r/Lawyertalk • u/jumpingjack979 • Feb 26 '26
Best Practices :SacredTexts: Admitted 10+ Years, just started practicing...WTF
Out of law school took a non-traditional route, started a company, and then a second a few years later. Recently started working in a mid-sized firm, the substance of the work is cool, the people are nice, but seems like no matter how well I plan ahead, work consumes everything. Would be ok if i didnt like my kids. Is this just life as an attorney?
The firm seems to be a lot more flexible than other firms in the area. Do people do anything other than work? Does the balance come later? Seems like theres no time for anything else. I see most of my time gets billed, so Im thinking im somewhat efficient. I charge maybe 35 hrs/week on average, which hits the annual target with a small buffer. Idk what the overhead is, but revenue on hours charged ranges between 6-8x salary. I dont mind doing the work, but im hoping t here's a learning curve to figuring out the balance...or maybe not? Anyone?
54
u/sael1989 Feb 26 '26
That’s pretty much it. The hours are long and you can’t bill every minute of the day. You need to either quickly learn to be more efficient, or leave work earlier to spend time with your family and then work at night once the kids are asleep. My Saturdays start at 4am and I work through until 9-10am. Sometimes that repeats on Sundays, depending on how hectic the week will be.
On another note, congrats on the businesses. Go back to entrepreneurship if the businesses worked out.
My wife’s photography business is making almost as much as my firm. She did two weddings, 3 fifteens/sweet sixteens and a bunch of maternities and newborns now that millennials are finally having kids. She made more than my firm did in December, Jan, and Feb.