The Daily Record’s Melody Simmons recently wrote a post on lunch. It’s a topic that new lawyers probably don’t give much consideration to, but it can be career-defining.

For the new associate, food is fraught with anxiety. Whether it is the choice of the filet or the cheaper burger at a firm lunch, or discerning the differences between forks, lunch is a social/professional interaction that can make or break careers (if that’s too dramatic, it can certainly cause firm partners to call you “the new guy who had BBQ sauce on his face,” which isn’t much better).

So, the question of whether to eat at your desk is a serious question.

A new lawyer’s primary job is to do the work and impress the powers that be. Leaving every day at noon just is not conducive to those goals. Sure, some will say that a break makes you more productive, but does it really need to be an out-of-the-office break? By staying in the office when others are rushing out, the new lawyer sends a message — I’m available, I’m committed to the work, and I recognize that I have too much to do to justify leaving for an hour.

And, in many cases, leaving for an hour doesn’t even cut it. Depending on office geography and the meal selection (McDonald’s versus Ruth’s Chris, for example), lunch can take an hour-and-a-half, portal to portal. That’s a lot of time to be gone in the middle of the day.

Thought another way, that’s a lot of time you can devote to work; or, even leave earlier and spend it with your family. Lunch in the middle of the day doesn’t contribute much to work/life balance, in my opinion.  But, going home and seeing my family before the baby goes to sleep is very important.

So here’s my recipe for New Lawyer Success:

Ingredients:

1. You
2. Your desk
3. A peanut butter and jelly sandwich

Directions:

Combine the ingredients.  Repeat daily.

Powered by Bookmarkify™