Biglaw Hours Check Class of 2018 Forum

[Anonymous User]

Another tax associate, who does a mix of fund work and deal work. The fund work can be a bit more “lifestyle” as there are longer deadlines and less firedrills. Deal work tends to feel like the same hours as general M&A associate hours.

Throw in your random research projects where you need to find 4 uninterrupted hours to deal with, and hours can quickly get hellish.

[Anonymous User]

.

[Anonymous User]

No class of 2018 but started at firm beginning of October 2018. As of this weekend 1190 since start date, 580 this year.

[Anonymous User]

V10 corporate (non-NYC) first year: 330 in 2019.

[Anonymous User]

Are we reporting only billable hours, or does this include probono/non-billable hours too?

[Anonymous User]

I've been reporting pro bono because they count for my bonus.

[Anonymous User]

Started in the Fall of 2018. At six month mark, 1128 (billable + probono, but excluding non-billable administrative/recruitment).

[Anonymous User]

930~ for 2019.. v50 corp

[Anonymous User]

542 for 2019. Litigation in TX

[Anonymous User]

At 1050 as of April 1 for year of 2019

[bananaphone]

Cap markets, about 450 for 2019. No pro bono or other hours counted

[Anonymous User]

V10 NY Litigation

556 for 2019
914 total (started in late October)

[Anonymous User]

jesus how are people billed 300+ hours for 3 months straight to get to the 900 and 1000 levels reported above? I didn't know that was physically possible.

[Anonymous User]

539.5 for the calendar year (6th year in West Coast V100)

[Anonymous User]

1st year 300 hours since December. Working in a Transport Finance group at a V50...I won't break 1,000 hours at this rate (doesn't seem like there is a lot of traditional junior associate diligence to fill up hours in this group).

[Anonymous User]

Elite litigation boutique. 840 for calendar year....

[Anonymous User]

Not a first year, but 1050 since October (lateraled from a V10)

Last year was 1280 at the half year mark, and close to 2600 at the end. Glad I’m not there anymore.

[Anonymous User]

Not a first year, but 1050 since October (lateraled from a V10)

Last year was 1280 at the half year mark, and close to 2600 at the end. Glad I’m not there anymore.

whats different about the v10? Hours seem to be about the same.

[Anonymous User]

V10 NY Litigation

556 for 2019
914 total (started in late October)

556 for 2019 seems very easy. What am I missing? Since the beginning of 2019, you've worked about 13 weeks. 556 hours divided by 13 weeks comes out to around 43 hours per week.

Additionally, 914 hours since late October means you've worked somewhere around 22 weeks. 914 hours divided by 22 weeks means you're averaging about 42 hours per week. Again, this seems odd. No one in biglaw works under 45 hour weeks--especially in a v10 NYC litigation.

What am I missing? Are these only billable hours that are actually billed to a client after adjustments are made?

[BasilHallward]

V10 NY Litigation

556 for 2019
914 total (started in late October)

556 for 2019 seems very easy. What am I missing? Since the beginning of 2019, you've worked about 13 weeks. 556 hours divided by 13 weeks comes out to around 43 hours per week.

Additionally, 914 hours since late October means you've worked somewhere around 22 weeks. 914 hours divided by 22 weeks means you're averaging about 42 hours per week. Again, this seems odd. No one in biglaw works under 45 hour weeks--especially in a v10 NYC litigation.

What am I missing? Are these only billable hours that are actually billed to a client after adjustments are made?

Weird to be calling out someone's job as "very easy" when that person is on track to bill 2200+ for the year. It's shortsighted and so superficial. 150 hour months can be brutal and 230 hour months can be a breeze, depending on the client and type of work you're doing. Of course, you should know this... I don't understand why you're equating billable hours with hours worked. 43 hours billed in a week can easily mean 70 hours spent in the office when you're jumping from one-off assignment to one-off assignment.

[Anonymous User]

(Not 2018 class but first year in firm because I clerked) Started mid Nov. (already part way through billable year).

V10 Lit CA 840

[Hopefullitassociate]

V10 NY Litigation

556 for 2019
914 total (started in late October)

556 for 2019 seems very easy. What am I missing? Since the beginning of 2019, you've worked about 13 weeks. 556 hours divided by 13 weeks comes out to around 43 hours per week.

Additionally, 914 hours since late October means you've worked somewhere around 22 weeks. 914 hours divided by 22 weeks means you're averaging about 42 hours per week. Again, this seems odd. No one in biglaw works under 45 hour weeks--especially in a v10 NYC litigation.

What am I missing? Are these only billable hours that are actually billed to a client after adjustments are made?

This is, objectively (and along with the rest of this post) untrue.

[Anonymous User]

V10 NY Litigation

556 for 2019
914 total (started in late October)

556 for 2019 seems very easy. What am I missing? Since the beginning of 2019, you've worked about 13 weeks. 556 hours divided by 13 weeks comes out to around 43 hours per week.

Additionally, 914 hours since late October means you've worked somewhere around 22 weeks. 914 hours divided by 22 weeks means you're averaging about 42 hours per week. Again, this seems odd. No one in biglaw works under 45 hour weeks--especially in a v10 NYC litigation.

What am I missing? Are these only billable hours that are actually billed to a client after adjustments are made?

Weird to be calling out someone's job as "very easy" when that person is on track to bill 2200+ for the year. It's shortsighted and so superficial. 150 hour months can be brutal and 230 hour months can be a breeze, depending on the client and type of work you're doing. Of course, you should know this... I don't understand why you're equating billable hours with hours worked. 43 hours billed in a week can easily mean 70 hours spent in the office when you're jumping from one-off assignment to one-off assignment.

You are right. I misspoke. I apologize for calling the job "very easy." That was a mistake. I meant to say the hours seem easier than I'd expect at v10 litigation--especially if these are total hours worked and not total billable hours after adjustments are made.

Also, I'm not equating billable hours with total hours worked. I'm simply asking, twice now, if those figures are billable hours or total hours worked. I understand the tremendous difference between the two.

[Yugihoe]

I could not agree with you more. I apologize for calling the job "very easy." That was a mistake. I meant to say the hours seem easier than I'd expect at v10 litigation--especially if these are total hours worked and not total billable hours after adjustments are made.

Also, I'm not equating billable hours with total hours worked. I'm simply asking, twice now, if those figures are billable hours or total hours worked. I understand the tremendous difference between the two.

This thread is titled "big law hours check" and everyone has been posting billable hours and not total hours worked. 550 hours for Q1 is no walk in the park at all.

[Hopefullitassociate]

V10 NY Litigation

556 for 2019
914 total (started in late October)

556 for 2019 seems very easy. What am I missing? Since the beginning of 2019, you've worked about 13 weeks. 556 hours divided by 13 weeks comes out to around 43 hours per week.

Additionally, 914 hours since late October means you've worked somewhere around 22 weeks. 914 hours divided by 22 weeks means you're averaging about 42 hours per week. Again, this seems odd. No one in biglaw works under 45 hour weeks--especially in a v10 NYC litigation.

What am I missing? Are these only billable hours that are actually billed to a client after adjustments are made?

Weird to be calling out someone's job as "very easy" when that person is on track to bill 2200+ for the year. It's shortsighted and so superficial. 150 hour months can be brutal and 230 hour months can be a breeze, depending on the client and type of work you're doing. Of course, you should know this... I don't understand why you're equating billable hours with hours worked. 43 hours billed in a week can easily mean 70 hours spent in the office when you're jumping from one-off assignment to one-off assignment.

You are right. I misspoke. I apologize for calling the job "very easy." That was a mistake. I meant to say the hours seem easier than I'd expect at v10 litigation--especially if these are total hours worked and not total billable hours after adjustments are made.

Also, I'm not equating billable hours with total hours worked. I'm simply asking, twice now, if those figures are billable hours or total hours worked. I understand the tremendous difference between the two.

Who even keeps track of both their total billed hours AND the total hours they work each month?