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Anonymous User wrote:I'm joining a V10 in NYC this fall. My wife and I are expecting our first child to be born soon afterwards. Any insight/advice/reflections from current or former biglaw attorneys who have trodden down this path? It would be particularly helpful to hear from attorneys whose SO was/is also a working professional as opposed to a stay-at-home parent (nothing wrong with that, but the former would be more relevant to my situation). Thanks in advance.

Anonymous User wrote:Junior biglaw general lit with a spouse and toddler that I like to spend time with: (large, non-NYC market)

5:00 - Wake up, shower, make coffee

5:30 - put in an hour or so of work on little things like proofing documents I was working on the night before, answering emails, etc.

6:30 - get dressed, wake kid and spouse, get kid changed and ready while we sing songs, read, hang out, and spouse makes breakfast & gets ready for their day

7:45 - leave for work from suburbs, I don't do work on the morning commute unless it's something that can't wait.

8:45 - get to work, get coffee, enter time from yesterday, attempt to file and organize emails, get a game plan for the day. since i try to leave at a reasonable time, i find it's worth taking some time to really map out my day to avoid the time suck as much as possible.

9:30 - start whatever task is most urgent or due that day. The way my schedule works, I have a couple larger cases I work on and can handle anything from proofing partners or sr. associates work, drafting smaller motions and sometimes briefs, research projects. A lot of my work as a jr. assoc. is being responsible for documents, and being responsive to requests from partners quickly. But I also never know when I may get a call from a partner I work with asking me to pitch in on X case they're also handling.

12:30 - run and grab lunch. a lot of working parents magazines suggest packing lunches, but I really enjoy a chance to stretch my legs and get outside for a bit.

1:00 - get back to desk, eat and continue working.

5:30 - figure out what i can work on from home and what i will need to pack up and bring with me. leave. with the caveat that if it's a crazy time in a case, or something urgent crops up there are days I stay and work late at work, but those days are uncommon.

6:30 - get home, play with kid, eat dinner, keep and eye on email just to make sure I don't miss something urgent, give kid bath, hand off to spouse to put to bed.

9:00 - log back on, work another couple hours on whatever I didn't finish up at work. Respond to emails that rolled in, make sure I didn't miss something I need to work on that night.

11:00 - fall asleep on the couch, spouse wakes me up, go up to bed.

Some days I don't hit a full 8 billable, but most I do. I work roughly 4-6 hrs on the weekend even though I don't have to on this schedule, but every couple weeks if things slow down I like to take advantage and come home super early and weekend hours give a nice cushion to do that.