NOLA Notes

As an attorney in a not-so-small law firm, there are many opportunities to eat for free whilst on the job. Here’s a primer of how to save serious coin on meals.

Let’s start with breakfast. At my office, two attorneys bring breakfast once a week. One brings on Wednesdays, the other Fridays. Do you think it is a coincidence that two of my three days in the office are Wednesdays and Fridays? If so, think again.

Then, folks tend to bring left over cakes and other desserts they had at home that they’d rather not leave for themselves and their families to nosh on. These delectables usually arrive on Monday mornings (my third day in the office, and again not a coincidence).

And if it is carnival time (early January through Fat Tuesday), we have King Cakes in the office every Friday morning. Usually from Randazzo’s or Haydel’s. Never from a grocery store.

Then sometimes there will be some client meeting or whatnot that requires breakfast to be brought in. Extra danishes abound on those mornings.

Now let’s move to lunch. This is the real bonanza. If you don’t eat one free lunch a week at the firm’s expense, you just aren’t trying. First, there are department meetings. I am in two departments and they each meet once a month. That’s two free lunches a month. Sign up for other departments, that’s more free lunches. If you are a department head (I am not), that’s another free lunch once a month. Ditto for the management team and the marketing team–some attorneys are in so many of these that they could probably eat for free every day! Hell, just this week I attended a meeting I would otherwise have avoided simply because I had not packed a lunch and those four magic words were uttered: “lunch will be provided.”

Then there are lunches for the employees to discuss health insurance and the 401(k) plan and the like. These are usually about four times a year. Then there is the occasional Firm Pizza Day (and the annual Firm Turkey Day the Friday before Thanksgiving).

And often times you don’t even need to attend the meeting. If it is expected to have a large attendance, salads and pastas and other hot meals are ordered and served buffet-style. If you don’t mind eating at 2pm, you can snag the copious leftovers.

Did I mention that all of these free meals I’ve discussed so far are in the office? Free and delivered to your door. But if you are willing to step outside, then you can munch on like Pac Man. You can attend a lunch-time continuing legal education (CLE) program or attend a firm-sponsored table at a civic meeting. Or you could even take a client to lunch. And during the summer, grab a law clerk and head out.

If you manage to not get breakfast or lunch (and shame on you if you could not finagle either), fear not! You may still be able to snag dinner. Yes, there are CLEs that provide dinner. Or join an organization (that the firm will pay for) that meets over dinner. Then there is the once-a-year end-of-summer clerk dinner as well as the occasional firm dinner for just the attorneys. Sometimes it’s a client appreciation/development event that the firm sponsors and is more of a cocktail party affair, but you can still eat enough to skip dinner.

And in between all of these, there are snacks. The copier companies, court reporters, and other companies thanking us for or trying to get our business send the firm cookies and other afternoon treats. During the holidays, there are more treacle treats in our office than the law should allow–from satisfied clients to referral sources.

If you can catch any one of these meals, it really can carry you through the whole day. And that is good. Because if you otherwise do not have plans, you may find yourself spending $15 on a ham and cheese sandwich from a shop around the corner. It really is no wonder why I can’t lose those last 10 pounds of baby weight now that I am back at work!