Do lawyers have vacations? Forum

[thompson]

It's the nature of the business. Nobody goes to biglaw for the hours.

But it won't make much difference in a middle firm in terms of income if you are not a partner,right?And maybe less billables?

Huh?

If you're asking if there is a difference between associate salaries at biglaw and midlaw, the answer is yes. Sometimes this comes with fewer billables, but often you're working basically as hard for less money.

Many midlaw firms will start off paying "market" ($160k) but then give incrementally lower raises as you advance in class year (so that, e.g. an 8th year associate at biglaw would be making $280k, and at midlaw might only be making $230k)

[reasonable_man]

It's the nature of the business. Nobody goes to biglaw for the hours.

But it won't make much difference in a middle firm in terms of income if you are not a partner,right?And maybe less billables?

Huh?

If you're asking if there is a difference between associate salaries at biglaw and midlaw, the answer is yes. Sometimes this comes with fewer billables, but often you're working basically as hard for less money.

Many midlaw firms will start off paying "market" ($160k) but then give incrementally lower raises as you advance in class year (so that, e.g. an 8th year associate at biglaw would be making $280k, and at midlaw might only be making $230k)

And MANY midlaws start off welllll below market, require just as many billable hours as biglaw and have just as much of a vested interest in your free time as biglaw, even though they pay you less... I'm waiting for the day my boss comes into my offices to say.. "eh, don't worry about this massive case, we don't pay you market, so it doesn't matter if you skip out to go skiing this weekend.." Something tells me I'm going to be waiting a longgg time.. as its now 9:44 and im still in the office and I've worked this late every day this week..

[Kant]

It's the nature of the business. Nobody goes to biglaw for the hours.

But it won't make much difference in a middle firm in terms of income if you are not a partner,right?And maybe less billables?

Huh?

If you're asking if there is a difference between associate salaries at biglaw and midlaw, the answer is yes. Sometimes this comes with fewer billables, but often you're working basically as hard for less money.

Many midlaw firms will start off paying "market" ($160k) but then give incrementally lower raises as you advance in class year (so that, e.g. an 8th year associate at biglaw would be making $280k, and at midlaw might only be making $230k)

Not sure how I would spend 230K

[reasonable_man]

It's the nature of the business. Nobody goes to biglaw for the hours.

But it won't make much difference in a middle firm in terms of income if you are not a partner,right?And maybe less billables?

Huh?

If you're asking if there is a difference between associate salaries at biglaw and midlaw, the answer is yes. Sometimes this comes with fewer billables, but often you're working basically as hard for less money.

Many midlaw firms will start off paying "market" ($160k) but then give incrementally lower raises as you advance in class year (so that, e.g. an 8th year associate at biglaw would be making $280k, and at midlaw might only be making $230k)

Not sure how I would spend 230K

From what I've seen thus far; I wouldn't let it trouble you all that much.

[Kant]

I'm pretty sure I can make a quarter of a million dollars. So go screw yourself

[reasonable_man]

I'm pretty sure I can make a quarter of a million dollars. So go screw yourself

OH. Ok. Excuse me. You're right. You'll easily make a quarter million dollars. I'm going to go screw myself now. Thanks.

[SweetnessUVA]

What about working remotely? For example, if you have a beach house, can you just bill your 12 hrs working remotely there on a Friday instead of being in the office?

[Pearalegal]

What about working remotely? For example, if you have a beach house, can you just bill your 12 hrs working remotely there on a Friday instead of being in the office?

Well, if you have no need to get to any of your files or have any meetings or use any support staff...maybe a few times a year?

Also...AHH, its back!

[SweetnessUVA]

What about working remotely? For example, if you have a beach house, can you just bill your 12 hrs working remotely there on a Friday instead of being in the office?

Well, if you have no need to get to any of your files or have any meetings or use any support staff...maybe a few times a year?

Also...AHH, its back!

Does that tend to be partners only that are able to do this?

Also - I think someone edited their post or something since this topic was up near the top of the page.

[ziggysmarley]

What about working remotely? For example, if you have a beach house, can you just bill your 12 hrs working remotely there on a Friday instead of being in the office?

Well, if you have no need to get to any of your files or have any meetings or use any support staff...maybe a few times a year?

Also...AHH, its back!

Does that tend to be partners only that are able to do this?

Also - I think someone edited their post or something since this topic was up near the top of the page.

It depends on the firm, the partners that you work for, etc. Many firms don't require face time every day of the week, so even first year associates can work remotely sometimes.

[ughOSU]

at my (small) firm, lawyers have almost 5 weeks of vacation, and they use every single day.

[scionb4]

No, a lawyer never has a vacation. They have the privilege of sitting at a desk going over real estate contracts for 25 hours a day. They do not need breaks for meals because of the joy they get from reading enthralling tax evasion cases from 2002. What would a lawyer ever need a vacation for? Their positions as glorified filing clerks are a vacation in it of themselves. Eventually, lawyers develop the ability to remain constantly awake like the great white shark, feeding only on stale dough nuts and two-day-old coffee mercilessly provided to them by their omnipotent law firms. Vacations, relaxation, sleep, intercourse, parties, hah! Those are for the unlucky masses of sheeple who have not yet discovered the joys of malpractice law suits!

[crazycanuck]

What about working remotely? For example, if you have a beach house, can you just bill your 12 hrs working remotely there on a Friday instead of being in the office?

Well, if you have no need to get to any of your files or have any meetings or use any support staff...maybe a few times a year?

Also...AHH, its back!

Does that tend to be partners only that are able to do this?

Also - I think someone edited their post or something since this topic was up near the top of the page.

Partners tend to be the only ones able to afford an extra beach house.

[ashdiamond]

What about working remotely? For example, if you have a beach house, can you just bill your 12 hrs working remotely there on a Friday instead of being in the office?

- Nobody will stop you from doing so, as long as you let the partners/seniors know you're not going to be in, but you won't be doing yourself any favors by not putting in your facetime, especially as a first or second-year associate, for two reasons: firstly, you going off to your beach house won't win you many goodwill points with your fellow first-year associates who are struggling along (and are constantly worrying about their debt load), working on the same deal as you are, but got up early, got dressed, and came into the office. Secondly, it's just bad survival tactics on your part: partners may read your actions as a lack of commitment to your job, or worse yet, if they don't see you around enough, they're simply not going to know who you are, since they can't put a face to the name. Come next round of lay-offs, esp ITE, when the partner looks at the list of employees in his department, guess who's the first guy to get the axe?

- You will, however, probably be forced to remote at some point during your legitimate vacation days as a first or second-year. And of course, the BB stays on at all times.

...At least, from what I have observed while paralegaling in BigLaw in New York.