Chapter 13: The Managing Partner's Evaluation
Jessica's office made every other space in the building feel small.
Corner location, windows on two sides showing Manhattan from angles that reminded you exactly who commanded this firm. Awards on the walls—Top 100 Lawyers, Women in Law Leadership, framed photos with mayors and senators and CEOs whose companies had market caps larger than some countries' GDPs.
The desk was massive, polished wood that probably cost more than my yearly salary. But Jessica didn't sit behind it.
She gestured to a chair across from a small sitting area—two chairs, a coffee table, the kind of setup designed to feel less adversarial than the traditional power position behind a desk.
Removing the authority barrier. Testing how I handle it.
I sat. She sat across from me, crossed her legs, studied me with the kind of focus that made you understand why she'd become managing partner before forty-five.
"Tell me what you want from this firm, Mr. Roden."
Politician answer or honest answer?
I chose the middle ground.
"Partnership. Built on my own merit, not proximity to the right mentor."
"Everyone says that."
"Then let me be more specific. I want partnership as Scott Roden—someone who brings value through systematic preparation, thorough analysis, and consistent results. Not as Harvey's second choice or anyone else's backup plan."
Jessica's expression shifted slightly. Not quite approval, but recognition.
"You know Harvey doesn't take associates under his wing easily."
"I know he's already chosen his project. I'm not interested in being someone's second choice."
She leaned back, fingers steepled.
"Louis speaks highly of you. That's unusual—Louis doesn't praise easily."
Careful here.
"Louis is brilliant at financial law and systematically undervalued. I recognized opportunity where others saw burden."
Jessica laughed once—sharp and genuine.
"Opportunism or wisdom?"
"Both. The best opportunities come from seeing value others miss."
She stood, walked to the window, looked out at the city sprawling below us.
"You're not like the other associates."
"I'm not trying to be."
"They're competing to be Harvey. You're building something different."
I kept my voice level.
"There's already a Harvey. The firm doesn't need another one. But it could use someone who excels at the technical work that keeps the flashy litigators from imploding."
Jessica turned back to face me, and something in her expression had changed—sharper now, more evaluating.
[WIN RATE CALCULATOR: UNBIDDEN ACTIVATION]
[ANALYSIS: JESSICA PEARSON'S ASSESSMENT]
[PROBABILITY OF POSITIVE EVALUATION: 61%]
[PROBABILITY OF THREAT CLASSIFICATION: 54%]
[NOTE: BOTH CLASSIFICATIONS CAN EXIST SIMULTANEOUSLY]
I dismissed the notification but couldn't ignore its accuracy.
Jessica walked back to her chair but didn't sit.
"I'm going to give you advice most managing partners wouldn't."
Here it comes.
"You're smart, prepared, and ambitious—those are assets. But you're also calculating everything. I see it in how you move, how you choose words, how you positioned yourself with Louis while everyone else competed for Harvey's attention."
She paused, let that sink in.
"That calculated quality makes you excellent at law and potentially dangerous to this firm."
I kept my face neutral but my pulse kicked up.
"Dangerous how?"
Jessica sat down, leaned forward slightly.
"Because people who calculate three moves ahead are either exceptional partners or catastrophic enemies. There's no middle ground. The ones who become partners use their strategic thinking to build the firm. The ones who become enemies use it to destroy."
She's not wrong.
"So which do you want me to be?"
"I want you to choose carefully. And I want to make sure you understand what that choice means."
She picked up her tablet, tapped something.
"Partnership track typically takes seven years. Associates who impress me can make it in five. You've impressed me today. But impressing me once isn't enough."
"What would be enough?"
"Consistent excellence. No scandals. No ethical violations. Building relationships instead of just extracting value from them. And most importantly—proving that your ambition serves the firm, not just yourself."
Fair.
I nodded.
"I understand."
"Do you?"
Her voice had an edge now.
"Because I've seen ambitious associates before, Mr. Roden. The smart ones, the calculating ones, the ones who think they're playing a game everyone else is too stupid to notice. Half of them burn out trying to maintain the performance. The other half become liabilities when their ambition conflicts with firm interests."
She stood, meeting over.
"You have talent. Real talent. Don't waste it by being too clever for your own good. Now go bill some hours."
Dismissed.
I stood, thanked her, and headed for the door.
"Mr. Roden."
I turned back.
Jessica's expression was unreadable.
"I'll be watching."
The elevator ride down felt longer than it should have.
My hands were steady, but adrenaline hummed through my system like electricity.
[RELATIONSHIP UPDATE: JESSICA PEARSON]
[STATUS: EVALUATING - OPPORTUNITY AND THREAT]
[PARTNERSHIP PROBABILITY: INCREASED TO 61%]
[WARNING: ACTIVE SCRUTINY INITIATED]
[RECOMMENDATION: CONSISTENT PERFORMANCE REQUIRED]
The doors opened on my floor.
Donna was waiting by the elevator bank, arms crossed, expression knowing.
"Jessica doesn't give personal meetings to associates who impress her."
I stepped out.
"No?"
"She gives them to associates she's deciding about. That was a test."
Of course it was.
"Did I pass?"
Donna's smile was small and genuine.
"You're still here, aren't you?"
The elevator doors started to close. I caught them, turned back.
"Was it always a test? Or did I say something specific that triggered evaluation mode?"
Donna tilted her head, studying me.
"You're asking if you failed or if you were always going to be tested."
"Yeah."
"The answer is both. Jessica tests everyone who shows potential. You just showed more potential than most."
She walked past me toward her desk, then paused.
"Congratulations on the win, by the way. You earned it."
"Thank you."
She kept walking, and I headed back to my cubicle.
The bullpen was mostly empty now—just a few associates grinding through evening work, Kyle Durant among them. He looked up when I passed, something between respect and wariness in his expression.
Word's already spreading. Mock trial victory. Personal meeting with Jessica.
I sat at my desk and opened my laptop, but my mind was still replaying the conversation.
"People who calculate three moves ahead are either exceptional partners or catastrophic enemies."
Jessica had seen exactly what I was. The question was whether she'd decided which category I belonged in, or if that determination was still pending.
[MENTAL FATIGUE: 31%]
[RECOMMENDED: REST CYCLE WITHIN 6 HOURS]
Soon.
I pulled up the next case file Louis had assigned—securities compliance for a tech startup—and got to work.
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