Lunch Meetings Forum

[Anonymous User]

A month or so ago, I reached out to several successful alumni (v10 partners and senior counsel) in fields I was interested in going into. I was fortunate enough to receive several replies, and as a result, I have a few informational lunches scheduled in the near future. The problem is I have no idea how to dress to these lunches. Generally, I would assume business casual since these are nothing more than friendly lunches, not an active interview. The situation is complicated a bit (at least in my mind) by the fact that the meetings will be held in the respective offices.

Normally, I would dress to the same level as the people I am going to be around. However, in this case, I think a suit (that I assume most of the office will be wearing) seems a bit overly formal for the situation.

Thoughts? I'm thinking just a nice shirt/tie/slacks get up. Keep in mind this is NYC in mid-June.

[Anonymous User]

I would just dress casually--as if you were going out on a nice date. Then again, I'm from CA, and the East Coast seems very overly formal to me.

[RVP11]

A month or so ago, I reached out to several successful alumni (v10 partners and senior counsel) in fields I was interested in going into. I was fortunate enough to receive several replies, and as a result, I have a few informational lunches scheduled in the near future. The problem is I have no idea how to dress to these lunches. Generally, I would assume business casual since these are nothing more than friendly lunches, not an active interview. The situation is complicated a bit (at least in my mind) by the fact that the meetings will be held in the respective offices.

Normally, I would dress to the same level as the people I am going to be around. However, in this case, I think a suit (that I assume most of the office will be wearing) seems a bit overly formal for the situation.

Thoughts? I'm thinking just a nice shirt/tie/slacks get up. Keep in mind this is NYC in mid-June.

Wear a suit because it's a V10. If it were only a V100 you could get away with slacks and a dress shirt.

[ran12]

Wear a suit. It's what would be expected at a V10 and it's always better to overdress than underdress. Plus, while it's an informational, it's still an interview. The impression you make could go a long way.

[thecilent]

It doesn't really matter. They are going to either like you or not like you. If they like you, it won't matter if you were under-/over-dressed; if they don't like you, it won't matter if you are under-/over-dressed. See, it just doesn't matter. HTH

[theturkeyisfat]

question for the OP - how did you reach out to/get in touch with these guys?

[tea_drinker]

Along this line, a question for OP and/or anyone: what do you plan to talk to him/her about?

I will also have couple lunches with senior associates and counsel (although not V10 like yours), and I have no clues what I should ask/talk about besides typical background questions. I mean should I straight out ask about career opportunities like SA?

[Anonymous User]

OP here. To the two questions above:

My method of reaching out was pretty crude. I looked up alums at each firm I was interested in and cold emailed partners that specialized in practice areas I was really interested in. I basically said I was attending such and such law school and I was really interested in hearing about everything from specific information on their area of expertise to law school and interviewing advice. I am a 0L and I think that helped quite a bit. In my experience, people are much more willing to meet with you BEFORE you need their help than if you reach out when you need it immediately. That said, I had about a 1 in 3 success rate with those I emailed. Not bad for out-of-the-blue emails seeking in-person meetings. I was also contacted by a few attorneys from the alumni association as part of the schools recruiting efforts, and I made sure to keep in touch with them for just this purpose.

As for what to talk about, I am really going to ask them about anything and everything. I stated in my emails that I was looking for guidance in all aspects, from the specifics of their practice to law school and recruiting advice. I made sure to do a lot of research on their individual careers so that I could ask very specific and pointed questions. Specific things I'm interested in: How much did their work experience between undergrad and law school factor into their success? What is the best 1L internship I can do for OCI purposes? What is a day in such and such field really like at both the associate and partner level? How does and associate on the partner track cultivate a book of business? Do they have any other contacts that might be useful for me to meet with? People like it when you show a lot of interest in them, and they love to talk about their careers. When you are legitimately interested in what they have to say, it makes for easy conversation really.

Sorry for the long post, but I'm trying to be as helpful as possible given that I'm seeking advice myself. I'll repeat what I think is the most important part of this post, and something a lot of people make the mistake of overlooking. People are much more willing to meet with you before you need their help than if you reach out when you need it immediately. Make your connections before you need them.

EDIT: Don't ask about SA opportunities outright unless you are really in a tight spot. Just ask for advice on the subject. Maybe they'll point you in the right direction, or maybe they'll point you to someone else who can help you.

[tea_drinker]

OP here. To the two questions above:

Thanks for an awesome response. Your cold-emailing firms results are very impressive.

Just fyi, I plan to dress business casual to my lunches (i.e. full suit w/o tie). I think you should consider this as a minimum. Good luck.

[crumpetsandtea]

Thanks for an awesome response. Your cold-emailing firms results are very impressive.

Just fyi, I plan to dress business casual to my lunches (i.e. full suit w/o tie). I think you should consider this as a minimum. Good luck.

+1 to the bolded. Keep us updated on how the lunches go, OP!

[Anonymous User]

Is there any reason to bring a resume to an informational session like the one OP describes? I assume I'll be discussing my experiences with the partner anyway, but I have my eye on summer employment with them so I might want to leave a resume. But don't want to be presumptuous.

[ran12]

Is there any reason to bring a resume to an informational session like the one OP describes? I assume I'll be discussing my experiences with the partner anyway, but I have my eye on summer employment with them so I might want to leave a resume. But don't want to be presumptuous.

It's not presumptuous to bring a resume. All these guys know why you wanna do an informational interview. Just bring it in a padfolio with your card if you have one.

[Omerta]

I wore business casual to every informational interview I had, but they were all SE firms (even though two of them were V50--makes it pretty obvious which ones) so maybe NY is more strict. Cold calling for lunch informational interviews is the way to go; I've gotten a ton of free food that way and it's given me more confidence going into OCI--most people I've had lunch with told me they would recommend me to the hiring partner.

One thing I would add to this thread is don't be afraid to reach out to partners. I understand that they're a little more imposing, but a second year associate doesn't really know shit and can't help you that much. Partners like to talk about themselves just as much, if not more, than the average associate. It's super special for them too because not too many law students email them for not-obvious job stuff. Over the past year, probably 80% of my emails to attorneys (associates and partners) lead to at least one meeting. Five or six led to multiple meetings and very candid conversations.

Is there any reason to bring a resume to an informational session like the one OP describes? I assume I'll be discussing my experiences with the partner anyway, but I have my eye on summer employment with them so I might want to leave a resume. But don't want to be presumptuous.

It's not presumptuous to bring a resume. All these guys know why you wanna do an informational interview. Just bring it in a padfolio with your card if you have one.

Definitely bring a resume just in case the person wants to look at it. If s/he starts asking about your credentials, then mention you have one. Otherwise, the person knows they'll get your resume at OCI, so no big issue if they don't ask you for one.

[robotclubmember]

good thread, does anyone else have insights into good questions to ask? i got roped into lunch with corporate counsel at the trust fund i'm at now, last minute thing (it's in an hour, lol). wasn't expecting it so no time to prep in advance. anyone else do any networking lunches recently and have any good advice? sure i'll be fine either way but boilerplate topics helps

[tea_drinker]

good thread, does anyone else have insights into good questions to ask? i got roped into lunch with corporate counsel at the trust fund i'm at now, last minute thing (it's in an hour, lol). wasn't expecting it so no time to prep in advance. anyone else do any networking lunches recently and have any good advice? sure i'll be fine either way but boilerplate topics helps

I had mine couple weeks ago. I started out asking general stuff about their work, telling them my interest and how much I appreciate the opportunity. They may ask a lot of questions though, so just respond honestly and humanly will do you good.

[robotclubmember]

good thread, does anyone else have insights into good questions to ask? i got roped into lunch with corporate counsel at the trust fund i'm at now, last minute thing (it's in an hour, lol). wasn't expecting it so no time to prep in advance. anyone else do any networking lunches recently and have any good advice? sure i'll be fine either way but boilerplate topics helps

I had mine couple weeks ago. I started out asking general stuff about their work, telling them my interest and how much I appreciate the opportunity. They may ask a lot of questions though, so just respond honestly and humanly will do you good.

thanks! it was pretty casual, we just BS'ed about family, local politics etc. but i have more lunches set up later and got hooked up with some good contact info.