Biglaw Litigation Hours (D.C. or elsewhere) Forum

[Anonymous User]

Curious what D.C. biglaw litigation associates' hours have been like. Has it been a particularly busy time, or on par with other years?

Particularly interested in what practice groups have been busier/slower during the pandemic.

Context: current clerk thinking about post-clerkship hiring opportunities in D.C.

[Anonymous User]

https://knowyourmeme.com/photos/1508121

[Anonymous User]

Is biglaw litigation really a regional thing ? I'm in patent lit in DC (so maybe that's why its different), but I don't think being in DC has any effect on the type or volume of work we get. So I don't think there should really be a different answer if you take out the "D.C." part of your question.

Anyway, cannot say how general lit is going. But patent lit has been like drinking from a firehouse for the last year, and is not showing signs of slowing.

[Anonymous User]

Is biglaw litigation really a regional thing ? I'm in patent lit in DC (so maybe that's why its different), but I don't think being in DC has any effect on the type or volume of work we get. So I don't think there should really be a different answer if you take out the "D.C." part of your question.

Anyway, cannot say how general lit is going. But patent lit has been like drinking from a firehouse for the last year, and is not showing signs of slowing.

Fair point that it's not regional. I suppose I was hoping for any firm- or practice-group- specific information. I'll revise the OP to be a bit more specific. Thanks!

[Anonymous User]

Curious what D.C. biglaw litigation associates' hours have been like. Has it been a particularly busy time, or on par with other years?

Particularly interested in what practice groups have been busier/slower during the pandemic.

Context: current clerk thinking about post-clerkship hiring opportunities in D.C.

At my large firm it has been completely crazy. Nothing seems to settle anymore, tons of huge MDLs going, with far more bellwethers going to trial than I would have thought was rational. I don't really think it something specific to us, either. My sense is that litigation demand has really picked up in the last few years, perhaps connected with the massive jury awards that have been coming out.

[Anonymous User]

At my large firm it has been completely crazy. Nothing seems to settle anymore, tons of huge MDLs going, with far more bellwethers going to trial than I would have thought was rational. I don't really think it something specific to us, either. My sense is that litigation demand has really picked up in the last few years, perhaps connected with the massive jury awards that have been coming out.

I agree with this. There are more enormous cases than I remember before and those come with unique challenges. COVID also basically shut down courts for civil lit for a while, which basically let cases stew in discovery for much longer than they usually do, and I think we are starting to see an emergence from that in some cases while other stay mired in it.

The upshot is that we are very busy, and the last truly slow period that litigators had at my firm was in 2019. There is really no end in sight, we are trying to hire laterals like crazy (yes, even in lit), and I sense people are burning out more than usual. I think post-year end bonuses, there is going to be a high level of turnover, and what comes after that is impossible to predict, so I can't really say what things will look like for people like OP looking to join a firm in late 2022 or beyond.