Taking your attorney to lunch is more than just a cheap date

Asking your attorney to go to lunch is always a good idea if you both have the time. Too often clients will skip these opportunities to communicate with their lawyer – off the clock. After all, attorneys have to eat lunch too, why not use that time to your advantage? Here are some tips how –

Choose the proper content for the conversation
Lunch may not be the best time to bring a mountain of documents to go over. It is, however, a good time to get to know your attorney, and more importantly – to get them to know you. Business litigation is often emotional and elements of your case can have personal background information that can help your legal team craft a better strategy. Lunch is a good time to give your attorney information about your history of the case from a more personal standpoint. Come armed with a handful of questions you want answered as well, which means bring a notebook and pen.

Choose an inviting venue
While you shouldn’t waste your money on a 4 star meal, do choose a moderately priced place close to the attorney’s office. If it’s the type of place that’s popular enough with the business lunch crowd to require reservations but doesn’t have steep prices (you’ll find there’s plenty of options, especially in metro areas) it fits the litmus test for an attorney-client lunch date. And while choosing a popular or trendy place may be more compelling to the lawyer you invite, you also want to be mindful of how noisy it is. Having strained conversations where one has to yell across the table makes sensitive conversations that much more difficult.

Pay the tab
People will remember who paid the bill. And for 45 minutes or so of an attorney’s time that usually goes for anywhere from $160 – $320 an hour, it’s money well spent.