Lunch meetings are common for law firm managers and owners. If you run a successful law firm with many social, business, and friend contacts, they often ask you to lunch.

Going to lunch with others is often a great thing to do. You spread your wings and meet others by lunch, often leading to referrals. Lunch meetings can also be a good break away from otherwise monotonous or stressful days. It can also be a great way to catch up with friends.

Are Lunch Meetings Always Harmless?

The reality, however, is that lunch meetings are not always harmless for law firm owners or managers. If you are running a successful law firm, many individuals secret (or not so secretly) want your business.

The array of individuals wanting your law firm’s business can be almost unlimited. Many individuals offer services they think can assist lawyers in different ways.

Whether it be somebody who works in insurance, accounting, marketing, office supplies, investments, real estate, or other areas, many of these individuals asking you to lunch have hidden motives for gaining your law firm’s business.

Lunch Meetings Can Turn Into Solicitations

In a prior article, I warned that law firms should have a no-solicitation policy. For most law firm managers and owners, there is no time in the day to meet everybody who wants their business. Most law firm owners and managers could spend almost their entire workday talking with individuals who wish to do business with their law firm.

Lunch meetings can be dangerous and a time suck when you think they are just lunch meetings, but instead turn into an unexpected meeting to gain your law firm’s business. When that occurs, the light lunch you thought you were having to break up a monotonous or stressful day can become more stressful.

Further, it can be harder to say “no” to individuals who want your business who you know — versus strangers you do not know. At the same time, these individuals you know might not take “no” as well as others who do not know you.

How To Handle Lunch Requests?

In the end, meeting individuals for lunch can be a good thing. However, busy law firm managers and owners should gently vet the lunch requests in advance to ensure they are not a secret sales session.

While you might desire some social interaction during the workday, the truth is that the more prominent your law firm is, the more of a problem this can become.