The Death of the Lunch

I was recently invited to lunch by several partners.  As this was the first time I’ve been invited to lunch by someone other then my “mentor.” Being hungry, I immediately said yes. When we arrived, we waited to be joined by other attorneys from another law firm. This was a business lunch devoted to building relationships, talking shit, and getting possible insights in to future business.

One of the lawyers in the group mentioned that it was rare for “attorneys to have lunch.” He said he use to remember the times where, even members of the same firm, went out together for two hour long lunches. After catching my glare, he quickly realized that the pressures of the billable hour were to blame. For associates, who regularly stay until seven, that one hour lunch must now stay until eight to account for that hour. As more law firms are being turned into businesses, with worries about the bottom line, these pressures affect partners as well. 

If we don’t have lunch, how are we going to build those relationships, talk the shit, and get business?

*Prophet

 

Comments

[j.d.crane]

It's like a partner I was talking to the other day said. We here all these stories from the old-timers about martini lunches and golf outings and the like, but nobody does them now. It's because we're all wage slaves. Once law became super-lucrative back in the late 80's, everyone started thinking about an hour lunch as two to four-hundred dollars they wouldn't be making. So now we all keep one eye glued to the clock, and forego developing relationships with our peers, for the most part. I wonder if that's another reason that civility is in the crapper.