Are You Crazy? He’s only an Intern Lawyer?
Chapter 151 - 150 - - How much is the settlement fee? The final battlefield

Chapter 151: 150 Chapter - How much is the settlement fee? The final battlefield

Lin Yumeng’s opening statement finally came to an end.

Although it lasted only a brief ten-plus minutes, it left everyone in the courtroom wanting more.

Under Zhang Wei’s guidance, Lin Yumeng said a great deal, and even revealed all of Mo Mingchuan’s upcoming courtroom tactics.

"You want to attack the plaintiff’s wife?"

No problem, I’ve already informed the jury.

"You want to call dozens of expert witnesses?"

No problem, I’ve already told the jury the exact number.

"You want to wage a war of attrition?"

No problem, we’ve even made clear our respective attitudes towards the trial.

"You can fight for months if you like, but we only want a quick resolution. If you don’t interfere, we could wrap this up by next week."

What will the jury think after knowing this?

Do they want to engage in a war of attrition with you?

Obviously not; they just want to go home, end this trial quickly, and spend time with their families.

At this moment, the jury and Zhang Wei’s side were on the same front.

Once a party aligns with the jury during a trial, that party gains a significant advantage!

Every single move Mo Mingchuan could think of had been anticipated by Zhang Wei.

And relying on Lin Yumeng’s opening statement, he managed to counter each one.

In essence, all of Mo Mingchuan’s next moves had become futile.

This was the result of Zhang Wei staying up late to study Mo Mingchuan’s past litigation records.

Faced with such a situation, Mo Mingchuan had only one choice left.

And this, too, was foreseen by Zhang Wei.

On the defense’s side,

"Your Honor, the defense requests a postponement of this trial so we can... can conduct some friendly legal negotiations with the prosecution!"

Mo Mingchuan stood up promptly, requesting a pause from the judge.

His tone was a bit rushed and somewhat panicked.

"A postponement, friendly negotiations, why not just say you want to strike a court deal with the prosecution?"

Watching Mo Mingchuan try to remain composed, yet unable to hide his internal panic, Zhang Wei could barely hold back his laughter.

Well, he already laughed.

"Mr. He, now I can finally tell you, the advantage lies with us. The real show is about to begin!"

Zhang Wei withheld his smile and whispered to He Qingnian beside him.

He Qingnian might not understand the specifics, but he knew the current situation seemed favorable to him.

"The next steps are up to you, Lawyer Zhang. I will cooperate fully!"

"That won’t be necessary, but you can rest easy. The upcoming negotiations can be left entirely to us!"

Zhang Wei reassured him, then looked towards the bench.

The judge had also anticipated Mo Mingchuan’s request to suspend or postpone the trial.

"What does the plaintiff’s side think?"

"We have no objections!" Lin Yumeng had received instructions from Zhang Wei and naturally wouldn’t disagree.

"Very well, today is Friday. The court hereby sets the next session for Monday. I will give both parties a weekend to prepare, is that alright?"

The judge hammered the declaration, and the court adjourned once again.

At the courthouse doors, both parties exited one after another.

However, unlike when they entered the court, this time their expressions seemed to have swapped as they came out.

Before entering, Zhang Wei’s side looked solemn, while Mo Mingchuan’s seemed aggressive and imposing.

Now, Zhang Wei’s side was relaxed and comfortable, while Mo Mingchuan’s was fraught with distress.

The behavior of both parties also gave the media a sniff of something unusual.

However, before the media could swarm and block them for questions, both sides dispersed separately, not giving them the chance to ask.

Zhang Wei had Tie Ruyun stay behind to deal with the media while he and his entourage left the courthouse with Old Master He.

By the time they returned to the law firm in the afternoon, it was already close to closing time.

"You little rascal, why do I always have to deal with the media? I’m a leader, you know!"

Tie Ruyun finally came back, sweating profusely and out of breath.

Heaven knows how he managed to handle the media.

At the interview scene, apart from the media’s voices, there were only his cries of distress.

Mo Mingchuan was escorted by over a dozen people, and the media were unable to interview him. In the end, they could only surround Tie Ruyun.

Battling his way through the scrum of countless media representatives to carve out a bloody path was no easy feat for Tie Ruyun.

Ding ling ling!

But, just as Tie Ruyun had barely arrived, the desk phone next to Tie Cuilan rang.

"Mmm-hmm, okay, I got it, I’ll pass the message to the criminal division’s office!"

After she finished speaking, Tie Cuilan hurriedly shouted to Zhang Wei, "Harper Cigars just called, they want us to set a time to sit down and negotiate today!"

"Oh my God, master, you were right, are they really ready to compromise?"

Lin Yumeng was exceptionally excited when she heard the news.

It meant that Harper Cigars were ready to make concessions.

As for how much they were willing to concede, that would depend on the upcoming negotiations.

"Should I reply to them right away?" Tie Cuilan also asked.

They were still waiting for an answer on the other end.

"No need, let them stew for a while, call back in 30 minutes!"

Zhang Wei signaled Tie Cuilan not to rush, as it was the other party who should be anxious now.

Speaking of which, he sat down, then raised his hand to beckon the criminal team’s colleagues over.

"We should discuss what we’re going to talk about after we head over to their company in 30 minutes."

"You did say something sensible for once, we should indeed discuss this!"

Tie Ruyun hastily drank some water, finally catching his breath.

"I think they want a settlement, but as for the settlement amount, it’s really hard to say."

Tie Ruyun looked at Zhang Wei, "Didn’t you review all the litigation before, kid? Was there a compensation amount?"

Zhang Wei shook his head, "In the previous case, Mo Mingchuan won, so there was no settlement amount!"

"This..."

With no benchmark, which essentially meant "zero," Tie Ruyun was at a loss.

After all, he was the head of the criminal division and not from the business or civil divisions. It was difficult for him to make a judgment on the amount of the settlement.

"Xiao Meng, what do you think?" Zhang Wei turned to his young apprentice, the hero of the day.

"Master, I don’t know, but if you want me to throw out a number, let me think... uh..."

Lin Yumeng put on a thoughtful expression, but just seconds later, she blurted out, "How about one billion?"

Pfft—

Tie Ruyun, who had just been about to take his second sip of water, inevitably sprayed it out.

One billion, this girl really had the guts to say it!

She might know her family has money, she might be a rich young lady, but calling out a billion just like that?

"I was just saying, after all, houses about the same size as mine in the Dongjiang Business District are nearly all priced like that, so a billion isn’t that much!"

Well, hearing Lin Yumeng put it that way, it didn’t seem so outrageous to Zhang and the others anymore.

Zhang Wei then looked towards the last member of the group.

"Xiao Li, what about you?"

"Me?"

Li Yueqin pointed to herself, looking totally befuddled, "I didn’t even participate in the case, would it be appropriate for me to speak out?"

"There’s nothing inappropriate about it, we’re all a team here. Just say anything, just name a price anyway!"

"Well, I think...how about 1 million?"

After Li Yueqin finished speaking, she glanced at Tie Ruyun and Zhang Wei, looking somewhat embarrassed.

But she still lowered her head and explained in a slightly low voice, "Too high and the other party won’t settle, too low and it’s also not right for your clients. They previously offered 100,000, so I thought ten times that should be about right!"

Zhang Wei thought that Xiao Li was indeed a sincere child.

You only increased it by ten times with such an advantage today.

"What about you, young man? Don’t ask us, you decide!" Tie Ruyun looked over to Zhang Wei again.

Now, when it came to who called the shots in the criminal division, naturally it was you, Zhang Wei.

However, Zhang Wei didn’t answer but instead asked back, "Old Tie, may I ask you, what was Jincheng Law Firm’s revenue last year?"

Tie Ruyun thought for a moment and recalled, "About 20 billion, I guess. That’s the total income from attorney fees and consulting fees, not deducting paid salaries and litigation labor costs."

"Attorney fees of 20 billion, Jincheng Law Firm has 5 major departments, so that means just the litigation department alone brought in about 4 billion in attorney fees last year, right?"

billion divided among 6 teams means each team brought in an average of 66 million in attorney fees last year, which is 5.5 million a month.

In other words, just surpassing 5.5 million, the criminal division’s performance, especially in terms of attorney fees, would surely beat Team 2 of the business division, and even outperform other teams.

Because this number is on the high side, besides the 5 major departments, the performance of smaller departments such as the family department also needs to be included.

Calculated down, the performance of each team in monthly attorney fees was actually below 5 million.

Zhang Wei had previously won a lawsuit for Chengyi Insurance, and that lawsuit alone resulted in an attorney fee income of 1 million, which meant that only 4 million more was needed to meet the target.

"We signed a risk agency contract with Old Master He, and the attorney fee is half of the settlement amount, which means 8 million would be enough to meet our target!"

Upon hearing this number, Li Yueqin was slightly taken aback, while Lin Yumeng showed no particular reaction.

Perhaps for her, 8 million really wasn’t a big deal.

"Then let’s propose a settlement fee of 10 million. This amount is just right, a nice compromise between Xiao Meng and Xiao Li; 1 million is too little, a billion is too lofty a goal for us."

"Really 10 million?"

Tie Ruyun was also somewhat astonished by this number.

That was 10 million after all; he might never earn that much money in his entire life.

"Is 10 million a lot?" Zhang Wei spread his hands, looking incredulous.

In his previous life, he charged millions, even tens of millions for a single case; 10 million really wasn’t that much.

To think you’re the head of the criminal division, such a grown man getting flustered over a mere 10 million.

"Stop chatting, the 30 minutes are up!" Tie Cuilan suddenly called out sharply from across the room.

"Alright, Sister Cuilan, call them back and tell them we’ll arrive in an hour!"

Since Zhang Wei had already granted the other side 30 minutes, naturally he was urging his teammates to get ready to hit the road.

Zhang Wei asked Li Yueqin and Tie Ruyun not to leave work yet, but to accompany their own side to bolster their courage.

However, it was rush hour now, so they didn’t ask Tie Ruyun to drive; instead, the four of them took the subway to Dongjiang Business District.

When they arrived at the office building where Harper Company was located, Tie Ruyun and the other two started to get nervous.

"What’s there to be afraid of? It’s just going up to negotiate. I’ll do the talking; you guys have nothing to worry about!"

Zhang Wei led the way into the elevator, and though the four of them had different thoughts, none of them spoke.

As the elevator doors opened, the receptionist was already waiting for them at the entrance.

Before long, they arrived at the reception meeting room and met Mo Mingchuan and representatives from Harper Cigar among others.

Both sides took their seats.

The atmosphere in the meeting room became tense, to say it was like drawing swords and bending bows would not be an exaggeration.

Li Yueqin and Tie Ruyun sat on either side, with Lin Yumeng and Zhang Wei facing Mo Mingchuan directly.

Mo Mingchuan, who had been discussing with an agent at his side, immediately closed the notebook in front of him as Zhang Wei and Lin Yumeng took their seats.

"Under the premise of strict confidentiality, signing a non-disclosure agreement, and without admitting any liability, Harper Cigar agrees to compensate your client, Mr. He Qingnian, with an amount of 5 million, to be paid in installments over the course of two years," he said.

"These are our conditions!"

Upon hearing the amount, Li Yueqin’s hand trembled slightly, and Tie Ruyun also lifted his head.

Only Zhang Wei and Lin Yumeng’s expressions remained completely unchanged.

Zhang Wei didn’t hesitate and outright rejected it, "I’m sorry, Professor Mo, we refuse this offer!"

Mo Mingchuan was displeased with this response, narrowing his eyes, "Lawyer Zhang, you aren’t the lead attorney on this case, right? You should let Xiao Lin make the refusal, and besides, my offer was to your clients, why don’t you ask them for their opinion?"

"The opinion of my master is my opinion, I have nothing else to say!" Lin Yumeng quickly came out to stand up for Zhang Wei.

"Professor Mo, you’ve heard it, Xiao Meng’s intent has been made clear. Regarding your second question, I can also tell you explicitly that we are signed under a full power of attorney contract, our client has unconditional trust in us, so we can directly refuse your offer!"

Seeing Zhang Wei’s detached response, Mo Mingchuan’s fingers clenched into a fist.

"Lawyer Zhang, it seems you still don’t grasp my point. The reason we made this offer is that sometimes, driving away a mosquito takes less effort than killing it!"

"Even though I am not an attorney specialized in civil compensation law, I must remind you, Professor Mo, that this is no longer a situation where you can overstep with us. I suggest you face reality; if you were not in a hurry, you wouldn’t offer a settlement!"

Mo Mingchuan’s proposal had naturally been rejected by Zhang Wei—decisively, without hesitation, even repelling threats thrown his way.

The company representative couldn’t sit still any longer and immediately spoke up, "We propose a settlement to avoid a long-drawn lawsuit, nothing more!"

But hearing this feeble attempt at a cover-up, Zhang Wei gave no response, instead looking towards Mo Mingchuan.

He knew that the representative wasn’t the final decision-maker and Mo Mingchuan’s opinion would prevail over this delegate.

"Professor Mo, I believe that my apprentice’s opening statement has left you with no room for argument. Your attempts to blame the victim have also failed, as we have already pointed out her responsibility. Your supposed scientific evidence to overturn the addictive nature of nicotine won’t work either—we will not even bring it up. If you were planning to present a medical defense to prove that your tobacco products are harmless, well, we would be delighted. I’m looking forward to watching you blatantly lie, it would be quite an interesting spectacle!"

"You..."

Confronted by Zhang Wei’s aggressive manner, Mo Mingchuan finally lost his composure.

Each point Zhang Wei made was like a thorn in his heart, dissolving all his defensive tactics.

"Professor Mo, there’s no need to get agitated. I’m just here discussing reason with you."

"Just look outside. Times have changed. Modern people prioritize health more because everyone has money now and they all want to live longer. But your products are expensive and they don’t bring health to consumers, instead, they shorten their lives."

"In my view, the public just lacks an opportunity, and all potential consumers of your company are waiting for that chance, a chance to completely rid their lives of your company’s products. And I believe that this case is that opportunity!"

"In fact, the longer this case drags on, the better for us, as it will draw more and more attention. Every time we present evidence of the harm your company’s products do to health, how do you think the public will perceive it?"

"Although we are only four, Professor Mo, we are willing to bet on the attitude of the public and the jury. They have already labeled your company as the villain. You’ve lost once in daylight already, and I believe the jury will use this opportunity to tell the world that cigars are not a necessity. When that time comes, you can imagine the outcome for your company."

At Zhang Wei’s words, Mo Mingchuan and the representative’s faces grew uglier.

This was something they had considered, but they hadn’t expected Zhang Wei to bring it up.

"Professor Mo, do you remember the data I had my apprentice mention in court earlier? Your daily revenue is 54 million. In my view, 1 million is not punitive; neither is 5 million."

"Once the jury decides to teach you a lesson, what kind of number do you think they will give? Will it be 10 million, 20 million, or your daily revenue? Remember, your daily revenue is 54 million. If the jury thinks that the pain you caused Old Master He Qingnian requires compensation equivalent to one day’s earnings, that doesn’t seem like an excessive demand to me."

On hearing Zhang Wei’s words, Mo Mingchuan’s eyes became a single line, he stared intensely at Zhang Wei, trying to read something from that composed face.

Zhang Wei, however, once again ignored him, scoffing, "Professor Mo, I hope you’ve thought it through by now. Let me remind you again, if you truly insist on fighting us to the end, have you considered the consequences of failure?"

"I’m sure Harper cigars have customers all over the world, which also means people all over the world have died from your products. And once they all learn about this case, seeing that it only took four people plus a victim’s family member to make you pay a price—perhaps not a severe one but still beneficial—what do you think they will do?"

"Do you dare bet with me on human nature? When the time comes, do you think you’ll be safe, or will there be a tidal wave of lawsuits from victims all over the world coming your way?"

"So, it seems you’re holding the winning cards, aren’t you?" Mo Mingchuan finally snapped, interrupting Zhang Wei.

"No, no, no, you misunderstand, Professor Mo. We are not certain either. I admit all of this is speculation, but what if we’re right? Can you really afford any of the risks I’ve mentioned?"

"Lawyer Zhang, since you put it this way, can you handle losing?"

"Of course, we’re just four people. If we lose the lawsuit, so what? We’ll just start over~"

At this moment, Zhang Wei’s attitude was like that of a pig not fearing scalding water.

This tactic was indeed effective, as Mo Mingchuan was rendered speechless by the response.

"Professor Mo, I’ve said my part. It’s for you to consider now. In short, a settlement of 5 million, we absolutely will not accept!"

Having said that, Zhang Wei gestured to the people by his side.

"Let’s go!"

He led the way out of the conference room, with Lin Yumeng following behind.

Li Yueqin and Tie Ruyun sat dumbfounded for a moment before quickly catching up.

Mo Mingchuan watched Zhang Wei and his party’s departure, falling into silence along with the representative beside him.