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Can anyone fill me in on what ranges for billable hours are in NYC are? I see people say places like Quinn, Cravath, and Skadden are sweatshops. But what does this actually mean as far billable hours? Around 2500? Or closer to 3000?

And what is sort of average in NYC for a large corporate firm? Closer to 2100? Or am I way off?

Are you asking for (1) the average that associates actually work, (2) the stated requirement, (3) the stated requirement for a bonus, or (4) the unstated expectation? Those could be four different numbers.

Jebediah wrote:Are you asking for (1) the average that associates actually work, (2) the stated requirement, (3) the stated requirement for a bonus, or (4) the unstated expectation? Those could be four different numbers.

Curious more in the hours that employees actually work. I see a lot of firms say "minimum of X hours," or "X hours is the cut off for bonuses," but I'm curious what is exactly worked. i.e. what are "sweatshop" hours and what are more average hours for NYC corporate associates

I'm curious about this too, as I've found a few sources on this but none of them are great. I'll share with you what I've found though, in case you haven't seen them:

http://www.betterlegalprofession.org/Bi ... rs/NewYork (only a handful of firms on here)

http://www.nalp.org/billable_hours_feb2012 (gives some general averages based on firm size, but lists no specific firms)

http://www.averyindex.com/longest_hours.php (lists total hours worked per week [not just billable] for many firms, but is based on 2006 surveys - things may have changed a bit since then)

Of course, keep in mind that people who want to make partner will work more than average and people who don't care about making partner will work less.