Balancing Act
by
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After I’d been standing on the corner for about an hour, getting progressively wetter, John McWilliams, the senior partner, finally arrived and ushered me into the building where I would begin my year of articles, without doubt the longest, most nerve-racking year of my life.
As soon as we were inside the building, John, who I later learned was manic-depressive and who was clearly in a manic stage, greeted me by shouting out that I must be the new “baby lawyer!” As I had graduated from law school at age forty-three and was a single mother of three children, I was both taken aback and flattered to be called any name that sounded youthful ….
John then proceeded to give me his version of an orientation, during which he dashed around the office moving files for no apparent reason and, at one point, threw all of his telephone messages in the garbage, explaining that they were so old there was no reason to return the calls. Over the next few days, I learned that John seldom returned calls but rather ignored them despite his secretary’s pleas. It soon became one of my jobs to return his calls, and I was put in the position of trying to soothe irate clients and assure them that their case, about which in some instances I knew little or nothing, was going well.
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About the Book
Kate, a forty-three-year-old single mother of three, is trying not to panic. As she hobbles down the street to the courthouse in her new high heels, she quickly realizes that law school has done nothing to prepare her for the real world of practicing law. Ready to embark on a year of articling as part of her last steps toward attorney accreditation, Kate finds herself in the midst of a balancing act she fears she will never get right.
As she immerses herself in her new corporate life at a family law firm, she must somehow find her way in an intimidating environment made worse by a lack of an office, secretary, or her own chair. While dealing with the whirlwind that surrounds her lonely and rejected clients enduring divorce, custody battles, and the division of property, Kate is kept incredibly busy by the demands of her job and the pressure of caring for her children. To top it off, now she has been put in charge of the law firm’s softball team.
Balancing Act shares a humorous, heartfelt glimpse into a single mother’s struggle to balance the needs of her family with the demands of her career. Only time will tell if she will make it to the finish line without losing her balance.
About the Author
Diane Tupper was in her early forties and a single mother with five children when she earned her undergraduate degree and then attended law school at the University of British Columbia. Now a retired family law lawyer, she resides in Maple Ridge, British Columbia. This is her debut novel. She is presently working on her second book.
Her website is www.dianetupper.ca
The illustrations at the beginning of each chapter are the work of Sean Whiteside, one of the author's 13 grandchildren.