Career Alternatives: An Attorney Chef? That's So Crazy It Just Might Work

Do you want to work as in attorney and a chef -- at the same time? That's crazy… so crazy, it just might work.

We get a lot of emails about bad attorney jobs posted on Craigslist. Most of them are sad, but in a dull, non-newsworthy, way. Occasionally something particularly outrageous comes our way, like the Legal Baller or an ad possibly written by a doomsday cult.

But rarely do we see the Craigslist posting that appears fairly absurd on first glance, but then, the longer you look at it, makes you start to wonder, “Hey, that might just be pretty awesome.” Keep reading for a job posting from earlier this week that might interest attorneys who like their justice served hot, with a side of sweet potato fries…

Here is the meat of the Craigslist posting for Bonjour Crepes & Sandwiches in Mountain View, California:

Counsel Cafe is a new name and concept we want to apply to our existing restaurant, Bonjour Crepes & Sandwiches (www.bonjourcrepes.com). I am an attorney in Mountain View in private practice. Our restaurant has been losing money since it opened in August 2009. We want to change the concept of the restaurant with new food, new menu items, new management, and new energy. We want to make it into a restaurant that is both a cafe, and a place where patrons can come in for informal talks with attorneys over coffee (e.g., time booked with a iPad). We want to create a nice library area full of self help law books, so diners can relax and read.…

What we are looking for is an Attorney Chef. Someone who is a licensed attorney in California but loves to cook. Someone who can design the menu, create standard operating procedures, hire support staff, and manage the attorney services side of the cafe. Prior experience managing and running a restaurant is a key advantage. Someone who believes in the concept above and is willing to take a risk with me to help make it succeed. Currently, our Bonjour Crepes restaurant loses $200 a day. We need to turn it around.

Clearly, it’s not necessarily a perfect employment situation. The café is losing money, and it’s probably not a great fit for more buttoned-up types. But before you start hating, embrace the Silicon Valley spirit of risk and entrepreneurialism!

And, while the job doesn’t pay a Biglaw salary, you could do worse (assuming the café can survive for a while): the ad advertises a $50,000/year salary, plus profit sharing.

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The ad also mentions that there is some precedent for this unique business idea. The New York Times reported on Legal Grind in Santa Monica, a similar café which has won several awards. There is also Chicago’s Legal Café on Chicago’s near West Side.

So for all those underemployed attorneys who save money and still manage to cook themselves extravagant feasts using only ketchup, American cheese, and frozen chicken breasts, maybe there’s something here that whets your appetite.

Check out the whole ad on the next page…

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