Benders and biglaw Forum

[Anonymous User]

I like to get pretty trashed every once in a while. Just generally incapacitated. Periodically I hear about dudes getting emails at like 9PM that they have to immediately answer. I obviously can't do that when I'm fucked up. Is that generally true from everyone's experience? It's not like I'm going to find another job, I guess, but it'd be nice to have realistic expectations about any lifestyle changes I need to make.

[fats provolone]

I like to get pretty trashed every once in a while. Just generally incapacitated. Periodically I hear about dudes getting emails at like 9PM that they have to immediately answer. I obviously can't do that when I'm fucked up. Is that generally true from everyone's experience? It's not like I'm going to find another job, I guess, but it'd be nice to have realistic expectations about any lifestyle changes I need to make.

disagree

[Abbie Doobie]

I like to get pretty trashed every once in a while. Just generally incapacitated. Periodically I hear about dudes getting emails at like 9PM that they have to immediately answer. I obviously can't do that when I'm fucked up. Is that generally true from everyone's experience? It's not like I'm going to find another job, I guess, but it'd be nice to have realistic expectations about any lifestyle changes I need to make.

is what generally true? that you can't answer 9PM emails when fucked up? if so, i also disagree. pretty standard practice actually.

[seespotrun]

I like to get pretty trashed every once in a while. Just generally incapacitated. Periodically I hear about dudes getting emails at like 9PM that they have to immediately answer. I obviously can't do that when I'm fucked up. Is that generally true from everyone's experience? It's not like I'm going to find another job, I guess, but it'd be nice to have realistic expectations about any lifestyle changes I need to make.

disagree

Yeah the person who sent you the 9PM email was probably banged up too.

[Internetdan]

I don't think we understand just how cut this guy says he gets.

But don't worry. Assuming you're even out of the office by 9, it won't have been for long. So unless you tend to hit the bottle on the subway ride you should only be a few deep and still able to read the keyboard.

[84651846190]

there are more than a few alcoholics in biglaw, so you definitely won't be alone

[fats provolone]

tbh this is gonna vary by firm culture so i would ask at the callback

[Traynor Brah]

this is my biggest concern about biglawl too

[Tiago Splitter]

this is my biggest concern about biglawl too

From what I've seen you generally know when to stay moderately sober and when to go all out.

[Anonymous User]

this is my biggest concern about biglawl too

From what I've seen you generally know when to stay moderately sober and when to go all out.

Oh good. That's pretty much what I was unclear about. Provided I can generally tell when sobriety's called for, I'm fine.

[Anonymous User]

Its very rare that you get some out-of-the-blue, totally unexpected emergency call at 9PM or later (though a disclaimer is that I'm on the litigation side, and can't speak for corporate side, which I know is more unpredictable in general). At least in my experience, its never 100% out of nowhere. You are generally aware that something may or may not be coming up, and that you should be at the ready in case anything is needed. In those instances, its best to not go overboard in case you genuinely do get the call. But if you left on Friday at 5:30 or 6 to crickets, its exceedingly unlikely that some major emergency gets thrown at you late that night.

[2014]

Was called in at 9:30 on my first Friday on the job away from dinner and drinks so it happens. We had turned in a final draft of the project that afternoon and the scope was widened by the client with no warning.

I think the real limiting factor is that by about 10 or 1030 there is no longer an expectation that you are slaving over your blackberry and it takes a lot of effort to be brown out by 10. Most junior work can be done buzzed just send it to a friend or your firms document people if they exist to check for typos.

[kellyfrost]

I typically set up an "out of office reply" in Outlook on weekend nights notifying others that I am drinking during these hours and likely intoxicated.

It's always worked great for me.

[TLSModBot]

Just get moderately smashed at work during the week so that when you're completely blitzed your relative work quality is still close to usual.

[seespotrun]

I typically set up an "out of office reply" in Outlook on weekend nights notifying others that I am drinking during these hours and likely intoxicated.

It's always worked great for me.

[Anonymous User]

.

[KingofSplitters55]

tbh this is gonna vary by firm culture so i would ask at the callback

[kaiser]

Was called in at 9:30 on my first Friday on the job away from dinner and drinks so it happens. We had turned in a final draft of the project that afternoon and the scope was widened by the client with no warning.

I think the real limiting factor is that by about 10 or 1030 there is no longer an expectation that you are slaving over your blackberry and it takes a lot of effort to be brown out by 10. Most junior work can be done buzzed just send it to a friend or your firms document people if they exist to check for typos.

I wouldn't call that super unexpected. Anytime you turn in a project or a draft of something, there is literally ALWAYS the chance that something will get changed, shifted, modified, etc. Unexpected is when you didn't realize a project even existed until you get the call out of the blue on a Friday night.

[2014]

Was called in at 9:30 on my first Friday on the job away from dinner and drinks so it happens. We had turned in a final draft of the project that afternoon and the scope was widened by the client with no warning.

I think the real limiting factor is that by about 10 or 1030 there is no longer an expectation that you are slaving over your blackberry and it takes a lot of effort to be brown out by 10. Most junior work can be done buzzed just send it to a friend or your firms document people if they exist to check for typos.

I wouldn't call that super unexpected. Anytime you turn in a project or a draft of something, there is literally ALWAYS the chance that something will get changed, shifted, modified, etc. Unexpected is when you didn't realize a project even existed until you get the call out of the blue on a Friday night.

That's fair

[ballouttacontrol]

I know this is old, but bumping this because this is also one of my top concerns about joining a large firm. 3L w/ approx 1 yr fulltime legal exp FWIW

If I know I don't have anything to do on a Friday night through Sunday night, there's at least a 50/50 chance I will be fucked up every single second of it that I'm not asleep. Usually something like: Wake up w/ some mimosas+beers pound a bottle or 2 with the boys and then head out for the day to a pool party keep drinking until night time then head out, repeat on Sunday w/ football games

What if a partner emails me on a Saturday at 1pm and I am trashed? Will I get in trouble if I just take a quick 4 hour nap to sober up and then call him back? Just tell him sorry I was hiking out in the woods without service?


Example) I have also witnessed, but not been a party to, a client suddenly wanting to file an app on a provisional patent that they had previously said to let go abandoned, AND WAIT, the 1 yr anniversary is Monday! And then this get kicked to a Junior

[chicago-gunner123]

tbh this is gonna vary by firm culture so i would ask at the callback

180

[fauxpsych]

As long as you don't drive, aren't benders ok in all areas of legal practice?

[Anonymous User]

I'm entering my third year and I'm amazed this has never been an issue. I mean, I've had quite a few Sunday afternoons/evenings where I've been game watching at a bar and been pulled away to do stuff, but I've never been called to do something urgently while hammered.

As others mentioned, I guess you unconsciously develop an intuition for when something will come up. Also it's really rare, in my experience, for you to get pulled into something with no forewarning on Friday evening or anytime past Saturday afternoon.

[kellyfrost]

Bump, in case anyone else wants to weigh in.

[kellyfrost]

Bump