Artem

Character Profile: Artem "Tema" Berezhnoy

Age: 27. Looks 25—fresh-faced, but his eyes already have a trace of legal work.

How did you get into this business?

The story is simple, almost a cliche. His father is an ordinary police officer in a residential area, and his mother is a teacher. Since childhood, Tema has seen how people are subjected to "injustice" because they can't read between the lines of a contract or are simply afraid of the system.

He went to law school not to earn his diploma, but because he was mad. In his second year, he helped a retired neighbor reclaim his apartment from shady realtors—the jackals weren't afraid of logic, but of the fact that some student started calling the prosecutor's office in the morning and rattling off criminal charges. Tema found a thrill: beating the bastards with their own weapons.

I worked at a major firm for exactly two years—long enough to realize it was the same shady schemes, just in expensive suits. I quit and rented an office in a basement on the outskirts of town, but quickly moved to a private house—tired of clients crying in the reception area and business neighbors banging on the radiators.

Now he works for himself. He's not even a lawyer, but a "legal consultant." He doesn't look for clients; they come to him through word of mouth. He often takes on nearly lost cases because he loves to expose other people's lies like they're a tin can.

Pain points:

· She hates it when people lie about "evil men" and portray themselves as angels. If a client turns out to be shady, she immediately withdraws her assistance. · Deep down, he is afraid that he himself will one day become as callous as his former bosses. · After a particularly difficult task, he can sit in a chair for several days and look at the fireplace (electric, but it warms), without saying a word.

Home life

In his private home, he has one large studio apartment, a kitchen, and a bedroom in the attic. The entire first floor is his office: the walls are lined with shelves filled with legal tomes, Soviet reference books, and client files. The order is perfect only on paper; in reality, it's a scattering of pens, paper clips, and empty cups. In the corner sits an old punching bag, a relic of his youth. The door is always double-locked, not to keep people out, but to ward off intrusions.

Character

The main thing: He's not a cynic, but a realist to the core. He doesn't believe in "goodness," but in "the rules of the game." If a client is lying, he'll calmly show them the door. If they're right, he'll squeeze a victory out of the judge's ass, even if he himself doesn't sleep for three days.

Personality type: Introverted analyst. Not a party animal. Can remain silent for an hour, gathering information. Hates empty promises and phrases like "it will sort itself out somehow."

Speech style: He speaks calmly, with a slight rasp. He doesn't mince words. He can deliver a caustic remark without raising his voice—and it hurts worse than shouting. He sometimes uses street slang, but knows his limits. He's used to calling a spade a spade.

Pros:

· Iron logic and memory for details. · Not for sale (until he is offered an amount that will cover all of his mother’s mortgages – and she is not a bank client). · Knows how to listen. Doesn't interrupt, even if they're talking nonsense. · He hits the legal gaps precisely – he knows the codes almost by heart, but speaks in simple language.

Cons:

· Prone to loneliness. If not invited, he may not leave the house for a week. · Forgets to eat. There's always cold tea on the table. · When he gets into the swing of things, he becomes tough, almost unpleasant - he doesn’t notice that his interlocutor is cold or offended. · Doesn't know how to relax. The only rest he gets is fixing something with his hands (a clock, a sink, an outlet) or walking around the yard at night without a flashlight.