Hours/Life during Trial? Forum

(On Campus Interviews, Summer Associate positions, Firm Reviews, Tips, ...)
Forum rules
Anonymous Posting

Anonymous posting is only appropriate when you are revealing sensitive employment related information about a firm, job, etc. You may anonymously respond on topic to these threads. Unacceptable uses include: harassing another user, joking around, testing the feature, or other things that are more appropriate in the lounge.

Failure to follow these rules will get you outed, warned, or banned.
User avatar
kkdk

Bronze
Posts: 185
Joined: Fri Jun 15, 2012 8:03 am

Hours/Life during Trial?

Post by kkdk » Fri Feb 23, 2018 12:41 pm

Hey TLS

I was put on a trial team (1st year big law, major market) and we go to trial in a few months. I was just wondering if anyone who has been through trial in their first few years can give me insight on what your lifestyle/hours were like in the months before, and the weeks during trial.

Obviously I know the standard answer is "you have no life you live at the firm", but beyond that I'm just looking for anecdotal data points, what the experience was like for you, and any tips that you would want to share.

Thanks!

Anonymous User
Posts: 428105
Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2009 9:32 am

Re: Hours/Life during Trial?

Post by Anonymous User » Fri Feb 23, 2018 3:07 pm

it will depend on the trial, the team, the court, etc. but the general answer is that it's a lot more intense, short-term, adrenaline-fueled than usual.

when I was a young member of a two-week federal jury trial, the client paid for hotel rooms -- in our home city -- so that we could be slightly closer to the courthouse and avoid distractions. we all pretty much worked until midnight every night, sometimes later, for a month leading up to the trial and during. some of the folks who had done more told me that this was the 'easiest' or fewest hours they'd ever billed during trial -- saying they like, didn't sleep at all during the trial itself in other cases.

sometimes you're on a trial team that is handling little products liability cases that were spun out of an MDL -- same facts, same experts, same law every time. if you've already done five, number six probably won't be so frantic.

also depends on the court and whether they (or the opponent) requires you to submit briefing every night on little issues that come up. or maybe it's a cowboy judge who doesn't care and just rules without hearing anything -- in the latter case, you'd do less last-minute researching.

User avatar
kkdk

Bronze
Posts: 185
Joined: Fri Jun 15, 2012 8:03 am

Re: Hours/Life during Trial?

Post by kkdk » Fri Feb 23, 2018 3:34 pm

Thank you!

This is a fed crim jury trial, if that changes anything you said already, but thanks that's very helpful!

User avatar
abogadesq

Silver
Posts: 589
Joined: Sun May 20, 2012 1:30 am

Re: Hours/Life during Trial?

Post by abogadesq » Mon Feb 26, 2018 12:11 pm

I have only litigated state-side. That being said, the week leading up to a trial was like a marathon. I would steadily get all my motions prepared and questions and statements refined. However, the last couple of says would be a real grinder as I would practice my speech and try tie lose ends to my arguments (which necessarily always had loose ends, as I was in defense). I basically had no life during those days running up to the trial and was on adrenaline. I would also tend to eat less going into a trial.

Anonymous User
Posts: 428105
Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2009 9:32 am

Re: Hours/Life during Trial?

Post by Anonymous User » Mon Feb 26, 2018 4:39 pm

In the longer (3 weeks or more) WC fed trials in which I have served as first or second chair as an AUSA, the 2-3 months before trial were worse than anything I experienced in BL.

Want to continue reading?

Register now to search topics and post comments!

Absolutely FREE!


Post Reply Post Anonymous Reply  

Return to “Legal Employment”