Treating Law Firm Partners with Respect - by Peter

Steve always liked to tell the story of one traumatic moment that occurred when we were young associates.  Frankly, I don't recall it clearly -- but Steve loved to remind me, Kathy Fisher and others who were there.  It involved a summer associate "wine party" at Robert Mondavi winery, I believe.  The function was over.  A lot of wine had been consumed.  We were standing on a lawn area.  Steve and I were in a group that began slowly heading to the bus that had been arranged for the evening.  As Steve told it, someone appeared with a football, and tossed it to me.  There was barely enough light to see.  Steve suddenly said, "Hey, Peter, look over there.  You've got someone open!"  I turned and saw a figure, running, yelling, "Hey, Pfister, over here!"  -- 10, 15 yards away, arms waiving, stumbling more than running.  Steve always said that at that moment, everything turned to slow motion.  According to Steve, I turned and let it loose.  The ball hit the person in the chest, like an explosion -- arms and legs flailing outward, the person landed on his back. 

Steve and I continued walking slowly to the bus.  Steve then leaned over to me.  He said quietly:  "Peter.  Do you know who that was?  That was Tom Lee (then a senior partner at Morrison)."  He paused and said:  "I think you killed him."  We didn't turn around.  We continued walking to the bus.  Careers over.

Next day, Steve was kind enough to go along with me to Tom Lee's office to explain the accident.  We began to apologize -- but we stopped when it became clear that he didn't remember any of it.

Jim Garrett was a young partner when Steve and I were associates.  We were working together on a brief to be filed that day, and we needed to work through lunch.  Garrett asked us to go out and get some sandwiches.  He barked at us that he didn't care what kind of sandwich -- just not white bread and no mayonnaise.  Steve and I walked to the sandwich place.  We ordered sandwiches for ourselves.  Then, Steve asked for one sandwich with white bread . . . and mayonnaise -- heavy on the mayonnaise, please.  That's what Steve brought to Jim Garrett.