellow dial strapped to her wrist with green vinyl, and said, “What are your plans for the evening?”
Samantha shrugged and shook her head. “Haven’t thought that far ahead.”
“Well, you certainly can’t drive back to Washington tonight.”
“Does Romey work the night shift? Are the roads safe?”
Mattie chuckled and said, “The roads are treacherous. You can’t go. Let’s start with dinner and then we’ll go from there.”
“No, seriously, I can’t—”
“Nonsense. Samantha, you’re in Appalachia now, deep in the mountains, and we do not turn visitors away at dinnertime. My house is just around the corner and my
“What did he do here?”
“She. Evelyn, and she worked with black lung and mine safety. A hard worker, and very bright, but then she was gone after two years and left us with a bunch of open files. Wonder if she’s on the streets these days. Must be awful up there.”
“It is. Pardon me for saying so, Ms. Wyatt, but—”
“It’s Mattie.”
“Okay, Mattie, but you don’t seem too thrilled at the idea of an intern.”
“Oh, forgive me. I’m sorry. No, actually we need all the help we can get. As I told you on the phone, there’s no shortage of poor folks with legal problems around here. These people can’t afford lawyers. Unemployment is high, meth use is even higher, and the coal companies are brilliant when it comes to finding new ways to screw people. Believe me, dear, we need all the help we can get.”
“What will I be doing?”
“Everything from answering the phone to opening the mailto filing federal lawsuits. Your résumé says you’re licensed in both Virginia and New York.”
“I clerked for a judge in D.C. after law school and passed the Virginia bar exam.”
“Have you seen the inside of a courtroom in the past three years?”
“No.”
Mattie hesitated for a second, as if this might be a deal breaker. “Well, I guess you’re lucky in one sense. Don’t suppose you’ve been to jail either?”
“Not since this afternoon.”
“Oh, right. Again, sorry about that. You’ll catch on quick. What type of work were you doing in New York?”
Samantha took a deep breath and thought of ways to truthfully duck the question. Invention failed her and she said, “I was in commercial real estate, pretty boring stuff actually. Incredibly boring. We represented a bunch of unpleasant rich guys who build tall buildings up and down the East Coast, primarily in New York. As a mid-level associate I normally spent my time reviewing financing agreements with banks, thick contracts that had to be prepared and proofread by someone.”
Just above the pink and square frames, Mattie’s eyes offered a look of pure pity. “Sounds awful.”
“It was, still is, I guess.”
“Are you relieved to be away from that?”
“I don’t know how I feel, Mattie, to be honest. A month ago I was scrambling along in the rat race, elbowing others and getting elbowed myself, racing toward something, I can’t even remember what it was. There were dark clouds out there but we were too busy to notice. Then Lehman went under, and for two weeks I was afraid of my shadow. We worked even harder, hoping that someone might notice, hoping that a hundred hours a week might save us where ninety hours would not. Suddenly it was over, and we were tossed into the street. No severance, nothing. Nothing but a few promises that I doubt anyone can keep.”
Mattie looked as if she might cry. “Would you go back?”
“I don’t know right now. I don’t think so. I didn’t like the work, didn’t like most of the people in the firm, and certainly didn’t like the clients. Sadly, most of the lawyers I know feel the same way.”
“Well, dear, here at the Mountain Legal Aid Clinic, we love our clients and they love us.”
“I’m sure they’re much nicer than the ones I dealt with.”
Mattie glanced at her watch, a bright yellow dial strapped to her wrist with green vinyl, and said, “What are your plans for the evening?”
Samantha shrugged and shook her head. “Haven’t thought that far ahead.”
“Well, you certainly can’t drive back to Washington tonight.”
“Does Romey work the night shift? Are the roads safe?”
Mattie chuckled and said, “The roads are treacherous. You can’t go. Let’s start with dinner and then we’ll go from there.”
“No, seriously, I can’t—”
“Nonsense. Samantha, you’re in Appalachia now, deep in the mountains, and we do not turn visitors away at dinnertime. My house is just around the corner and my
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