lawyers and social/personal life? Forum

[Fast_Fingers]

A significant portion depends on whether you are doing litigation (where the big hours/time is invested) or transactional work (which is still a lot of time, but has a bit more predictability/repetition). And of course, the field you're working in, your clients, and the size of the firm. My contracts professor, having done both, consistently is persuading us to consider the latter.

This is flat crazy. You can't say "transactional" work is all more predictable, because that encompasses a broad array of very different practices. M&A is one of (if not the) most sporadic practice areas there is. Broker/dealer work and tax, for example, are probably about as predictable as you can get.

Transactions in the same field vs. litigation in the same field may be less arduous. Should've been more clear.

[ruski]

interesting, i had 2 practicing lawyers tell me that litigation was more predictable than transactional. they said you usually know your due dates in litigation, whereas in transactional things are more likely to just pop up.

[BaiAilian2013]

I mean, I can't speak to a specific lawyers schedule- I can just tell you that I've worked between 50-100 hour weeks, including being on call-and I don't know how I could have done that and had children, or been involved in a just-starting relationship. I had a relationship during that time-but it was damaged by me having to walk out of nice dinner-dates to leave and do work...and being totally exhausted every single day.

Not all lawyers work biglaw, and not all biglaw lawyers work biglaw until retirement. This is just my knowledge of a real crappy work schedule.

do you know anything about vacation times?

You get four weeks. You are most unlikely to be able to take all of it. You can maybe roll some over with a very good reason but you can't cash it out. Your firm might prefer that you take it in longer chunks than in short trips here and there (though that could vary for all I know). If you have to cancel it, they'll cover the non-refundable costs.

[vamedic03]

interesting, i had 2 practicing lawyers tell me that litigation was more predictable than transactional. they said you usually know your due dates in litigation, whereas in transactional things are more likely to just pop up.

^ this

[$1.99]

tag you are it

[redgreenpaper]

http://blogs.wsj.com/deals/2010/12/06/a ... ing-habit/

good find. but i bet that guy wasnt very social and became obese.

[Fast_Fingers]

interesting, i had 2 practicing lawyers tell me that litigation was more predictable than transactional. they said you usually know your due dates in litigation, whereas in transactional things are more likely to just pop up.

I guess it helps to ask the firm in advance. I had attended a Q&A session with two IP lawyers, one who was comfortable abandoning vacations a week before they're due because of sudden developments, and the other who switched to transactional lawyering because he couldn't.