Michael Was in a Hurry. He Was Scrambling Up the Ladder at Drake & Sweeney, a Giant D. C. Firm With 800 Lawyers. the Money Was Good and Getting Better; a Partnership Was Three Years Away. He Was a Rising Star, With No Time to Waste, No Time to Stop, No Time to Toss a Few Coins Into the Cups of Panhandlers, No Time to Walk Around Them on the Sidewalk, and No Time for a Conscience. but a Violent Encounter With a Homeless Man Stopped Him Cold. Michael Survived; His Assailant Did Not. Who Was This Homeless Man? Michael Did Some Digging and Learned That He Was a Mentally Ill Veteran Who'd Been in and Out of Shelters for Twenty Years. Then, Michael Dug a Little Deeper, and Found a Dirty Secret, and the Secret Involved Drake & Sweeney. the Fast Track Derailed; and the Ladder Collapsed. Michael Bolted From the Firm, and Took a Top Secret File With Him. He Landed in the Streets, a Poverty Lawyer, a Street Lawyer, an Advocate for the Homeless, and a Thief.