BigLaw and Long Distance Forum

[brotherdarkness]

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[09042014]

Two people on biglaw schedules barely works when they live together. This will be tough as hell.

How long have you been married?

[rad lulz]

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[rad lulz]

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[rad lulz]

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[jchiles]

The single most important thing is to have a clear, definite end date in sight for when the LDR can just become an R. I don't know how exactly that will play out here, since it sounds like you both have jobs that you are pretty interested in sticking with. But from my own experience knowing that there was a specific time down the road that the temporary distance issue would go away made it much less difficult than it probably would have been otherwise.

[DELG]

I don't think this is an auto- breakup situation. You wouldn't have time for each other regardless. Hopefully after a couple months you can both work from each other's cities; v5 might let SO work out of DC office if they are one of the 3 that have a DC office.

[nygrrrl]

so my fiancé and I are not lawyers (0L here), but for what it's worth - we have been long distance for over 2 yrs now due to us being dual military. and I'm not talking NY to DC. We have been DC & TX and FL & CA. If you guys have open communication and can make a commitment to see each other at least 1-2 times a month, you can do it.

Get out of legal employment 0L

I figured my experience making a long distance relationship work while managing a stressful job situation was useful. but apparently only 1-3Ls know about long distance relationships.

While OP may appreciate your input, the fact is that this forum is not intended for 0Ls.

This forum is for current law students and graduates to discuss legal employment-related issues.

Thank you for your understanding.

[dixiecupdrinking]

FWIW 2500 hours is probably like 65 hours a week at the office/working on average, once you account for holidays and some vacation.

That means for every "slow" week when you "only" work 9-7 every day, you'll have a week you work 9-11 and most of the weekend.

DC to NYC for the weekend is easily an 8-hour round trip door to door. And when you're there there is a good chance you'll be checking your email at best, maybe sitting down to a nice 8 hour brief writing session.

I mean just do the math. If you guys are fine with getting maybe a couple afternoons worth of quality time a month, then it will work. Otherwise, no.

At least in the military, when you're home you're home.

[Anonymous User]

OP here. Thanks for all the input. I think one of my problems is that, as someone who has never worked in biglaw (except as a SA), it's really hard for me to conceptualize what 2500 billed hours is like, or even 2000 for that matter. Any input on that would be appreciated.

The semi-good news is that the firm I'm considering in DC apparently does not emphasize face-time--I think almost everyone works from home on the weekends. And, somewhat shockingly, my SO has reported that her firm does not usually require her to be in the office on the weekends either, as long as she is not "out of pocket." I think it would be at least feasible to have one of us visit the other every few weeks, even though we would probably end up working at a coffee shop for most of that time.

Other relevant facts:

--Not married.
--Our tentative end date would be October 2016.
--The DC firm pays significantly more than the NY firms I am considering.
--Her firm does not have a DC office.

[Nebby]

Even if you are an efficient mother fucker (or bill every hour you're there, including when you're masturbating and on TLS--Like DF), billing 2500 hours will take at least 2800 hours of actual time. More info: http://www.law.yale.edu/studentlife/cdo ... lehour.htm

[FlanAl]

no real advice for you OP other than that I feel your pain, I will also throw in 2 cents though. I would aadvise you to try and figure out your mutual life goals before you make this decision. Do you guys want to have kids, where do you want to raise them etc., you probably shouldn't compromise your career if this stuff doesn't match up. It is extremely hard to get out of the gold ring grabbing mindset that you get put in in law school but that mindset is not conducive to dealing with relationship stuff. A

[Nelson]

Even if you are an efficient mother fucker (or bill every hour you're there, including when you're masturbating and on TLS--Like DF), billing 2500 hours will take at least 2800 hours of actual time. More info: http://www.law.yale.edu/studentlife/cdo ... lehour.htm

Stop quoting that stupid Yale page that can't even get the math for their own arbitrary assumptions right.

[09042014]

Even if you are an efficient mother fucker (or bill every hour you're there, including when you're masturbating and on TLS--Like DF), billing 2500 hours will take at least 2800 hours of actual time. More info: http://www.law.yale.edu/studentlife/cdo ... lehour.htm

Stop quoting that stupid Yale page that can't even get the math for their own arbitrary assumptions right.

Yea that yale thing is potatoe.

However, 2500 -> 2800 is pretty realistic, if not really efficient.

[Pokemon]

Of course it is doable... but it is hard and depends on the person. You really need to make sure that your partner is on the same page as you. You also need to be ok with using any opportunity to meet each other (you are off on Sunday, take the train on Saturday night to NYC)... or she takes it if she is off.

[dixiecupdrinking]

Even if you are an efficient mother fucker (or bill every hour you're there, including when you're masturbating and on TLS--Like DF), billing 2500 hours will take at least 2800 hours of actual time. More info: http://www.law.yale.edu/studentlife/cdo ... lehour.htm

Stop quoting that stupid Yale page that can't even get the math for their own arbitrary assumptions right.

Yea that yale thing is potatoe.

However, 2500 -> 2800 is pretty realistic, if not really efficient.

Also their example of 1800/year sounds downright pleasant.

[brotherdarkness]

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[toothbrush]

How long could you last billing 1800/year before being pushed out?

This was brought up in another thread about big law.. i forget which. But basically they said depends on a lot of factors. You could get by a couple of years doing this. However, that would only be if no one is giving you work and you just do you 1800 and leave without asking for more. But if you're getting 2000+ work assignments and you go "yeah, no, i've done my 1800" then you won't last long.

[dixiecupdrinking]

Stop quoting that stupid Yale page that can't even get the math for their own arbitrary assumptions right.

Yea that yale thing is potatoe.

However, 2500 -> 2800 is pretty realistic, if not really efficient.

Also their example of 1800/year sounds downright pleasant.

How long could you last billing 1800/year before being pushed out?

Depends on firm/city? I dunno, I imagine there are places that is not unusual. It's certainly below what is expected in NYC but I think you could do it for a couple of years before it became a problem at a lot of NYC firms too.

IMO the real problem would be that to get to 1800 you'd have to be turning down work/suck too much for people to work with you/straight up not do stuff you were assigned or do a terrible job.

[09042014]

How long could you last billing 1800/year before being pushed out?

This was brought up in another thread about big law.. i forget which. But basically they said depends on a lot of factors. You could get by a couple of years doing this. However, that would only be if no one is giving you work and you just do you 1800 and leave without asking for more. But if you're getting 2000+ work assignments and you go "yeah, no, i've done my 1800" then you won't last long.

There is a senior associate at my firm who claims he's never billed over 1750. But he works 7-7 every day. He only bills 1750 because there isn't another 250 hours of billable work.

[Lincoln]

I haven't done a LDR while in BigLaw, but I'm in BigLaw and I've done a LDR before. The hard part about BigLaw is not necessarily the hours but the unpredictability (and I'm on track to bill 3300 this year). While you may be fine talking on the phone every day rather than seeing each other, what happens when you have to cancel going to NYC for the weekend for the 3rd time in a row? I think it's doable, but the uncertainty will be difficult.

[A. Nony Mouse]

I haven't done a LDR while in BigLaw, but I'm in BigLaw and I've done a LDR before. The hard part about BigLaw is not necessarily the hours but the unpredictability (and I'm on track to bill 3300 this year). While you may be fine talking on the phone every day rather than seeing each other, what happens when you have to cancel going to NYC for the weekend for the 3rd time in a row? I think it's doable, but the uncertainty will be difficult.

Holy fuck, dude..

[jd20132013]

I haven't done a LDR while in BigLaw, but I'm in BigLaw and I've done a LDR before. The hard part about BigLaw is not necessarily the hours but the unpredictability (and I'm on track to bill 3300 this year). While you may be fine talking on the phone every day rather than seeing each other, what happens when you have to cancel going to NYC for the weekend for the 3rd time in a row? I think it's doable, but the uncertainty will be difficult.

can you make a topic about how you are surviving on this pace? i would like to question you at length

[Anonymous User]

OP here.

Lincoln just made me feel a lot better about 2500.

[El Pollito]

so my fiancé and I are not lawyers (0L here), but for what it's worth - we have been long distance for over 2 yrs now due to us being dual military. and I'm not talking NY to DC. We have been DC & TX and FL & CA. If you guys have open communication and can make a commitment to see each other at least 1-2 times a month, you can do it.

Get out of legal employment 0L

I figured my experience making a long distance relationship work while managing a stressful job situation was useful. but apparently only 1-3Ls know about long distance relationships.

Biglaw is a different beast entirely. Your experience is irrelevant to this discussion.

Why is her experience irrelevant?