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Reality of life at City firms

Hi all,

Looking for advice from people who are/know City lawyers (US, MC, SC, T50).

Is there really much difference between them in terms of hours?

Is it more of a case of average finishing times being 7/8 but the only real issue being the unpredictability of these finishing times (told to stay when plans made etc).

Best!
Following J-SP's excellent advice, the hours are unpredictable and it does vary considerably depending on the department you're in.

What you will hear often is that the hours come in peaks and troughs. The severity of the peaks and troughs depends on the nature of work of the department and the volume of work coming in and a little bit of luck. A friend of mine in Debt Finance gets so immensly busy when he is busy that he works 7 days a week and anywhere between 12-18 hours/day for 2 weeks straight. However, when it gets quiet, he is literally reading the Guardian and checking posts on Facebook and disappearing at 5.30 on the dot because he had had nothing to do all day long.

Compare that to my seat in a contentious team and the latest I ever worked was one lone night when I was in until just after 11. Ordinarily, I was out the door between 6.30-8 on any given day, however, I was usually busy all day long and there were very few days when I found myself twiddling my thumbs due to having nothing to do.

It is true that things are unpredictable and you learn quickly that evening plans may not work out exactly as you hoped. But I think that is more a skill of learning the vibe of the department you're in and making it very clear that there are some engagements that you have to keep and the team will usually make do, especially if you give them notice. In over a year of my traineeship, I cannot think of a single time when I have told any of my supervisors that I had important plans one evening and they made me cancel them. The trick is to inform them in advance and make sure that they understand that this is important to you.
Reply 2
Completely agree with the above two posts. If you're reasonable (i.e. don't expect to leave every evening at 7 because you have plans) then you will normally be fine and it is very rare that you will have to miss important plans.

I did have to cancel one evening when I was supposed to be going to the theatre but there was no way that they could have got by without me (things were dumped on us last minute with an obscenely tight turnaround) but they paid for the ticket and gave me a day off in lieu. Obviously doesn't make up for missing the theatre but definitely makes it easier to stomach!
Most firms are quite reasonable about you having evening plans. As others have said, it is ultimately about making sure that the work gets done one way or another, which can be achieved if you plan ahead and give people notice. *

What this does mean, though, is that there may not be much room for spontaneity in your social life.*

To reiterate another thing others have said (because I suppose you're seeking consensus), hours seem to vary more within full-practice firms than they do between them. Tax and real estate are generally 9-6 kind of departments. Contentious teams also tend to have fairly regular, if longer, hours. Transactional lawyers might finish at 6.30 one day and 11.30 (or worse) the next.*
Original post by arrowhead

Compare that to my seat in a contentious team and the latest I ever worked was one lone night when I was in until just after 11. Ordinarily, I was out the door between 6.30-8 on any given day, however, I was usually busy all day long and there were very few days when I found myself twiddling my thumbs due to having nothing to do.


Would you care to share what firm you work for? I'd understand if you don't want to but I'm really curious.

I completed a TC in Switzerland in a City Law Firm equivalent and was told by our London secondee that the hours in the London office (this was B&M) were "way longer" (mine were from 8 to 8 on average, with an hour for lunch). It sounds like ithis depends on the department though.
Reply 5
I'm an NQ at a Top 20 firm, albeit I work in the Manchester office as opposed to 'the city'. My average hours are 8:30 till 6:00. The majority of people will come in for 9 and will then leave at roughly 6:30.

From speaking to other friends at similar sized firms in Manchester, these hours seem the norm.
Legal Cheek has conducted a survey among trainee solicitors and junior associates for larger firms and I found the results on average arrival and leave times to be quite enlightening (though of course they are an average of what could vary widely between departments). It's also a shame they did not ask about the frequency of weekend work. A free weekend can make all the difference if you are required to stay late on a regular basis, at least in my experience.

http://www.legalcheek.com/the-legal-cheek-top-firms-most-list/
Original post by Jasy
I'm an NQ at a Top 20 firm, albeit I work in the Manchester office as opposed to 'the city'. My average hours are 8:30 till 6:00. The majority of people will come in for 9 and will then leave at roughly 6:30.

From speaking to other friends at similar sized firms in Manchester, these hours seem the norm.


What does Top 20 even mean?

8.30 - 6.30 in the City is not very long at all, suppose that's the trade off of working for bigger firms.
Reply 8
I believe it's based on turnover, however I'm not 100% sure about that.

I work at DWF and the friends I referred to work at Clyde & Co and DAC Beachcroft.
Reply 9
Original post by MrLintonJones
What does Top 20 even mean?

8.30 - 6.30 in the City is not very long at all, suppose that's the trade off of working for bigger firms.



I believe it's based on turnover, however I'm not 100% sure about that.

I work at DWF and the friends I referred to work at Clyde & Co and DAC Beachcroft.

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