Ellen has expressed discomfort a number of times already about billing for a whole lotta nothing in STL this past week--and now, characteristically, she wants either authoritative professional advice, or alternatively she'll take Dad's word. He did go to MIT and join Mensa...
While the above reasoning is pretty true to form, in other ways I do think this is a significant twist in our story. To my mind, Ellen's ethics quandary and budding plan signal two significant departure's:
- MP may be a fraud rather than simply a fool. Almost everything the guy does--ooogleing, buffing his bald head, botching clients' transactional submissions--is attributable to his bumbling and overconfidence. He's certainly stingy, condescending, and sexist, but never has he given us reason to think him a thief. What the dill? I see a few possibilities: he's always done things like this, and Ellen just never figured it out before; he's charting new territory because he knows Jim (the cleint who will be getting this bill, after all) is a chump; OR--yes, it may be--Ellen has a fundamental misunderstanding of what's going on. I suppose I should tack on the fourth possibility that Jim is actually being billed for Ellen's company rather than any work hours (ahem), with or without misapprehension of what went on at the hotel. It's hard to rule anything out here at ELLENWatch, including that MP is effectively pimping, or that some kind of gentlemen's agreement involving the Tiffany's ring was struck months ago. I wonder what the Sunshine Girls would say?
- Ellen is questioning MP's judgment and taking action with an eye to "tell [him] if he is right or not." This has been completely unheard of heretofore. Notwithstanding all of the above, the fact remains that the relationship between Ellen and MP may never be the same again--whether or not he ever finds out about her suspicions, whether or not any phone call is made, whether or not said phone call is anoonomouns. She's showing a refusal to defer, meaningfully, for the first time. And if she's sprouting her own wings I feel like either she makes partner sooner rather than later, or MP has to let her go--with all of her clients and without any PISHAWing.
Thank's to rosie and EK...and I'll be on this.
I am not a big fan of lace b/c my ex alway’s wanted me to dress provocativelely for him, and he alway’s liked to stare at me.
Fooey, I am at the airport here and my flight is delayed again. Doubel Fooey!
Does anyone in the hive know about some ethices officer in NY State that I can ask question’s of? I had a billeing issue and now I was told there is a person that anser’s question’s anoonomounsly. If I can get an answer, I can tell the manageing partner if he is right or not. It just does NOT seem right to me that I can bill $20,000 plus expense’s when I have done virtueally nothing all week on the job.
I am going to visit my dad this weekend, and will ask him to. Even tho he is NOT a lawyer, admitted to practise in the NY bar the way I am, he is very smart and intutitive, and should be abel to give me an answer that I can live with.
Yay! Weekend time and once I get home I will have a great time.
rosie :
I have heard that the bar operates a LINE for all these question’s. There is DEFINETLY an ethics officer that can help you and manageing partner.EK :
YES there is an ethices officer hotline you can call – though it’s a strange set up. You’re essentially calling some volunteer bar member either on his cell phone or on his office line, and of course, if you end up calling on his office line, you have to give his secretary your name, etc. before you’re allowed to ask your top secret ethices question. Very un-anoonomouns.
Read more: http://corporette.com/2012/10/19/weekend-open-thread-152/#ixzz29mT4qK1T
I haven't polled the other Sunshine Girls but I don't buy into your pimping hypothesis. Ellen is a young professional trying to tread her way thru a thicket of obstacles, like most of us, while retaining her dignity and moral compass. She appears to come from good stock, with a stable 2 parent home led by an intelligent father, and seeks equivalence in her own life while being accosted by a variety of ne'er do wells who would exploit her for her body while ignoring her valuable mind and professional status. It is little wonder so many of us identify with, and long to emulate and protect Ellen against the bevy of malevolent males eager to exploit her--most in the boudoir, but others in the workplace. Kudos to the women on the train overheard talking about Ellen, but we all adore her and wish her well. The Sunshine Girls want her to marry a rich guy, have kids and become a part time arbitrator. She'd be fabulous, as the guys will be drooling as they all agree to whatever reasonable solution she suggests! Go Ellen!
ReplyDeleteYour input is highly valued, as always. I hope you know, though, that the pimping possibility was not a "hypothesis" but rather something that I couldn't not mention. That said, even if it is true, it's going on above Ellen's head and thus reflects only on MP's character, home, and stock, not Ellen's.
DeleteYour fandom, as outlined above, is a good articulation of what I feel Ellen's function is on Corporette.
Finally, while I appreciate your need for anonymity, can we make a compromise? Can you put "Sunshine" or "S&S" or something like that in the Name field when you COMENT? Pretty please?