Before I became an attorney, I would watch movies depicting attorneys. Some of them totally outrageous and foolish, and some of them riveting and noteworthy. But in almost all of them, when attorneys were depicted at lunch, it was almost always at some swanky restaurant with a lot of wood and glass around with white tablecloths. In addition, these attorneys were always talking business and there was a round of drinks on the table. Mind you, it was a Tuesday depicted on the screen. These depicted attorneys always seemed like they had all the time in the world and that they would be concerned about getting back to the office whenever they felt like getting back to the office. Now when I was in the prosecutor’s office, it was all I could do sometimes to get a damn lunch hour. However, when I did, I was in a congenial office where the attorneys and support staff would eat together.

            When I got into private practice, I was borne into a private firm culture that the lunch hour was an hour to be taken. I fully endorse this idea and this culture. I find that I really need that lunch hour to decompress from the morning’s events. Whether I am in court or chained to my desk from 8am to noon. My partner and I make a point each day, if we are not committed to court or a meeting, to have lunch together and talk about the status of our cases and how the business day is going.

            Do we attorneys take our lunch breaks? When we do, do we go big like in the movies or do we catch a hot dog at the hot dog stand outside the courthouse in between hearings? Do we choose to work through our lunch hours to catch up or do we step away from it all to slow down, eat, and process? I distinctly remember me and opposing counsel needing to get a hold of a judge during lunchtime. One would think that you would be totally shit out of luck in trying to find a judge. However, more times than I thought, me and opposing counsel’s hunt for a judge during lunchtime was successful. I remember being surprised that those judge’s didn’t step away from the courthouse to just go to lunch. Perhaps some judges had a strong feeling of duty to be accessible to attorneys throughout the work day. Perhaps some judges just didn’t have time to get away to anywhere where they could truly enjoy a private and quiet lunch hour. Regardless, I always felt empathy for them that they didn’t have a lunch hour or, from what I could see, a proper meal in the middle of the day.

            I have more choice now that I am in private practice. And while I am sure that lots of work could be accomplished during the time I choose to eat lunch, I still choose to take my hour (or two) to eat my lunch each day I am able. Am I weird? Do we do this? I would love to know others’ perspective on this. To lunch or not to lunch?

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