Over-worked & Over-stressed

I had to attend a work-related luncheon yesterday. The local lawyer's association held its annual general meeting and I, as a member of the association, was required to attend. Not only that, but three of my work colleagues were "tipped" to fill important positions within the association. So I couldn't really miss the luncheon. It also didn't hurt that the lunch was completely free (courtesy of the firm). Did I mention I loved free?

Two hours later, I went back to work. As soon as I walked through the door, the managing partner, Gary, ushered me into his office.

"Tia, I'm giving you a new file to work on. Umm. Actually, I'm going to give you six. But one's pretty urgent. It's urgent because the client is sitting outside in reception right now."

Oooh. A great time to have a mild heart attack.

Wait, I think I did have one.

WHAT THE HELL!?

"Ummm. Gary? Are you serious? I don't even know what the file is about!"

Gary's face said it all. He was damn serious. Not even a hint of humour in his expression.

"Tia, I want you to go out to reception and meet with this client. She is apparently very nice. By the sounds of it, she sounds like a paranoid old biddy. She wants to get out of a contract, and she wants to know how she can go about it."

Ok, calm down Tia. He's your boss, after all.

"Gary, I haven't even seen the contract. How am I supposed to advise her?"

Ohhhh my tone was crisp and even. Wonder if Gary caught on?

A pile of papers were pushed toward me.

Obviously, the contract.

OH FOR PETE'S SAKE! THERE'S MORE THAN 50 PAGES HERE! WHAT THE HELL??

"You should go meet with the client now, Tia. Come back and see me when you've spoken with her." And with that, Gary turned his back to me and started typing on his computer.

Fuming, I left his office and walked into mine. I stared in dismay at the bunch of papers clutched in my hand.

This is so unfair! I'm going to look like an idiot in front of the client!!

Usually I didn't mind meeting new clients. But I have never been unprepared for a meeting before. Most of the time, I knew what the problem or issue was, so I'd do a little bit of research or reading before I met the client.

Being unprepared at an initial meeting was definitely a big "no-no". It's unprofessional and it gives the client a license to think you're an idiot.

Hence the butterflies in my stomach when I walked into the reception area to meet "the old biddy".

It turned out that the old biddy, aka Mrs Starn, indeed was an old biddy. She was paranoid about a contract that she signed, and she wanted to know if she could "out" from the deal.

Don't people read what they sign these days??

After 45 minutes of listening to Mrs Starn's distressing tale, I told her I would have to read the contract before I could properly advise her of her rights.

I bid Mrs Starn goodbye and with a promise that I would contact her in the next couple of days.

Relieved that I had coped so well with the meeting, I walked back into my office for a breather. It was then that Gary walked into the room holding a stack of folders.

Oh no. What does he want now? I thought.

"Hey Tia, how did the meeting go? Good? That's excellent then. Ok listen, I've got a few more files to give to you..."

Five more files, to be exact.

As long as none of the clients were in reception, I guess I could live with it.