It was unlikely that this poorly treated lady would recommend to her friends that they have their wills prepared by Norman Tesoriero. Another client kept phoning the office while Norman was on his way to and from court appearances and property settlements, unable to get through to Norman himself. Murray found himself taking messages from an increasingly angry client, who eventually said, ‘Maybe I should rethink who I’m dealing with’.

It seemed that Norman was extremely reluctant to invest in a mobile phone.

Another client was in conflict with his own sisters about an inheritance, and was keen to take them to court. Norman felt that this was not a wise course of action. Murray did not have the legal knowledge to know whether Norman or the client had the best perspective on the situation. All he knew was that Norman insulted the client both in telephone conversations with the client and in the file notes that he dictated for Murray to type up. A fourth incident came to light when the newly opened village branch of the bank offered to refer their loan clients to Norman, to have him explain their complex mortgage clauses in layman’s language.

“I’ll take as many of those clients as I can get,” said Norman to the bank manager.

And so the first bank loan client was booked for an appointment with Norman.

Sitting at his own desk, trying to concentrate on the dictophone instructions for his own work, Murray could distinctly hear every word of what Norman practically shouted to the client, even with Norman’s office door closed. He spent more time berating the client’s limited intelligence, than he spent on effectively explaining the mortgage clause. One particular outburst included, “You need someone to explain this to you in simple words that even you can understand.”

Murray found himself thinking, “That’s the job you’re supposed to be doing yourself right here and now.”

He overheard the client’s parting words as the office door was opened, “I’ve dealt with lots of people in life over the years. Some are smarter than others, but most of them have been polite and helpful.”

The bank didn’t send Norman any more of those clients. However, Murray began to see why the bank manager had once seen fit to try to boost Norman’s business. Over the next few months, every time Murray went to the bank to cash his paycheck, there was a delay, while the teller sought the manager’s approval to draw the cash from Norman’s business account in order to pay Murray.

Murray deduced that Norman, as a sole practitioner, was having trouble wearing too many hats. He had to be business manager, solicitor, and have the good personal relations skills to keep the clients coming back for more business with him. Norman’s legal knowledge as a solicitor was flawless, but the other two requirements were beyond him to the point that he wasn’t even aware of that.

Murray knew that his time in that job was running out.