2 answers
Bryan
Student
Grafton, Ohio
4
Questions
Asked
438 views
What are some daily hours, and how many hours a week do Lawyers work?
I feel I would be a good lawyer, as well as some others telling me that I should be one. #wannabeLawyer
2 answers
Christina M
Tax Consultant
2
Answers
Boston, Massachusetts
Updated
Christina’s Answer
Hi Bryan,
Great question. I think a lot of people decide they want to go into law without doing enough research into what lifestyle that choice might dictate, so glad you are thinking about this upfront.
The answer, as with much of the law itself, is it depends. Law is a very broad field and the hours can vary depending upon what type of work environment you are in, whether you are in transactional or litigation work, the time of year, and the type of relationship you have with clients. If you work in a small firm that handles mostly predictable or routine matters (say, trusts and estates), then you are likely looking at 40 hours a week. On the other end of the spectrum, if you work in a big law firm (those on the Am Law 200 list), you could easily have many months or years of working 12 hour plus days, including both days on the weekend, though there is a lot of variety between specific firms and practice groups. There are many options in the middle. A trial lawyer may work 30 hours in a slow week and then 80 hours in the weeks leading up to trial. In-house lawyers or those who work at a consulting firm may have regular 40 hour plus weeks but need to put in extra time if a big transaction or litigation is happening.
At the end of the day, the law is a service industry. Work schedules are dictated by client need.
Reach out to lawyers in fields you might be interested in for an informational interview to see what their daily schedule is like.
Research salaries in different legal fields- not all demanding legal jobs are highly compensated but all highly compensated legal jobs are demanding.
Think about how you would like to spend your time during your career. Is it important to you to have time for hobbies, family?
Great question. I think a lot of people decide they want to go into law without doing enough research into what lifestyle that choice might dictate, so glad you are thinking about this upfront.
The answer, as with much of the law itself, is it depends. Law is a very broad field and the hours can vary depending upon what type of work environment you are in, whether you are in transactional or litigation work, the time of year, and the type of relationship you have with clients. If you work in a small firm that handles mostly predictable or routine matters (say, trusts and estates), then you are likely looking at 40 hours a week. On the other end of the spectrum, if you work in a big law firm (those on the Am Law 200 list), you could easily have many months or years of working 12 hour plus days, including both days on the weekend, though there is a lot of variety between specific firms and practice groups. There are many options in the middle. A trial lawyer may work 30 hours in a slow week and then 80 hours in the weeks leading up to trial. In-house lawyers or those who work at a consulting firm may have regular 40 hour plus weeks but need to put in extra time if a big transaction or litigation is happening.
At the end of the day, the law is a service industry. Work schedules are dictated by client need.
Christina recommends the following next steps:
Firoz Ghandhi
24
Answers
Updated
Firoz’s Answer
Lawyers at least for the first 5 years work a lot of hours if the workload is there. Work may pertain to office work, working at home, outside office research, and time in the courtroom. There is often a lot of reading and research to do. In later years you may be able to control the number of clients you have and therefore better balance work and non work life. Your workload may be light if you have less clients and cases.
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