NALP Hours Forum

[Law Student 2848]

Many of the bigger firms (such as Kirkland, Sidley, ect.) do not have minimum billable hours requirements on NALP. Some smaller (relatively speaking) firms (like Chapman & Cutler, Thomson Coburn, Nixon Peabody, ect.) have minimum hours around 1850 (knowing you still bill closer to 2000+).

For the bigger firms, are your unofficial minimum billables like 2200? 2300? 2400ish? And do you really work a lot more at those firms than you would at the firms with minimums around 1850? What's the difference in lifestyle?

[Johann]

at lots of reviews 2200 is the real baseline. because lawyers are type A a lot hit 2400.

[TheOnePercent]

You're right to look to firm practice vs. policies - because only the former really matters.

Look through all of the bonus release data that's been posted since December on ATL (gives anecdotal insight into hours billed vs. bonus). Threshold is just what you need to clear to be bonus eligible (at most elite places seems to be ~1,900 to 2,100) - though beyond that, been told to aim for median hours billed in your class b/c there are diminishing returns in exceeding that.

Haven't found anything reliable to support an appreciable difference in annual workload due to firm hour target policy - b/c practices differ from policies and the idea of midlaw offering better hours is something of myth (more of an excuse to pay associates less than market).

[Anonymous User]

I also want to highlight that minimum hours is not the same as minimum to get a bonus. Super shady practice but lots of firms do it (e.g., min is 1850 but to be eligible for bonus you need to bill 1900 but they let you apply up to 50 hours of pro bono to it). It is hard to discern what is typical. When I was a summer, no one was billing more than 1900 at my firm and now it is very standard and most bill 2000+.