how many hours do NYC BIGLAW attorneys work a week? Forum

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philo-sophia

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Re: how many hours do NYC BIGLAW attorneys work a week?

Post by philo-sophia » Tue Feb 05, 2008 3:45 pm

are u an associate?
nah, i was just someone's bitc...er..um...i was a paralegal right out of college before moving on to the infinitely more glamorous world of finance. I actually think most of the day-to-day stuff in BigLaw is pretty boring. At least it was for the paralegals. We mostly just organized documents. I think it was a little better for the actual lawyers, although the junior associates seemed like they did a lot of the same stuff we did, with a bit less photocopying and a bit more document review.

I'll probably do BigLaw for a couple of years when i get out, long enough to gauge whether i think it will be intellectually stimulating at the upper levels. I can deal with working that hard (particularly since life does improve dramatically with partnership) but only if i actually really enjoy it. If not, i could look to jump the fence into transactional finance.

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aleph209

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Re: how many hours do NYC BIGLAW attorneys work a week?

Post by aleph209 » Tue Feb 05, 2008 3:48 pm

philo-sophia wrote:When you're in NYC, you have a feeling like you're part of a select group of people crammed onto this tiny island from which the nation (and even the world) is largely run.
Um, in DC, we think that's us... You idolize Blackstone, we're going to tax him. :D

philo-sophia

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Re: how many hours do NYC BIGLAW attorneys work a week?

Post by philo-sophia » Tue Feb 05, 2008 3:50 pm

aleph209 wrote:
philo-sophia wrote:When you're in NYC, you have a feeling like you're part of a select group of people crammed onto this tiny island from which the nation (and even the world) is largely run.
Um, in DC, we think that's us... You idolize Blackstone, we're going to tax him. :D
haha...i knew someone from DC would chime in on that.

Rayster

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Re: how many hours do NYC BIGLAW attorneys work a week?

Post by Rayster » Tue Feb 05, 2008 4:02 pm

You should go into PR, your story sells the lifestyle.

Go Bears

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Re: how many hours do NYC BIGLAW attorneys work a week?

Post by Go Bears » Tue Feb 05, 2008 5:09 pm

I'm too old now, but sometimes I read about these hours and think, "If I'm going to be working these kinds of hours, it's going to be as a doctor saving lives, not helping big corporations make money." :(

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the rza

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Re: how many hours do NYC BIGLAW attorneys work a week?

Post by the rza » Tue Feb 05, 2008 5:13 pm

exactly

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the5man

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Re: how many hours do NYC BIGLAW attorneys work a week?

Post by the5man » Tue Feb 05, 2008 5:47 pm

Go Bears wrote:I'm too old now, but sometimes I read about these hours and think, "If I'm going to be working these kinds of hours, it's going to be as a doctor saving lives, not helping big corporations make money." :(
I'm missing something. What does being too old have to do with this?

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Re: how many hours do NYC BIGLAW attorneys work a week?

Post by Go Bears » Tue Feb 05, 2008 5:49 pm

the5man wrote:
Go Bears wrote:I'm too old now, but sometimes I read about these hours and think, "If I'm going to be working these kinds of hours, it's going to be as a doctor saving lives, not helping big corporations make money." :(
I'm missing something. What does being too old have to do with this?
Law = Three years.
Medicine = Probably nine.

I'm a word person anyway. I just hope I'm able to develop an emotional attachment to the work I'm doing after this, or else those are going to be a hellish 80 hours.

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the rza

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Re: how many hours do NYC BIGLAW attorneys work a week?

Post by the rza » Tue Feb 05, 2008 5:49 pm

not feasible to become a doctor?

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00TREX00

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Re: how many hours do NYC BIGLAW attorneys work a week?

Post by 00TREX00 » Tue Feb 05, 2008 5:56 pm

to each his own, but damn, ^ that is sure not the life for me.
TITCR and Bobby Digital ftw. I guess that some of y'all are in need of that validation that only being an incredibly well-paid and enslaved corporate lackey can provide. After initially getting all aroused by the starting salaries, I've realized that Biglaw definitely is not for me. More power to the rest though, we need you to work your hands to the bone in order to keep our country running.

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Re: how many hours do NYC BIGLAW attorneys work a week?

Post by Go Bears » Tue Feb 05, 2008 5:58 pm

00TREX00 wrote:
to each his own, but damn, ^ that is sure not the life for me.
TITCR and Bobby Digital ftw. I guess that some of y'all are in need of that validation that only being an incredibly well-paid and enslaved corporate lackey can provide. After initially getting all aroused by the starting salaries, I've realized that Biglaw definitely is not for me. More power to the rest though, we need you to work your hands to the bone in order to keep our country running.
I don't think it's quite that. I think it's that we need the money to pay off the debt. The problem seems to be that there isn't too much in between the $130K, 2,000-billable hour biglaw corporate lawyer and the $35K, Ramen Noodle-eating public interest attorney. Not much middle ground.

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iwasgoingtobeasenator

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Re: how many hours do NYC BIGLAW attorneys work a week?

Post by iwasgoingtobeasenator » Tue Feb 05, 2008 6:02 pm

Go Bears wrote:
00TREX00 wrote:
to each his own, but damn, ^ that is sure not the life for me.
TITCR and Bobby Digital ftw. I guess that some of y'all are in need of that validation that only being an incredibly well-paid and enslaved corporate lackey can provide. After initially getting all aroused by the starting salaries, I've realized that Biglaw definitely is not for me. More power to the rest though, we need you to work your hands to the bone in order to keep our country running.
I don't think it's quite that. I think it's that we need the money to pay off the debt. The problem seems to be that there isn't too much in between the $130K, 2,000-billable hour biglaw corporate lawyer and the $35K, Ramen Noodle-eating public interest attorney. Not much middle ground.
Lol. You can get a job for like 60K to start at a smaller firm. Or you could do government work if you were so inclined. Or you could eat "Cup of Noodles" instead of Ramen. There are options...

00TREX00

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Re: how many hours do NYC BIGLAW attorneys work a week?

Post by 00TREX00 » Tue Feb 05, 2008 6:02 pm

I don't think it's quite that. I think it's that we need the money to pay off the debt. The problem seems to be that there isn't too much in between the $130K, 2,000-billable hour biglaw corporate lawyer and the $35K, Ramen Noodle-eating public interest attorney. Not much middle ground.
LRAP. Additionally, I don't buy that all public interest positions pay that low. I mean, if you are at the top of the heap @ a T-14, which you need to be to hit a V-10 anyway, who says you can't find some gig where you're helping people and making $70K? Thats the cap for LRAP at the schools I've looked at - thus, you're making a decent salary, getting help having your loans repaid, and not selling your soul.

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nipplehead

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Re: how many hours do NYC BIGLAW attorneys work a week?

Post by nipplehead » Tue Feb 05, 2008 9:47 pm

00TREX00 wrote:
I don't think it's quite that. I think it's that we need the money to pay off the debt. The problem seems to be that there isn't too much in between the $130K, 2,000-billable hour biglaw corporate lawyer and the $35K, Ramen Noodle-eating public interest attorney. Not much middle ground.
LRAP. Additionally, I don't buy that all public interest positions pay that low. I mean, if you are at the top of the heap @ a T-14, which you need to be to hit a V-10 anyway, who says you can't find some gig where you're helping people and making $70K? Thats the cap for LRAP at the schools I've looked at - thus, you're making a decent salary, getting help having your loans repaid, and not selling your soul.
or you could snag a 110-120K job at a "lifestyle" firm in an area like, oh, i don't know, San Diego/Orange County.

zeezoo

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Re: how many hours do NYC BIGLAW attorneys work a week?

Post by zeezoo » Tue Feb 05, 2008 11:20 pm

i think 100k+ lifestyle jobs are a crock. good luck tho!

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M51

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Re: how many hours do NYC BIGLAW attorneys work a week?

Post by M51 » Wed Feb 06, 2008 1:03 am

Dirty secret (that's not so secret) about why the firm "average billable hours worked per year" and "average hours worked per year" is usually distinguished by under 25%... Most lawyers lie.
One anonymous V100 firm has 2100 billable hours worked, and 2400 total hours worked. There are many ways to pad that timesheet of yours so you're not actually doing 3200 total hours for your 2100 billable. Most lawyers use these ways, dispite the questionable ethics (I'm guessing the ethics probably becomes more and more relative after each 100 hour week they ask you to pull).

2400 is still a lot, but it shaves off 700 hours on the year from the 2/3 of total = billable formula.

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OldBlue

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Re: how many hours do NYC BIGLAW attorneys work a week?

Post by OldBlue » Wed Feb 06, 2008 1:18 am

Do M&A attorney salaries at V10 firms even begin to approach those of M&A bankers?

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brokendowncar

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Re: how many hours do NYC BIGLAW attorneys work a week?

Post by brokendowncar » Wed Feb 06, 2008 1:52 am

I have heard from someone at a firm that the general practice is to go through at the end of the day and look at your call and email log. Every call or email placed is billed as .1 hours, regardless of the fact that you probably took it in the middle of a point of time when you were working for another client and it only took a minute. He said he added on average 1-1.5 billables at the end of every day with this mandated method.

Not saying every firm does it, but padding is pretty common.

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Re: how many hours do NYC BIGLAW attorneys work a week?

Post by underdawg » Wed Feb 06, 2008 4:56 am

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