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So what I've heard from this site mostly is that biglaw is crushing mostly because of the unpredictability of the hours (ie one week working 30 hours, the other 100; getting ready for a road trip with SO only to find out you have something due on Monday).
Are there any fields/firms that can give you a consistent stream of work? I really don't mind working 80 hours a week as long as I can do my best to plan when to work, and not ruin the little time I had allocated for vacation.
Thanks.

The conventional wisdom is that litigation will be more predictable than corporate because your heavy periods are determined by filing deadlines that are known far in advance, rather than some major deal popping up on a Friday afternoon. The reality might be more nuanced and practice group-dependent.

unemployment

I've spoke to an M&A associate at a V5 who said that his colleagues will, at times, fill in for him if something unexpected arises that conflicts with a pre-arranged trip or event.

Makes it a bit easier to handle.

patent prosecution - extremely predictable thanks to the US Patent Office. Only problem is that this work is becoming somewhat commoditized. Also, you must have a hard science or engineering background.

Anonymous User wrote:I've spoke to an M&A associate at a V5 who said that his colleagues will, at times, fill in for him if something unexpected arises that conflicts with a pre-arranged trip or event.

Makes it a bit easier to handle.

Eh. Wouldn't let that happen during years 1 and 2.

Pretty much any niche practice has more stable hours. IP, Tax, T&E, ERISA/Exec Comp, etc.

The worst of the worst is M&A. Other corporate can be extreme, but M&A is supposed to be particularly brutal (which makes it bizarre that so many law students/summer associates want it).