Excerpt of The Cost of Happiness: A Contemporary Romance by Magdalen Braden

Meghan only needed a single meeting to be shown her new
place in the firm.

The Complex Litigation Group met every Monday morning at
ten-thirty, right after the litigation lawyers’ meeting. The
first Monday, Meghan got to the conference room before
everyone else and sat far from the door, two seats up from
the end of the table. The lawyers trickled in slowly, summer
associates being the promptest, then junior associates,
senior associates, and junior partners. Last of all, the
senior partner rushed in, still tapping away on a
BlackBerry.

Meghan had her pad out, her notes on the cases in a folder,
a pen in her hand and her head down. She could tell, though,
that she was causing some consternation. She glanced up to
see one of the mid-level associates frowning at her. They
stared at each other before Meghan got it—she was in his
seat. Then Meghan noticed the empty seat diagonally opposite
hers. Near the hall and…ah, yes, that was the point. It was
closest to the phone on the credenza. That was where the
lowly paralegal should sit, ready to fetch something or
answer the phone so none of the lawyers needed to.

Got it. Won’t make that mistake again.

At the second meeting, Meghan again arrived first. She sat
in the correct seat and was completely ignored. When Georgia
Moran announced she was leaving the Complex Litigation Group
and pointedly told Vicky Womack to coordinate with Meghan to
help the new guy settle in, Meghan thought she detected a
slight sneer on Vicky’s perfectly groomed lips. Otherwise,
Vicky gave no indication she knew or cared who Meghan was.

Meghan ducked her head so no one could see her smile. It was
like there was an ironclad rule—ignore the phony paralegal.
The lawyers noticed her only when there was work for her to
do. The other paralegals ignored her because she wasn’t a
proper paralegal. The secretaries ignored her because she
was neither a paralegal nor a lawyer.

Welcome to Fergusson & Leith, Philly’s number two law firm.
Where a quasi-paralegal was better than a mailroom clerk,
but not by much.