Tell me about a honest day in the life of a corporate lawyer in tier 1/ 2 law firms. The pros and the cons. Tell me more about ways the newer associates take time out to cheer themselves up and their recreational activities.
4AM: Woken up by nature's call. Refresh mail on phone to see if senior has replied to the thing that I sent out at 12. Nothing. Sigh of relief but feel let down too. Was told this was super urgent. 8AM: Wake up. Check email while having tea. See 9 new emails! Three emails to work on during the day. Need to shower and organise the day soon or it will be out of control. Switch on laptop and organise desk before going for a shower. 9AM: Switch on the telly to get news while having breakfast. Texts on team group about pending deliverables. 10AM: Day looks fine - three deliverables and nothing urgent. Think might watch an episode on Netflix before starting. 10:10AM: Get a call - have been told to put everything I am doing on hold and work on something completely new as it is urgent. 1:00 PM: Hardly been able to work. Got calls and texts with people asking about minor things. 02:00 PM: Call the Partner telling her will need two more hours for the urgent deliverable. Partner says which deliverable? Control my emotions. Partner says it is sorted nothing to be done on that. 02:30 PM: Lunch with deal call on in the background. 03:00PM: Time to get back to the original three deliverables. Should file my emails before I get to that. 23 new mails today! 04:00PM: Partner wants to have a team call to get updated. 04:30PM: call ends. Senior Associate calls separately to tell me that I am running very late on a deliverable and that he got a bashing from the partner for it. I should prioritize that. I tell him that the principal associate had tied me up with something else on another deal and thats why I couldnt devote more time. Senior Associate tells me I need to organise better. 04:45 PM: Call another lowly associate on my team and we bitch about the partners, managing partners, the senior associate, the principal associate, the firm, the country..realise its 6 already. 06:00 PM: Will have my filter coffee and get to the work then. Partner calls and tell me that she needs the note that she asked for in the morning ASAP. I shit my pants. Change my pants and get to it. 10:00 PM: I send the note to the partner. Partner marks the principal associate to have a look. Principal associate calls me and gives his 'comments' on the call. I edit the note and send it back to the principal associate. Principal associate asks me to send to partner. I send to the partner. 11:00 PM: Raju bhaiya comes for the 7th time asking me if I want dinner or he will sleep. I apologise and ask him to get it to me on the desk. I eat. like a savage 11:10 PM: Right then. I plan to finish the three deliverables before sleeping. SA texts on the group, asking for ETA on it. On the group with the partner on! Have to say will send tonight. I say that. 03:30 AM: 2 of 3 done! Feels like an achievement. I sleep. 05:00 AM: Can't fall asleep. Refresh email. the SA has sent comments along with the email that we need to send it out first thing in the morning.
I agree with you that the job of a corporate lawyer involves hectic work hours. But, you do get your time off. There are months which are lighter and you get weekends off.
Weekends off? Thats a novel idea for firms. Please tell me which firm you work at. I will find a vacancy and apply to your team. Sometimes, I am grateful if I get the sunday afternoon off, let alone the entire weekend.
In some funny way,this is like some crazy and unintentional admission that AO at CAM in Yashs team have it worst dur serious over-work culture......"mostly"get Sunday off..... hahaha
Everyone calling me out and telling me that I am exaggerating, please note I said sometimes, NOT ALL THE TIME. One Sunday in the month is usually free. Although there have been three-four months when I have not had a day off. NOT A SINGLE DAY. You can call me a doormat for never saying no but THAT's ME.
This was horrifyingly true depiction of the day for me too. Also true that some days/weeks are like this, and some not.
What would you say to this strategy - 1) you make a list of deliverables to be organised chronologically and let all people who are expecting know who is getting what and when. If they want it on priority, they better talk to the other senior/work on it himself. 2) if Partner calls you to hold everything else, text the seniors that this is not going to be possible within the discussed deadline, extension required. The senior can at least update the client on the same.
Of course, many a times deliverables are needed ASAP. For these, it is understandable to work overnight. It is not understandable to work for all deliverables over night - get the deadline moved to next day. Especially, if you have already pulled of 14 hours.
It is also a good idea to take a break, if the team is working in half hazard manner which is making the senior give unreasonable deliverables timeline to clients. This needs to be resolved ASAP and among other things, the communication between team needs to improve. If someone is gonna be slacking, he can, but he better communicate about it.
-Wake up -Open your laptop -Spend your entire day on the laptop working (if there is work) -Spend your entire day on the laptop checking your emails every minute for new work (if there is less work) -Wait for the weekends -Sleep beside your laptop -Work on the weekends as well.
Covidiot law firms - time to wake up!
8AM: Wake up. Check email while having tea. See 9 new emails! Three emails to work on during the day. Need to shower and organise the day soon or it will be out of control. Switch on laptop and organise desk before going for a shower.
9AM: Switch on the telly to get news while having breakfast. Texts on team group about pending deliverables.
10AM: Day looks fine - three deliverables and nothing urgent. Think might watch an episode on Netflix before starting.
10:10AM: Get a call - have been told to put everything I am doing on hold and work on something completely new as it is urgent.
1:00 PM: Hardly been able to work. Got calls and texts with people asking about minor things.
02:00 PM: Call the Partner telling her will need two more hours for the urgent deliverable. Partner says which deliverable? Control my emotions. Partner says it is sorted nothing to be done on that.
02:30 PM: Lunch with deal call on in the background.
03:00PM: Time to get back to the original three deliverables. Should file my emails before I get to that. 23 new mails today!
04:00PM: Partner wants to have a team call to get updated.
04:30PM: call ends. Senior Associate calls separately to tell me that I am running very late on a deliverable and that he got a bashing from the partner for it. I should prioritize that. I tell him that the principal associate had tied me up with something else on another deal and thats why I couldnt devote more time. Senior Associate tells me I need to organise better.
04:45 PM: Call another lowly associate on my team and we bitch about the partners, managing partners, the senior associate, the principal associate, the firm, the country..realise its 6 already.
06:00 PM: Will have my filter coffee and get to the work then. Partner calls and tell me that she needs the note that she asked for in the morning ASAP. I shit my pants. Change my pants and get to it.
10:00 PM: I send the note to the partner. Partner marks the principal associate to have a look. Principal associate calls me and gives his 'comments' on the call. I edit the note and send it back to the principal associate. Principal associate asks me to send to partner. I send to the partner.
11:00 PM: Raju bhaiya comes for the 7th time asking me if I want dinner or he will sleep. I apologise and ask him to get it to me on the desk. I eat. like a savage
11:10 PM: Right then. I plan to finish the three deliverables before sleeping. SA texts on the group, asking for ETA on it. On the group with the partner on! Have to say will send tonight. I say that.
03:30 AM: 2 of 3 done! Feels like an achievement. I sleep.
05:00 AM: Can't fall asleep. Refresh email. the SA has sent comments along with the email that we need to send it out first thing in the morning.
Not every day is like this but you get the idea.
What would you say to this strategy - 1) you make a list of deliverables to be organised chronologically and let all people who are expecting know who is getting what and when. If they want it on priority, they better talk to the other senior/work on it himself. 2) if Partner calls you to hold everything else, text the seniors that this is not going to be possible within the discussed deadline, extension required. The senior can at least update the client on the same.
Of course, many a times deliverables are needed ASAP. For these, it is understandable to work overnight. It is not understandable to work for all deliverables over night - get the deadline moved to next day. Especially, if you have already pulled of 14 hours.
It is also a good idea to take a break, if the team is working in half hazard manner which is making the senior give unreasonable deliverables timeline to clients. This needs to be resolved ASAP and among other things, the communication between team needs to improve. If someone is gonna be slacking, he can, but he better communicate about it.
-Open your laptop
-Spend your entire day on the laptop working (if there is work)
-Spend your entire day on the laptop checking your emails every minute for new work (if there is less work)
-Wait for the weekends
-Sleep beside your laptop
-Work on the weekends as well.