When lawyers in Mayer Brown's New York office take their clients to lunch these days, they don’t always call around for the hottest reservation in town. Instead, they can pull out a tablecloth, grab some flatware and sit down to eat in one of the firm’s softly lit conference rooms.

Dining in the firm's Midtown Manhattan office "can be very fancy if you want it to be," said Richard Spehr, Mayer Brown's New York managing partner.