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Does anyone know the difference in billable requirements between different offices of large firms? In other words, do some firms have different billable requirements in the NYC office compared to DC?

I'm particularly interested in the average billable requirements in NYC vs. DC. Thanks!

Poke around NALP and you'll see the 'party line'. 2,000 (or 1,950) is an extraordinarily common billable hour target, but especially as a young associate there is pressure to bill more than that. Smaller firms and smaller markets will have lower requirements.

It's a question that will be hard to answer in any general sense - every firm in every market is different, and every associate will approach their work differently in terms of pressures, assignments, etc. Plus, every associate will have a different level of efficiency. Plus, things will change a lot depending on your goals and time spent with the firm.

Anonymous User wrote:Does anyone know the difference in billable requirements between different offices of large firms? In other words, do some firms have different billable requirements in the NYC office compared to DC?

I'm particularly interested in the average billable requirements in NYC vs. DC. Thanks!

[Purely based on hearsay] New York seems to have a reputation of having the most brutal hours. I would imagine this is certainly true in comparison with D.C., given the amount of regulatory work.

Billable hour difference is more pronounced between practice areas and sophistication of the projects than cities. To the extent that NYC handles more complex litigation and M&A, its hours are generally higher than DC firms handling more regulatory work. But if you are in DC staffed on a big deal or lit project, you'll pull the same number of hours as a NYC associate. The other difference is that NYC firms tend to have a stronger "face time" culture than DC (and most other markets). So the NYC associate will often be at the office more than a DC associate, even if they are billing the same.

The requirements don't generally change, just how much you're expected to exceed the target.

Pearalegal wrote:The requirements don't generally change, just how much you're expected to exceed the target.

QFT

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I believe that the posters saying that the difference lies in how much you are expected to exceed the minimum is probably the right answer. I am in a very small market (relatively speaking) and the target for most big(ger) firms seems to be 1850-1900 hours. The difference between 1900 and 2000 hours is 2 hours a week, which is really nothing at all... yet you always here about the big city firms being the sweatshops, as opposed to the smaller markets.