Question of the Week
Do You Do Work on Your Laptop in Cafés?
Posted Aug 12, 2009 3:43 PM CST
By Molly McDonough
Maybe it's because of the economy, maybe it’s their gnawing desire to have that table at the window for themselves, but trend-watchers are seeing more and more restaurant-goers and coffeeshop regulars settling in not just to eat or drink, but to work or surf.
This has some in the New York City coffeehouse management community ready to pull the plug. Law blogger Carolyn Elefant responded to those complaints with five etiquette tips for home office lawyers who head to the coffee house on regular intervals.
Chief among Elefant's tips: "Always buy something, preferably more than you would if you weren't using the space." She also advises lawyers to offer their hosts repayment, maybe by offering to host a meet-the-lawyer night for customers.
This made us wonder ...
Do you use a restaurant or coffeeshop as an office annex, or do you think it's inappropriate? If you do, what rules do you follow to be considerate of the shop owner and other customers?
Answer in the comments below.
Read answers to last week's question: Which Books Can’t You Live Without?
Featured answer:
Posted by Bob: " "The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary and Aristotle’s Rhetoric. Language is what makes us truly human."
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Comments
Esq.
Aug 12, 2009 5:06 PM CST
I live in New York and do NOT use coffee shops as a work annex. A coffeehouse is inappropriate to have business-related cell phone calls as everyone around you can hear your conversation, and the background noise is unprofessional. I am also wary about people reading over my shoulder, whether in a coffeehouse or on the subway.
I also feel that it’s thougtless and rude to hog a table for hours on end when the shopkeepers have to meet their lease, and other paying customers have no place to sit. If I need to hunker down, I’ll go to the NY Public Library building, the local bar association library, or to my former law school campus.
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Lisa
Aug 12, 2009 6:37 PM CST
Client confidentiality is paramount, and it’s hard to achieve in a public setting. I don’t take phone calls while in a coffeehouse for the reasons mentioned by Esq above. But I will assent to brief meetings with clients for whom the location is convenient and who aren’t dealing with sensitive legal issues. However, I never take up space for longer than 30 minutes and I ALWAYS purchase something to make my presence worthwhile/profitable for the proprietor of the cafe.
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CJ
Aug 12, 2009 7:30 PM CST
I don’t feel bad about taking up the space because I always buy something. Besides I only do work in the coffee shops I frequent. The owners have gotten to know me and I’ve even gotten a few clients from the relationship. Even represented one coffee shop in a minor tort action. However, I do agree with not taking phone calls or discussing confidential information in the coffee shop.
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Radi
Aug 13, 2009 7:30 AM CST
Because of the attorney-client priviledge I do not risk it. I also need to be focused on my work.
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will
Aug 13, 2009 7:51 AM CST
most of the lawyers in any given coffee shop are probably waiting tables.
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B. McLeod
Aug 13, 2009 7:54 AM CST
I have seen a few lawyers doing this, not only in cafes, but also libraries and other public buildings near the courthouses. Not only does it raise privilege concerns, but it really makes the practitioners look small-time (i.e., because it creates the appearance that they are not successful enough or serious enough about practice to maintain a professional office).
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LR
Aug 14, 2009 5:45 AM CST
I often visit cafes as a change of pace from my office, and also when I travel. I try to be respectful of the cafe owner and their customers by not hogging a space if it’s busy. I always offer to share a table with others. I always buy items throughout my stay. It is usually easy to tell when the cafe management would rather you not linger, in which case I don’t. And I never conduct confidential phone conversations there. Even if they aren’t of a sensitive nature, I don’t think my fellow customers would appreciate the annoyance. But I have found, after 28 years of practicing in an office, the change of pace is a breath of fesh air for me.
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Nancy Gardner
Aug 14, 2009 5:46 AM CST
I know of a wonderful coffee shop in Vermont where locals of every sort come with their laptops and stay for hours. The coffee shop is about to go bankrupt. The owner is the nicest guy in the world, and would never ask people to give up a table for a potential paying customer. A real dilemma.
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Lynne W
Aug 14, 2009 5:56 AM CST
I never make or take phone calls in public, even if they do not involve confidential conversations, because I think it is very rude. However, I frequent certain cafes and bars that have wi fi, usually in the evening or on the weekend. I answer email that is not confidential, do research online, that sort of thing. I have gotten a number of comments from clients who are so impressed that I am working during non-working hours. I always buy things, usually entire meals and the owners know me well - some are even clients. Since I live in a seasonal tourist town it is locals like me who keep these places open in the winter. In the summer they’re very crowded, so I just sit out on our town green, which has public wi fi.
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LR
Aug 14, 2009 6:44 AM CST
Nancy, I’m curious, where in Vt. is the cafe?
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Jillian
Aug 14, 2009 7:00 AM CST
I have absolutely worked in coffeeshops - the need for immediate coffee andpastry fixes is wonderful. Although, I am a law student, and have studied within a coffee shop for hours. I always buy plenty to make up for taking up a table for the day, along with the electrical outlet.
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Scott Bassett
Aug 14, 2009 7:24 AM CST
I work in cafes and other places with Wi-Fi access. I do only appellate work and rarely take phone calls on my cases while in a cafe. I address confidentiality issues by using a free program called Hotspot Shield (http://www.hotspotshield.com/) to create a secure VPN connection to the Internet.
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ANS
Aug 14, 2009 7:40 AM CST
I used to work in cafes in law school - and I would hunker down with a spread of food and drink. I wouldn’t stay unreasonably long and would never stay a crowded location. Since then, it would never even occur to me to bring my work to a cafe! However, I am frequently upset by those who do, not because I inherently have a problem with it, but because certain people act like it is ok to buy a $2 coffee then hog a big table by themselves for hours on end. This is rude to other paying customers who would like to sit, particularly when the offender is clearly running his or her office from the cafe. It just is not the appropriate place for someone to “set up shop” and start conducting business. Cafes are not the proper place to bring your pounds of papers and yak loudly on the phone so everyone around you knows that you are an important lawyer.
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Marsha Goodman
Aug 14, 2009 7:49 AM CST
I am an elder law attorney, and often meet clients in their homes. When it doesn’t make sense to get back to my office between appointments, I will work in a coffee shop with WiFi. I never take up a table during peak hours, and I always buy something. And, I make sure it is work I can do exclusively on my laptop, so i don’t have to spread out papers (being concerned about both confidentiality issues and taking up too much space.) I would be much less efficient if I couldn’t do this.
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Deirdre Dessingue
Aug 14, 2009 7:54 AM CST
Aside from the the confidentiality, professionalism, and appearance issues already raised, I oppose this practice from the perspective of a coffee house customer (of the non-office-conducting variety) who is royally ticked off when I can’t get a seat for all the “offices” in process or can’t concentrate on my casual reading for the loud cell phone business being conducted. Bad practice all around.
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JH
Aug 14, 2009 8:03 AM CST
If I am not going to sit for a while and utilize the coffee shop’s space, I won’t be paying for the overpriced coffee these shops sell.
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BL
Aug 14, 2009 8:56 AM CST
I am a law professor and I often do my research in coffee shops. However, I am always mindful that I am a customer. I purchase products on a regular interval while I am there, and do not stay more than 1 or 2 hours at any one place. I frequent coffee shops that welcome laptop users, and I think it’s perfectly fine for a coffee shop to make the decision as to whether they want laptop customers or not. It’s an economic decision for them and they’re entitled to it. The decision does not endear me to the shop, but it’s their decision.
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BrianL
Aug 14, 2009 9:10 AM CST
I learned a valuable lesson early in my career NOT to conduct business OR to talk abut it in public. I was at lunch one day and overheard a conversation and realized it was about a deal related to one of my engagements. It turned out the person was a paralegal for the lawyer on the other side.
By the end of the conversation I knew what they were willing to settle issue for and it was much higher than what my client was willing to settle for. As a result my client ended up with a much better settlement that he expected and I was authorized to say yes to.
I did notify the lawyer of the issue after the settlement was paid.
There is an old adage that nothing about business goes beyond firm’s doors and it is as relevant today as then.
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Howard Franco Jr
Aug 14, 2009 10:15 AM CST
A coffee house is for coffee, sometime tea and pastry, but definitely not serious work for a client. Not only is privacy an issue, it is simply not an appropriate setting. I used to see more of this; however, lately, it is rare. I am not sure if that is due to the economy or a change in ettiquette. I wish all of you a wonderful weekend, visit that coffee shop and leave the laptop home !!!
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heezy
Aug 14, 2009 11:34 AM CST
The confidentiality concerns are very real, for the reasons BrianL states. Using a secure VPN website doesn’t protect your information well enough in a public place—the casual passerby can technically see what you’re typing!
Query: how many lawyers work while riding the commuter train? This practice also bothers me…
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WHAjd
Aug 14, 2009 12:14 PM CST
I only work on my laptop if I have all the materials ready to use. if I have to consult the internet for any materials, then I do not work at the coffeshop. I usually sit in a corner without any window to prevent any rubber-necking.
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TL
Aug 14, 2009 2:00 PM CST
No - I don’t work on my laptop in cafes because of client confidentiality, and consideration of others in the cafe.
However, there are very progressive cafes were patrons can work on their laptops during the afternoons, and evening, and so I will work on my laptop for general work, and research but not client matters.
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D. Blaine
Aug 14, 2009 3:33 PM CST
I don’t use a laptop, however I do use the coffee shop/cafeteria in my building when the three conference rooms available to me are all taken. My office is in my home, so I only meet clients, pick up my mail, and get phone calls through my virtual office. Since the small cafeteria is usually empty and my clients don’t seem to mind, I’ll continue the practice.
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D Holbrook
Aug 14, 2009 5:35 PM CST
I frequently work over breakfast at 6 am at a local restaurant. I do not worry about anyone calling me at those hours, and get some of my best writing and research done. I live in a small county, and there are few patrons at that hour, so I don’t have worries of anyone looking over my booth at the computer.
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L
Aug 17, 2009 8:19 AM CST
I don’t even have a laptop. Nor do I find that a cafe is generally a good place for me to sit and think and be productive. So, no, I don’t.
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Kathryn
Aug 17, 2009 12:51 PM CST
I don’t even use my personal laptop in a public setting. The only public connection I will use for work or personal reasons is in a hotel, in my room for purposes of confidentiality.
I have watched many people making the mistake of working on confidential matters in public places. What they don’t realize, is that there are people who wait for them to make this mistake and will videotape the entire user’s session.
You lose the right to an expectation of privacy when you work in a setting like this. Working on anything that you or your client desire to keep confidential should be strictly avoided.
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