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I'm interested in working in a law firm after law school doing transactional work, mostly likely tax. I already know that lawyers in New York work all the time. While I'm interested in practicing law and am willing to work hard, I'm also interested in having a life. I want to have time for hobbies and to spend with my girlfriend/wife and I want to have time to sleep sufficiently. I want to enjoy the work most of the time and not be pulling all nighters (at least not too often). I'm wondering what the hours are like for tax lawyers in secondary markets. Do they work as much as tax lawyers in NY or are they permitted to leave the office after a certain time and work from home? Do they have much work to do at home? Do they get to see their children?

I work in a firm that specializes in tax in a secondary market. Associates generally work on average from 1800-2200 hours. All attorneys are generally out the office about 6-630pm. In two years of being an associate, I have had one all nighter but it was in the very beginning where I was overstaffed and did not know much about handling the workload since I was a new associate. We certainly have a life and able to sleep sufficiently. I generally leave the office around 630pm and if I have to work in the evening I log in around 9pm after spending time with the family. The partners do not require facetime at all during the weekend. I work from home if I have to work during the weekend.

I can't speak to tax, but word of caution for secondary markets. Biglaw is still biglaw if you have a 2k hour requirement. Maybe NYC still has it worse, but 2nd year lit associate checking in having billed 100 hours so far in October.

Yes, 2k billing is still biglaw, but there is generally a big difference between NYC biglaw and secondary biglaw, in terms of culture, expectations, and workload

Yes, 2k billing is still biglaw, but there is generally a big difference between NYC biglaw and secondary biglaw, in terms of culture, expectations, and workload

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