No problem is so big that a little BBQ can’t fix it.
The post Ordering Feuding Lawyers To Have Lunch Together… Totally Worked? appeared first on Above the Law.
Chief Judge R. David Proctor of the Northern District of Alabama, go ahead and take your victory lap. Frustrated by counsel’s level of pettiness, the judge ordered the lawyers to have lunch together to talk about how they were going to behave better going forward. Plaintiff counsel would cover the check, defense counsel would kick in the tip, and they would jointly report back to the court.
And it seems as though it worked out:
On December 16, 2024, undersigned counsel met for lunch at Saw’s BBQ in Hoover, Alabama, for over an hour. The discussion covered the practice of law, families, some big-ticket items for the 2024 holiday season, everyone’s small town bona fides, and the plan for communication going forward in this matter. A healthy dialogue regarding professional norms ensued.
Honestly, the family and holiday talk feels more encouraging than the professional norms conversation. It’s a lot harder to file a motion to strike over one side filing 15 minutes late — the precipitating issue in this case — when you care about what they’re getting Johnny for Christmas. Which, to the judge’s credit, is probably why they were ordered to have lunch as opposed to a meet and confer to discuss norms in a conference room.
As for the risk of shenanigans when the bill came due…
Plaintiff’s counsel paid the $74.00 bill, and Defendants’ counsel left a $74.00 tip.
So they made it a very happy holiday for their server too.
Earlier: Judge Orders Lawyers To Have Lunch To Think About What They Did
Joe Patrice is a senior editor at Above the Law and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. Feel free to email any tips, questions, or comments. Follow him on Twitter or Bluesky if you’re interested in law, politics, and a healthy dose of college sports news. Joe also serves as a Managing Director at RPN Executive Search.
