Roman J. Israel, Esq. Page #2

This is

the Los Angeles Police Department...

- Noise Enforcement Team.

Please leave your name,

contact telephone number...

and a Noise Enforcement officer will contact you...

as soon as possible.

Thank you, and have a nice day.

Yes. My name is Roman J. Israel,

Esquire.

I'd like to report a construction-noise

violation, 570 Gladys Avenue.

That's G-L-A-D-Y-S Avenue,

Los Angeles.

City regulation 5612 prohibits

construction...

mend/or repair of any kind...

between the hours of 7 p.m.

until 7 a.m. the following morning.

Thank you.

MAN Please leave

your name, contact telephone number...

and a Noise Enforcement Team officer

will contact you as soon as possible.

Thank you, and have a nice day.

My name is Roman J. Israel, Esquire.

I want to report construction noise

at 570 Gladys Avenue.

That's G-L-A-D-Y-S Avenue.

City regulation 5612 requires...

that there is no construction

or repair of any kind...

"between the hours of 'I pm.

And 7 am he (shaving mowing.

Five-six-one-two...

that's the city regulation.

That's the law.

I'm a lawyer.

Goodbye.

- Hello, Roman.

- Hi.

- This is George Pierce.

- Nice to meet you.

Pleasure.

The doctors have concluded that William

is in a permanent vegetative state.

Oh... Well, he'll surprise them.

Well, we'd like to believe that,

but not this time.

- You get a second opinion?

- He's had three.

Now, Roman, my uncle gave me

financial and medical power of attorney.

If the firm was stable,

we'd have time to mourn...

but it's not, and we don't.

William's directive asks using George

in the event of incapacitation.

And George has generously offered

to take time from his busy practice...

to sort through

the remaining cases...

help close the office

and collect what's due.

Well, I probably haven't had...

time to consider all the...

you know,

various ramifications of this.

None of us have.

I can't live on my accolades.

Lynn was hoping to give you and...

What's the receptionist's name?

- Vernita.

- Vernita, severance.

But looking over the books,

it just doesn't seem possible.

I'll take over. Ahem.

No, you're not capable

of continuing the practice.

On your contempt fine, we can argue

extreme emotional distress...

- and hope for a reduction.

- Right.

But I'll take over because in the

architecture of this firm, lam a pillar.

Yes, and, Roman,

I'd hoped to reward you for that.

Hope don't get the job done.

- What does that mean?

- That means hope don't get the job done.

Is it ego...

Or delusion?

Honestly, I...

I never paid enough attention to you.

This place runs more like

a charity service than a law firm.

Ifs run a deficit for years.

We...

his family, can no longer afford it.

We're clearing the books.

We're handing this off to George.

Roman, I'm sorry.

God, help me.

Yeah, just tell him to wait.

No, just tell him to wait.

I'll be there in 30. Less.

- All right. One sec, one sec.

- So you have...?

- I'll talk m him.

- Uh-huh.

I'm sorry, man.

I feel for you.

This where the Bulldog did his work?

What a mind.

He was great in the seat

and great on his feet.

Jesus, didn't he ever

throw anything away?

My secretary's gonna call.

She'll be point on this.

What do you use?

LegalPRO? Quicken?

What's that?

Status on every case,

depositions, investigations...

- conferences.

- What, on cards?

You're kidding.

I'm not helping you fast-plead

just so you can get a fee.

Well, I'm in court every day.

I fight hard for my clients.

You're a low-flying bee.

- Is that what William said about me?

- William never mentioned you,

- What's that about, then?

- Fact.

Recorded fact, every case.

Organized and available.

And you can fact-check that

if you'd like on your legal Quicken.

I don't have time for this.

My office will call

to coordinate going forward.

Let's watch him now.

Young George.

State of California

v. Jason Angelo Fisher.

One of his first cases.

Fisher's first offense.

Should have been reduced

to misdemeanor possession.

But you pled him out to felony,

conspiracy and possession.

That became your M.O.

Take a retainer,

waive your client's rights to a prelim...

then dump them on the

public defenders when they complain.

What, you worked the Fisher case?

His appeal?

I recall reading the record.

- That was seven years ago.

- Eight.

So you're saying you know

all that from memory?

Seven years, eight months, 47 days.

I'm quite confident of my recollections.

Well, my win-loss record is

above 90 percent.

That's false and misleading.

That's only if you count...

your three years as a prosecutor.

Well, William thought highly enough

to bring me in.

Believe me, I'm going to find out why.

Roman. Hey, Roman.

Where you going?

- Where you going?

- MLK.

Come on, I'll give you a ride.

I'd rather walk.

Come on, Roman.

I just want to talk.

William taught a term at Loyola.

That's where we met.

I was, uh, top of my class.

Potential's a b*tch.

Well, I'll tell you what's not, is having

four offices and 60 people working for you.

He picked me

because I tossed him work.

You know, loser cases I didn't want,

or I was too busy to handle.

This, closing his office, it's payback.

I'll collect a fee.

Look, it just so happens I could

use someone with your ability...

and your power

of persuasive argument.

And I'll pay you twice what

William gave you. What do you say?

What makes you different from this can'?

Whoa. Really? Okay.

I'm gonna tell you something I think

maybe will surprise and disappoint you.

I got a kickback from William

for every single case I gave him.

Bullshit.

I have the records.

You've been untouched

by the messy business...

of running

a small criminal-defense firm.

Was it wrong?

On some level, sure.

Does it diminish what he did? Hell, no.

No, it allowed him to keep

the doors open. It kept you two going.

And to this day, I still remember

quotes from his class.

And that voice.

"What is tolerance?

It is the consequence of humanity.

We are all formed of frailty and error.

Let us pardon reciprocally

each other's follies.

That's the first law of nature."

What do you say we forget the past?

Move forward'?

Pull over.

I can't work for you.

What are you gonna do?

- I'll continue in criminal litigation.

- That's a b*tch of a market.

- What if you can't find something?

- What?

For argument's sake,

if you can't find a firm, what's next?

There is no next.

There is no argument's sake.

There's underwear model

or activist attorney. There is no next.

- Yeah, George.

- I want to bring someone in.

Are you asking me,

or are you telling me?

Jackson had a guy who drafted

all his memoranda.

He's a bit of a savant.

He paid him 500 a week. We can

bill him out for that much an hour.

- Maya. It's Roman Israel.

- Oh...

Sony to keep you waiting.

I usually work off

scheduled appointments.

It's okay. I had some, uh, pretzels

and soda from down there.

That's fine.

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