how good do i have it? (should i lateral?) Forum

[Anonymous User]

I'm thinking about lateraling to my home market but I'm scared to leave my current firm. I've never worked anywhere else so I dont have much to compare my current job to but it is nothing like the horror stories you read about on this forum where people work to midnight every night. I'm scared to leave this job, only to find out that this was an awesome job with great work/life balance but i didnt know until it was too late.

I'm in big law, major market lit, market paying. im in the office from 9:30a-7:30p on average M-F, only stayed past 9pm a handful of times and only stayed up past midnight twice. I work another 2-6 hours each day on Sat/Sun. I bill around 170-210 average every month (I'm sort of inefficient).

Please tell me: how good do i have it? I want to go back to home market, but if my current work/life balance is better than other firms, I'd still rather just stick around here for longer.

[FascinatedWanderer]

If you're billing 200/month for 2400/year those hours seem quite a bit higher than I'd expect from a lit shop in a secondary market.

[Bluem_11]

Just because your schedule is predictable and not subject to the extreme variance of others big law firms doesn't mean it's not awful. Your hours sound pretty typical just without the peaks and valleys.

So if this life is for you, I wouldn't stress much about a transfer.

[Anonymous User]

Just because your schedule is predictable and not subject to the extreme variance of others big law firms doesn't mean it's not awful. Your hours sound pretty typical just without the peaks and valleys.

So if this life is for you, I wouldn't stress much about a transfer.

thanks, this is the info i was looking for.

If you're billing 200/month for 2400/year those hours seem quite a bit higher than I'd expect from a lit shop in a secondary market.

Got it, thanks. I'm prob closer to 2200 than 2400 by the end of the year because I generally have a week long vacation at some point; and then in December, I tend to slow down significantly too.

[dixiecupdrinking]

The weekdays sound fairly #blessed but the 4-12 hours every weekend sucks. I don't think you're in such a great spot you should worry about moving on.

[Anonymous User]

I lateraled a few months ago with a similar schedule (minus the weekend work). I wasn't experiencing the horror stories either, so I was very nervous about leaving something that was pretty good (schedule-wise - obviously everything wasn't perfect or I wouldn't have left). New firm has been very similar to the old firm. There's nothing wrong with exploring your home market and getting some ideas on what your life would be like a new firm. When you interview, talk to associates about the type of work they do, how busy they are, what their typical day looks like, etc. (you don't need to ask "how many hours are you billing a month" to still find out if the schedule would work with your lifestyle). Plus it can take several months to a year to lateral anyway - so if you're thinking of making a move, it's not like you're going to be at the new firm tomorrow (and you probably won't be busy immediately either - there's training, and then you have to get staffed on a case).

Think about the reasons why you want to move (closer to home, different type of work, whatever) and weigh it against your current situation. In my situation, sacrificing something that was pretty good for something unknown made sense. Are you at a point in your life where you can take a risk on a new firm? If so, go for it. If not, wait it out for a bit.

[redsox550]

out of curiosity, isn't it possible for you to just stay later on weekdays so you don't need to do weekend work?

[lavarman84]

Speaking from what I saw in a biglaw firm in a smaller secondary market (but still a city), I think your hours at your current firm would be comparable to what you worked in a secondary market. Your pay might drop some, but lower COL might make up for that. The real big question is the group you are put in and the people you work with in the other firm. That's the real risk if you like the group and people you work with now.

[1styearlateral]

out of curiosity, isn't it possible for you to just stay later on weekdays so you don't need to do weekend work?

Wondering this myself. How often is weekend work in biglaw lit in a major market?