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[ExaminerEsq]

I know law firms expect you to work like a slave in your first couple of years. What have been other people's experiences? Is working 8-8 with the occasional weekend a normal schedule? Or is working something like 8-midnight with weekends the norm?

[TheTrademarkCompany]

Depends upon what city you are in and the particular firm.  For instance, in DC 8-8 is probably OK but in NYC 8-12 may be more in line with what is expected.  Looking back so many think things like "free dinner" is a great benefit.  They do not realize that it is provided to keep you working 24/7 and that you are expected to be there past dinner time be that at 6, 7, 8, 9 etc.

So it depends on your firm culture and the city in which you are in. 

My suggestion in terms of work hours would be more general - visibility and gross production.  In regard to visibility, whoever you are working for (group of partners) make sure you beat them into the office every day.  And then make sure you are, on average, the last one working at night.  That will (should in theory) get noticed.

Additionally, if your minimum billable requirement is, let's say, 2000 hours.  If you roll in at 2050 for the year you are not going to be viewed as a hero.  If you have a 2000 hour requirement and want to get noticed make sure you drop in 2400 or more.  If the requirement is 2000 you can bet they have a built in profit margin on that number.  So anything above that is pure profit for your bosses ... and they love that.

Good luck.

Matt S.
The Trademark Company

[khazzah]

I know law firms expect you to work like a slave in your first couple of years.

This is probably an accurate summary of BigLaw. But not every firm is BigLaw.

You need to know 1) the minimum billABLE or billED requirement; 2) the average billABLE or billED; and 3) whether you'll be doing prep & pros, transactional, litigation, or a mixture.

[TheTrademarkCompany]

Here:

Read this:

http://www.therealpracticeoflaw.com/Resources.html