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Anonymous User wrote:Is New York known as a place where associates work more hours a week than Boston or DC? Or is it similar? How many hours at an average firm (meaning not Boies)? Rank cities by average hours a week?

If you're trying to avoid long hours, find a different profession.

Anonymous User wrote:Is New York known as a place where associates work more hours a week than Boston or DC? Or is it similar? How many hours at an average firm (meaning not Boies)? Rank cities by average hours a week?

Yes, it's very very true. NYC biglaw hours are in a league of their own. There will be outliers (long hours in not-NYC and short ones in NYC) both between firms and between individual lawyers in firms. But if you want your life to include more self directed hours, avoiding NYC big law would be a prudent choice.

Beyond that it'd be pretty hard to rank, though some surveys have been done if you feel like digging around for them.

Hours can vary immensely between practice groups and even between lawyers within practice groups. Generally, if you want to avoid long hours in NYC, work in a niche practice area (Tax, ERISA, IP, T&E) and avoid the mega firms (Skadden et. al.).

nealric wrote:Hours can vary immensely between practice groups and even between lawyers within practice groups. Generally, if you want to avoid long hours in NYC, work in a niche practice area (Tax, ERISA, IP, T&E) and avoid the mega firms (Skadden et. al.).

Which of these typically controls? I.e., Are the hours relatively short for all tax lawyers, including those at Skadden, or are Skadden tax associates worked just as hard as other Skadden associates?

TheFriendlyBarber wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:Is New York known as a place where associates work more hours a week than Boston or DC? Or is it similar? How many hours at an average firm (meaning not Boies)? Rank cities by average hours a week?

If you're trying to avoid long hours, find a different profession.

Non biglaw lawyers don't work long hours; and like others have noted, biglaw outside of NYC tends to have lower hours.

Ignore the pompous "if you don't want long hours, try another profession" responses. Anyone that is so unable to distinguish subtleties that they think that this is a reasonable response will probably fail in the profession anyway.

The hours that a firm demands of its associates changes dramatically from city to city, firm to firm, and practice group to practice group. If minimizing your hours is important to you, it is possible; just because no matter where you work in big law it will be long hours, does not mean you will work the same hours no matter what job you take. Far, far from it. Working in corporate at Skadden NY will be significantly longer hours than wealth management at K&L Gates in Seattle. There are other costs to taking the lower-hours job, but you might decide that it is worth it to you.

I spent 5-6 years at a V20 firm outside of New York doing (mostly) litigation. My general experience was that the hours varied dramatically based on caseload at any given point. If I can recall correctly, my yearly billables went something like this: 1850, 2050, 2500, 2200, 2150, on pace for roughly 2300 when I left (wife got a great job elsewhere). The 2500 year was one in which I was a peon in two mega-trials (one mercifully settled after a couple of days) and then second chair in a smaller matter. Lots and lots of depo trips -- this was the only year where I traveled enough to have airline premier status. The last year included another mega-trial where I was again a slightly more senior peon.