Cooking with Counsel

What is the first step a lawyer should take to win? Consult with co-counsel, of course. Why should learning a new skill be any different? Is the process of learning how to cook any different from winning a case? I took it upon myself to find out. My initial move was to consult a college classmate, another lawyer one year older and wiser than myself.

She said that grown-ups learn the joy of cooking when they can prepare seven to eight dishes and can rotate among them over the course of a year. Where did she get this hypothesis? Through due diligence and research on the average American family, of course.

In Corporations class, I closely studied cost-benefit analysis and utility functions. I decided to apply this knowledge to my weekly grocery shopping expeditions. Amazon sold a line of Trader Joe’s cookbooks, including the I Love Trader Joe’s Cookbook, Cooking with Trader Joe’s Around the World and The Trader Joe’s Cookbook: Lighten Up. I looked at the illustrated “food porn” in the glossy photographs and picked some mouth-watering but simple options. These selections included eggplant caponata crostini, curried cauliflower, raita, shakshuka, chili, fruit salad and several variations on eggs. I strategically chose them for requiring less than 10 minutes of prep time, very little equipment, and few ingredients, as the economist in me wanted to gain the maximum output for the minimum effort required.

If it may please the court, Your Honor, These exhibits provide photographic evidence of my foray into cooking. My journey through the kitchen reflects the type-A personality common among lawyers. You be the judge.

Published in The Docket’s April/May 2019 issue.