The HireCounsel Funeral Dirge

Last weekend, a friend I grew up with unexpectedly passed away. As sad as it was, I was able to attend to my business and pay my condolences.

Unfortunately, one of my temporary attorney colleagues wasn't so lucky when she had to attend a funeral several years ago. At the time, she was working for the HireCounsel temp agency. In the middle of the funeral, piercing high above the somber chants of Dies Irae, went the ring of her cell phone. Apparently, it was Denise Fischler, who was demanding to know when my friend was going to return to work. My friend kindly informed her that she was in the middle of a funeral, and that it wasn't the best time for a conversation. After hanging up, Ms. Fischler immediately called back, and left a message on voice mail requesting that my friend mail back in her employee I.D. badge! Talk about nerve.

I had my own personal run in with this crackpot, when I quit the Paul Weiss gulag. Despite sending in a kind, professional e-mail to Ms. Fischler, informing her that I didn't take my doc. reviews with cockroaches, I received a nasty, scathing telephone call from her, at 10 P.M. She berated me like a child, scolding me for walking off a project. "How dare you just quit like that," she sneered. I was so exasperated, I merely apologized. Surprisingly, one week later, she called me for another assignment.

Fortunately, Ms. Fischler no longer works for the HireCounsel temp agency; remember, only the good die young, and Denise probably went off, crawled under some rock, and will in all likelihood survive the next nuclear winter. Just be thankful, however, that you will never again have to hear the HireCounsel funeral dirge.