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Does anyone have a sense of what the hours are like in the Cov DC White-Collar or Civil lit groups?

They’re pretty high for DC. The firm’s lit and white collar practices have been quite busy the last couple years with some gigantic cases, and I know one star senior/mid level who billed 3000 last year. That’s very rare, but it’s definitely not an “easy” 1950, which is a lot more common in regulatory groups.

As slightly less anecdotal context, average billable+pro bono+client development last year was right in the 2000 range, iirc. That’s for all groups.

Mid 2000s as in 2000-2100, or 2400-2600? Is the lit group about as demanding as NY biglaw lit?

JFrench wrote:Mid 2000s as in 2000-2100, or 2400-2600? Is the lit group about as demanding as NY biglaw lit?

I meant the former. It’s honestly hard to judge with a firm that big, and I’m not a litigator, but yes it certainly feels like the average lit/white collar person is working ~NY hours.

NY lit hours meaning, like 2200-2300 all in (biz dev + pro bono + paying)? Asking anon bc I am considering firms in both markets

JFrench wrote:NY lit hours meaning, like 2200-2300 all in (biz dev + pro bono + paying)? Asking anon bc I am considering firms in both markets

That’s what I meant, yeah. Remember this isn’t very scientific.

What about those who split between lit/regulatory? Somewhat less than NYC hours?

Anonymous User wrote:What about those who split between lit/regulatory? Somewhat less than NYC hours?

Yeah, though with the split there’s a risk of getting sucked into a ton of lit and just having to do the regulatory work on top of it. Just have to be proactive.

As an example, I’m in regulatory, and I was just over the bonus threshold of 1950 in billable+pro bono both my first two years with a hefty dose of pro bono. It’s been a bit higher since then but not too much.

Anonymous User wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:What about those who split between lit/regulatory? Somewhat less than NYC hours?

Yeah, though with the split there’s a risk of getting sucked into a ton of lit and just having to do the regulatory work on top of it. Just have to be proactive.

As an example, I’m in regulatory, and I was just over the bonus threshold of 1950 in billable+pro bono both my first two years with a hefty dose of pro bono. It’s been a bit higher since then but not too much.

Thanks, that's super helpful. How does that work with the central assignment system? Don't they monitor your workload? But at the same time you can't turn down work? Not OP btw.

Anonymous User wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:What about those who split between lit/regulatory? Somewhat less than NYC hours?

Yeah, though with the split there’s a risk of getting sucked into a ton of lit and just having to do the regulatory work on top of it. Just have to be proactive.

As an example, I’m in regulatory, and I was just over the bonus threshold of 1950 in billable+pro bono both my first two years with a hefty dose of pro bono. It’s been a bit higher since then but not too much.

Thanks, that's super helpful. How does that work with the central assignment system? Don't they monitor your workload? But at the same time you can't turn down work? Not OP btw.

The issue is that the assignment system is different between lit and regulatory. The central assignment system you’re talking about only applies to lit, whereas regulatory assignments are generally made from within the group. So there isn’t as much reading across all areas to track your workload, and you are much more likely to get random calls from the regulatory partner you work with offering you work.

That said, yes you absolutely can turn down work, and also you can actively seek out the mix of work you want. That’s what I mean about the need to be proactive.