Are You Crazy? He’s only an Intern Lawyer?
Chapter 352 - 350: Junior Doesn’t Know the Rules? Ruthlessly Bursting the Bubble

Chapter 352: Chapter 350: Junior Doesn’t Know the Rules? Ruthlessly Bursting the Bubble

Near the city sports stadium, in a certain restaurant.

Inside the hall, a buffet party was taking place.

Among the attendees, many young men were dressed in suits, exchanging business cards while chatting about some recent interesting happenings in Dongfang Capital.

"If you ask me, this martial arts tournament is actually an opportunity for us newcomers to make a name for ourselves!"

"Just imagine, once there are more martial artists around, private matches are bound to happen frequently, and from a legal perspective, that’s assault and battery!"

"If it happens on the streets, naturally the impact of the incident won’t be small, and if they happen to pick up a brick or a folding stool, then it’s armed fighting. And if they end up breaking stuff, that’s damaging someone else’s property or public property!"

"Anyway, as long as no one gets killed, we can take on cases, help businesses that have had their things broken sue those martial artists, or help those martial artists deal with similar lawsuits. Regardless of which side we assist, we can have a steady stream of cases!"

Everyone around nodded uncontrollably after hearing what Senior Xu had said.

The cases mentioned by Senior Xu were all stable civil lawsuits.

Such cases boiled down to how much money was owed.

While big money was unattainable, making some small money was still quite easy.

They were all novice lawyers; it was uncertain whether they could take even one case a month. But now, with some effort, they could ensure a case every month or even every week. This was an opportunity not to be missed.

Moreover, many civil lawsuits were short-termed, and often the parties settled privately.

The cases were profitable and closed quickly, without the need for a court appearance...

It had many advantages; was that not wonderful?

"Senior Xu, do you have a steady source of cases? If so, could I join in as well?" A shrewd-looking young man couldn’t help but ask immediately.

His question had a purpose.

If he asked privately, Xu Zhifeng might find an excuse to evade.

But asking in front of everyone, faced with saving face, you couldn’t possibly refuse, right?

As long as you verbally agree, that’s a verbal contract. I’d like to see how you’ll refuse next time.

"Ah, Student Duan, what you say is correct. indeed I have a stable source of cases!"

Xu Zhifeng did not conceal anything and said with a smile, "Recently, our Longteng International also sponsored the martial arts tournament, so we have first-hand information about the tournament, including the list of participants and so on."

"Similarly, we have established a temporary project team, specifically handling the cases involving participants and related parties of the martial arts tournament. We have even reached cooperation with the inside of the Martial Association. If similar cases occur, they will recommend more of our Longteng International lawyers!"

Xu Zhifeng paused slightly as he spoke and then revealed his intention, "So, I plan to set up our own mutual aid group as well!"

"This group, led by me, will work together with all of you to deal with the cases allocated to me by the firm. Relying on the hard work of my fellow junior brothers and sisters, I believe we can bring these cases to a successful conclusion."

Many people nodded uncontrollably upon hearing this.

But that shrewd-looking Student Duan thought carefully and then found something amiss.

"Senior Xu, when you say you’ll take us to do cases, is that true? Longteng International itself has quite a few new people, don’t they? Even if the senior lawyers don’t care for these cases, wouldn’t the newcomers care?"

Many people fell into thought when they heard this.

Yes, Longteng International is a big firm, with many newcomers waiting to handle cases.

Would the firm assign tasks to others, and let someone else do it?

Wouldn’t they just handle it internally?

"Hahaha, Student Duan, I have considered what you said, so actually, I am the person taking the cases, but the ones who will actually handle them are all of you!"

Xu Zhifeng quickly explained with a smile, but a fleeting shadow crossed his eyes.

Clearly, he had taken note of this inquisitive Student Duan.

And he had already vowed in his heart that even if he had to distribute cases in the future, this Student Duan wouldn’t get a single one!

"Oh, isn’t this just outsourcing?"

Suddenly, an interjection came from nowhere.

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw at a corner table, someone in front of a few empty plates, voraciously tucking into their food with knife and fork in hand.

The person who had spoken was obviously this individual.

It was none other than Zhang Wei.

He hadn’t planned on speaking up at the start, merely intending to eat his fill and then blend in until the end of the gathering before returning to the sports stadium to watch the martial arts tournament.

But Xu Zhifeng’s words had compelled him to make a comment.

Outsourcing is actually a routine operation for many large companies.

When there’s a project, but the company doesn’t have enough staff, they will outsource it to smaller companies in the same industry.

The client pays 200,000, you find a small company, give them 100,000 or 150,000, and have them help with the work.

Small companies, lacking projects and despite the lower profit, will still take on the work.

The large company, without any input, makes a clear profit from the project difference—it’s virtually money for nothing.

Big companies often do this, typically outsourcing projects with lower profits that their own teams look down on.

This kind of thing can only be done by large companies, because they are not short of projects; rather, they have too many and outsource many of the tedious ones to smaller companies.

The same applies to law firms.

They disregard small cases, but clients only recognize big law firms, not giving small ones a second glance.

But after big law firms take on a case and meet the client, many then outsource the case.

At most, the big law firm assigns a lawyer to have their name on the case and to be appropriately involved throughout the process.

If it really comes to trial, the lead attorney will naturally be from the big law firm, but the person actually dealing with the matter and speaking in court will be a junior attorney from the small firm.

Xu Zhifeng obviously had this in mind, planning to take on a large number of similar cases from Longteng International and then outsource them one by one to these juniors.

Looking at it positively, it’s mutually beneficial.

I, Xu Zhifeng, get credit for case completion and conversion rates, and all of you get cases to work on and experience in negotiations and court appearances.

Negatively, it meant Xu Zhifeng gained a lot of free labor.

For every case, he wouldn’t have to lift a finger to earn a decent attorney’s fee, while these juniors had to run around for the clients and attend to Xu Zhifeng’s every need.

Even if the case is successful in the end, part of the attorney’s fees earned must be shared with Xu Zhifeng.

After all, getting the cases was Xu Zhifeng’s achievement, without his "pity" and "charity," they wouldn’t even touch a case.

Of course, this is what people who understand the ins and outs of it think.

In the eyes of ordinary people or these juniors, it’s Xu Zhifeng being "very generous" in sharing the cases with them.

However, this kind of "living under somebody else’s roof" operation is something Zhang Wei absolutely disdains.

But at this moment, it was not a matter of whether Zhang Wei looked down on it, as Xu Zhifeng had noticed him.

"This person is..."

Xu Zhifeng had done his homework; he recognized almost all of the juniors he invited.

But he didn’t recognize Zhang Wei.

"He came with Zhang Hui. I heard he’s a recent graduate and currently an intern lawyer!"

One of Xu Zhifeng’s fans immediately leaned in and whispered.

"A newbie, just graduated, joined the law firm not long ago, on an internship!"

Xu Zhifeng immediately understood; this Zhang Wei was truly as fearless as a newborn calf, daring to speak up casually at such an event.

But since the other party was a newcomer, it was also understandable.

In short, he had not yet been hardened by society’s blows and his thoughts were still at the "say whatever you want" stage of campus life.

Xu Zhifeng hadn’t wanted to mind such a person.

But the other party’s casual interjection was equivalent to publicly embarrassing Xu Zhifeng, and combined with a slight irritation caused by another junior earlier, Xu Zhifeng decided to teach this new junior a lesson.

"Oh, this junior, you came with Zhang Hui. Did you also receive the internal recommendation qualification from our East University?"

This question was a simple probe.

If Zhang Wei said yes, then he was interning at one of the Top Ten Firms and Xu Zhifeng would have to give him some face.

If the answer was no, it would show that the junior wasn’t with one of the Top Ten Firms, and so Xu Zhifeng could handle him as he pleased.

"Oh, our school also has internal recommendations? How come I didn’t know about this?"

Zhang Wei feigned "surprise" for a moment, but effectively answered the question.

The answer was no.

Xu Zhifeng already had his answer.

"This junior, everyone here is conversing, and you’re eating on your own; that’s not appropriate, right?"

"There’s not much I can teach you, but I must tell you this first lesson: once you enter the workplace, you can’t be unruly like you were in school; at the very least, you need to listen attentively when your seniors are talking!"

Although Xu Zhifeng was lecturing Zhang Wei, making an issue out of nothing, he put on an "I’m doing this for your own good" attitude.

Many people around couldn’t help but silently applaud Xu Zhifeng for "teaching" Zhang Wei about workplace rules.

Senior Xu is really nice, actually educating such a junior about workplace etiquette.

"Oh, is that so, I’ve had my fill too, so you guys chat, and I’ll listen..."

Zhang Wei chuckled, wiped his hands and the corners of his mouth with a tissue, and walked over to a chair near the crowd, where he sat down directly.

A shadow passed through Xu Zhifeng’s eyes.

What’s wrong with this junior? Doesn’t he know the rules?

What are the workplace rules?

When your seniors speak, you have to listen, and you also have to appear to be listening attentively.

When your seniors are working, you have to support them from the sidelines, and occasionally cheer them on with a few words like "hard work."

If a senior is standing, you cannot sit, or else how will it look if your seniors are suffering while you’re slacking off and enjoying yourself?

"Junior, your senior thinks that your behavior is very inappropriate!"

Xu Zhifeng decided not to beat around the bush anymore, making a veiled attack: "If you were really interning at a law firm, you might not last a few months, let alone get through the probation period."

"I bet they’re keeping you because your little law firm is really short of people, so they’re just making do with someone like you for the time being. Once they recruit someone else, you’re probably going to be kicked out!"

Warning, threat, or perhaps a prediction.

Anyway, Xu Zhifeng felt that someone like Zhang Wei would definitely be fired, it was just a matter of time.

You can’t even behave like a proper human being, how could your leaders possibly keep you?

My advice? Read the book "Emotional Intelligence."

What Xu Zhifeng didn’t know, however, was that Zhang Wei could actually be very emotionally intelligent, but it depended on who he was dealing with.

If it were about someone as insignificant as a random cat or dog on the street, why should he bother wasting his time engaging with them?

Wouldn’t it be more efficient to just ignore them?

So, when faced with Xu Zhifeng’s sarcasm and insinuations, Zhang Wei’s response was.

"Ah, right, right, right, everything Senior says is correct!"

Perfunctory, extremely perfunctory!

Even Xu Zhifeng could tell that he was being brushed off by this junior.

"Zhang Hui, is this the junior you brought along!"

After searching the crowd for a moment, Xu Zhifeng found Zhang Hui and directly opened fire.

He’s your recruit, with this kind of attitude, it’s clear he’s opposing me, you better do something about it!

Zhang Hui was also in a tough spot; she was helpless.

Because she knew that Zhang Wei was a very independent thinker and had a strong personality.

Otherwise, when she first asked for his help, he wouldn’t have immediately snatched away her qualification as a chief lawyer.

Towards Zhang Wei, Zhang Hui felt both respect and trepidation.

As for the conflict between Zhang Wei and Xu Zhifeng, she was totally bewildered.

She and some friends were having a good chat in a corner; how did she get dragged into a silent storm?

Faced with the looks from all around, Zhang Hui felt completely innocent.

"Um, Senior Xu, is there some kind of misunderstanding between you and Junior Zhang?"

Her comment reflected her role as a mediator trying to resolve the conflict between the two.

"Misunderstanding, I think it’s Sister who’s misunderstood, isn’t it?"

Zhang Wei found it amusing.

There’s no misunderstanding. It’s just that he had hurt the other party’s pride or perhaps exposed a little scheme, and then he got targeted by that party.

He looked around the crowd and continued to speak: "Senior Xu, I understand what you’re thinking. You probably got a lot of cases from your firm, or you bragged to your department leaders that you would handle 10, 20, or even 30 cases a month, right?"

"But I believe, using your juniors to satisfy your own ambitions for such purposes, that seems somewhat inappropriate, doesn’t it?"

"Besides, you just treated us to a meal, and to repay that favor with exploitation, I may not be able to articulate everything, but something about it just feels off!"

After finishing his point, Zhang Wei winked at Xu Zhifeng, "Senior Xu, I’ll be frank with you, you better not let your juniors lose out with this outsourcing business. Initially, everyone might be happy about taking on a case, but once they realize you’re exploiting them, they may end up resenting you!"

"So you see, such matters are indeed not easy to handle, especially if you’re still thinking about cultivating these connections, then it becomes even more necessary to be cautious."

"But if..."

Zhang Wei had by this time already walked up to Xu Zhifeng and patted him on the shoulder, "But if you only want to fulfill a promise to a leader and haven’t thought about cultivating relationships, just thinking about using us this one time. After the case is all settled, whether you find out my intentions or not, I have already gained the attention of the firm, and in the future, can soar to the sky, then just pretend I didn’t say anything!"

"I believe Senior Xu Zhifeng, you wouldn’t be such a despicable person, right? You wouldn’t be thinking of using us juniors and sisters as stepping stones on your path to success in the legal profession, would you?"

In the end, Zhang Wei finished speaking with a hint of a mocking smile on his face, and took another look at Xu Zhifeng.

Obviously, he believed he had hit the nail on the head regarding the other’s thoughts.

"Well then, Senior Xu, and all the other seniors and sisters whose names I can’t call out, I’ll take my leave!"

Zhang Wei turned and left, not caring about the impact his words would have on others.

When he reached the door, he turned back once more, thanking them, "Oh, right, thanks for the meal today, I ate my fill!"

With that, he really left!

"This..."

Xu Zhifeng watched Zhang Wei leave, standing there in a daze for a moment.

The others also had varied thoughts.

Quite a few people even rolled their eyes, sizing up Xu Zhifeng with critical looks.

Could it be that he truly harbors such thoughts, intending to use us as stepping stones to fulfill his so-called promise to his leaders?

If that’s the case, isn’t this senior a bit too despicable?

In order to climb the ranks himself, he would have us toiling after him?

Xu Zhifeng felt the pressure.

At the same time, he was surprised by Zhang Wei’s final words.

What’s with this guy, how did he find out about my real purpose?

Indeed, Xu Zhifeng had boasted in front of the leaders and really planned to use these younger students to help himself fulfill performance and targets.

But this kind of thing, even the old lawyers aren’t clear on the details, how did this newcomer get familiar with these maneuvers?

Had he also done this before?

That’s absolutely impossible, how old is he, and still an intern lawyer?

Oh, it must be because he was used like a pawn by the seniors at the firm, so he knows the ins and outs.

It must be!

However, although his little scheme was ruthlessly exposed by Zhang Wei, Xu Zhifeng’s ability to adjust was not bad.

"Cough cough, the student just now doesn’t understand the etiquette, please don’t mind him, everyone. After all, he’s a newcomer just out of school, don’t take it to heart!"

He immediately excused Zhang Wei openly, but in fact, he subtly implied criticism, casting Zhang Wei as a newcomer who doesn’t understand the rules.

Then, he excused himself, "Actually, my aim today, is just to lead everyone to accumulate experience, to get in touch with more clients, and to earn a considerable income together, nothing more!"

"If no one wants these cases, I won’t force it, whether you take the cases or not, it’s everyone’s freedom!"

Xu Zhifeng said, raising his glass, "Come on, if everyone is still willing to give me, Xu Zhifeng, some face, and give Longteng International some face, let’s toast!"

"That’s right, Senior Xu is a formal lawyer at Longteng International, how could he possibly scheme against us!"

"I toast to Senior Xu!"

"Me too!"

"And me!"

A few of Xu Zhifeng’s supporters immediately chimed in.

For a moment, the restaurant atmosphere became lively again.

But after Zhang Wei’s "warning," there indeed were some who felt repelled by Xu Zhifeng’s enthusiasm.

And Xu Zhifeng, he noticed this thorn in their hearts.

"This student, I’ll remember you, you’ll see what’s coming to you in the future!"

Xu Zhifeng remembered Zhang Wei, feeling that he had deliberately disrespected him.

He would find an opportunity to get back at him!