Thursday 3 January 2008

£500 an hour and a dull headache


A hangover is not a great start to a new year, but I suppose most of us rarely begin the year without one. Mine lasted longer than usual. The dull pounding headache, sore throat, eyes threatening to droop shut, the nauseous dizziness. All symptoms still present.


It was still dark outside when I arrived to work yesterday (and today). My desk was in an absolute mess; notebooks, stacks of papers, the coffee stained mug that I forgot to put in the dishwasher on my way out. What a wonderful welcome back.


I reluctantly started sorting through the stacks of paper when I came across a Client Contract. A wave of panic suddenly hit me when I realised that I should have signed and sent it off before I left. I flicked through the pages making sure that signatures were in the right places before scrounging around for a pen to sign my dotted line.


The pen didn't work. Thank God it didn't work.


I noticed a clause that I didn't recognise. I'm not a lawyer and I find it hard to understand the language of may legal documents. There seem to be too many "hereafters" and "not-withstandings" and "hearontos" for me to make actual sense of them. But even I knew that this clause didn't sound right:


In the event of termination by the Client, as set out in 8 a) and b) above, (our company name) shall reimburse the Client its Fee figured on the proportion of term served to the date of termination.


Reimburse the Client? For what? Surely if the Client wants to terminate the contract the Client must pay the Fee up until that point? I read back on Clause 8 to see if it tied in. I noticed that it had also been changed... ever so slightly...


I immediately jumped to the conclusion that the Client had sneakily changed it. But I had to be sure. The contract is a generic one that had been drawn up a few years ago by our lawyers. I just had to check to see if the changes were on the master contract. To my horror they had been made. I don't know when and I don't know how.


There's nothing like blind panic at 7:45am, especially if your head already feels like its been trapped in a vice. I rummaged around like a mad woman rounding up copies of all of the contracts signed in the last year. I spent ours checking each one for flaws. The complicated phrases were making my head hurt even more. The Client shall.... hereonto.... endeavour to maximize... in consideration with 4 c) and 13 a)....


I felt sick. I was sick. Gay Boss is due back on 7th January. I had to stay calm and get a hold of myself. Throwing up in the disabled toilets was not the best way to deal with it. What should I do?


The pin dropped. I actually laughed at myself before bursting into relieved tears. (I must have still been a little drunk.) My boyfriend is a lawyer (Solicitor!). Not just any lawyer, my company is one of his key accounts! All I had to do was call him. Call him and ask him not to charge me £500 an hour to help me. Call him ask him to come to my office and help me. Wait! Redo my make-up have a cup of spearmint tea and then call him.


He pushed back his appointments and came over right away. After leafing through the master generic contract he found more errors and more changes that I didn't see. Solicitor told me that whoever changed the contract did so with the intention of permanently ruining the company. Luckily there don't seem to be any problems with the signed contracts so far. I was incredibly lucky that I didn't send of this latest one.


I have a suspicion that Old Prick may have changed it before leaving. I can't be sure. If it wasn't him then it looks like we have a serious problem on hour hands.


Solicitor had to charge the company for his services yesterday. Three and a half hours is approximately £1750. Lawyers don't work for free apparently. Gay Boss threw a fit the last time I took a client out for coffee and billed the company £147.67 (I got a bit carried away and took her out to lunch too). I hope he understands that this was a real emergency.


So much for me handling everything...

19 comments:

Polgara said...

Wow what a return to work!
Sounds like an Old Prick tactic to me but well spotted you!
And a bit of extra work for solicitor too!
Happy New Year hun great to have you back! xx

Malach the Merciless said...

Malach did it and he would do it again I tell you

Astro Galaxy said...

Happy New Year to U, Elise.
May you have a great year ahead!

Lisa De Vahl said...

Geezzz... I guess you forgot about the headache :)

All the best for 2008

i am the diva said...

perhaps when Gay Boss realizes that you may have single handedly (With Solicitor's help) saved the compnay from complete and utter annaihalation, he'll let it go.

:D

hope you feel better soon!

Cocaine Princess said...

By the way you described your hangover, you must have had one hell of a New Year!!! I hope you're feeling better by tomorrow. Thanks for complimenting my new color scheme.
XOXOXOXO,
Cocaine Princess

Cocaine Princess said...

Dearest Elise,
I forgot to add something. In regards to your comments about Lawyer-Guy, I've never asked him about his wife.
I guess I should have after he sent me the roses and gift. I think it's my right to know. But the story has kind of changed now, you'll know what I mean by that in a few days when I post a new entry.
XOXOXOXO,
Cocaine Princess

Michelle Hix said...

Was the party good enough to make the hangover worth it? GB has taken quite a vacation. Most places would not survive the boss leaving for such a lengthy holiday! He should be thankful that you held down the fort and saved the company from the ghost of Old Prick.

A Girl, A Boy, and Me said...

Do you think Old Prick was smart enough?

Welcome back!

Elise said...

I've been thinking about it for ages and I don't think Old Prick was smart enough... Who else could it be though?

Haylzc5 said...

Hey Elise,

I bet that made you forget about your hangover! Great spotting considering you were ill!

Gay Boss will forgive you, after all, it was you that spotted the mistake and you saved the company. He will be more angry with the person that done it.

All the best for 2008!!!

Love Hayley

Kat Mortensen said...

How fortuitous that you failed to sign the incriminating document and how amazing that you were able to discern the discrepancy. You're a star! Gay Boss should promote you or at least give you a big payrise. Do you think Old Prick was sitting at home rubbing his hands in glee, waiting for the axe to fall? Busted!!!!

Poetikat

Thanks for the well-wishes. Very glad you're back and Happy New Year!
Come back for some important news, by the way.

www.hyggedigter.blogspot.com

Kitty said...

Intrigue at the office :-O I reckon the Butler did it. x

Verdant Earl said...

I've been having a bit of problem with contracts or lack thereof.

I need one of those expensive lawyer types on my side for the New Year.

Shemley said...

Hey Elise,

Loving your work as always, I am also glad that you understand the London dialect in all it's ambiguity, keep reading and I will do the same!

Graham Ettridge said...

Hey Elise :)

Thank you so much for your kind advice on the reflexology. I will definitely give that a try and let you know how I get on.

It sounds like you had a fantastic New Year's Eve!!! I hope 2008 has many great things in store for you.

Well done on spotting the anomolies on the contract... many others would not have noticed!!!

Take care ~ Graham :)

Tequila Mockingbird said...

you were not alone in your starting of the new year with a hangover

Jess | the Jess Journals said...

Eek!!! Good catch, Elise! Hope the boss realises that you actually saved him a shitload of hassle...!

linda said...

Having a hangover is good because it slows you down and then that is when you find things that you would normally ignore.

Your post reminded me I have to go to work tomorrow - sigh.....