Question about Big Law Forum

[RP1983]

I am an OL, so this may be a newbie question, but I am seriously interested in finding this out. In a BIGLAW job, are you restricted to doing litigation ,getting up in front of people in a court room and presenting a trial, that sort of thing? Or can you do the behind the scenes corporate type of thing, which I am more interested in.

[legalease9]

You're in luck! Its the opposite. You won't do litigation in big law until you've had years upon years of big law experience. You will spend all your time doing behind the scenes corporate work.

[pleasetryagain]

You're in luck! Its the opposite. You won't do litigation in big law until you've had years upon years of big law experience. You will spend all your time doing behind the scenes corporate work.

lolrofl

[RP1983]

You're in luck! Its the opposite. You won't do litigation in big law until you've had years upon years of big law experience. You will spend all your time doing behind the scenes corporate work.

Haha. I'm asking for serious advice here.

[legalease9]

You're in luck! Its the opposite. You won't do litigation in big law until you've had years upon years of big law experience. You will spend all your time doing behind the scenes corporate work.

Haha. I'm asking for serious advice here.

I am being serious. If you are talking about standing up in a courtroom and speaking vs. sitting at a desk pushing paper, big law is going to have you do exclusively the latter. It might be "litigation work" but you will be prepping for the trial behind the scenes not participating in it.

[RP1983]

You're in luck! Its the opposite. You won't do litigation in big law until you've had years upon years of big law experience. You will spend all your time doing behind the scenes corporate work.

Haha. I'm asking for serious advice here.

I am being serious. If you are talking about standing up in a courtroom and speaking vs. sitting at a desk pushing paper, big law is going to have you do exclusively the latter. It might be "litigation work" but you will be prepping for the trial behind the scenes not participating in it.

Ok thank you. Now my second question. How many BIGLAW jobs can I get where I work 35-40 hours a week tops. No only joking with that one.

But in all seriousness, what is a typical hours per week schedule for BIGLAW. Is it about 60 hours a week M-F? Are you usually working weekends? Thanks again for the help.

[Cole S. Law]

Dude, there is no union in Biglaw. Try schoolteacher or American autoworker. Good luck with your new career choice.

[nealric]

But in all seriousness, what is a typical hours per week schedule for BIGLAW. Is it about 60 hours a week M-F? Are you usually working weekends? Thanks again for the help.

It's not consistent. It might average 60 hrs/wk, but that might be distributed as 80hrs one week with 40 the next. It's not strictly M-F.

[legalease9]

http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 3&t=115709

Good place to start. People posted a lot of interesting info.

In big law your hours will be long and they will be variable (40 hrs one week, 100 hrs another). Interesting things were said on the linked post about the lack of control over your hours too.

[februaryftw]

It depends on the firm. This might be helpful:

http://www.law.yale.edu/documents/pdf/C ... e_hour.pdf

[RP1983]

Thanks guys.

[nealric]

It depends on the firm. This might be helpful:

http://www.law.yale.edu/documents/pdf/C ... e_hour.pdf

I think that report is a bit odd in assuming 3 weeks vacation and 2 weeks holiday. No biglaw associates take a full 3 weeks vacation and get 2 weeks of holidays.

[thwalls]

Just remember that there are lots of different types of law. But if you're looking at "BIG Law", by it's very nature you're talking about a demanding schedule. Part of the reason for that is not only because you're employer will work you like a slave (which they may or may not do depending on the firms culture) but also because your CLIENT will work you like a slave. Outside of being a Prosecutor, a lawyer's job is dependent upon keeping his client happy or else your client goes down the street. So if you client says, "rats I just forgot to give you information A that's required for our case which has a deadline for submission tomorrow," that means that you will be in the office plugging away to the wee hours of the morning.

It's no different from they guy who works at WAWA making your sandwich. If he makes a good sandwich then you'll be back to have another. If he makes a bad sandwich then you go up the street to Sheetz. The only difference with law is that the sandwich is ridiculously expensive. This allows you to get paid more but it's only because the stakes are higher.

FWIW, I have no intention of ever being in front of a judge or being a litigator. It frightens me. That's why I'm content on my IP track where I can sit in a dark room for 10 hours a day, 6 days a week, drafting claims, patents, and briefs related to said patents.