My ex boss probably hated his wife. He used to stay back in office till late in the night (10pm), even when he had no work. He expected us, his team also to stay back. Had to eat fucking sad ass dinners in office so many times in a row.

He also loved coming in on Saturdays, and staying in office till 9pm or 9.30pm, even when there was no work or deadline. He also expected us to come in and waste our day in the office.

The kicker, the man used to come into office not before 1pm on weekdays, and around 3.30pm on Saturdays, while we had to come in early by 10 or 11. Can you imagine the toxicity in that office? God it was suffocating. I was elated when I could finally quit.

bro it's not like we're in office at 9 AM in the morning. I can speak for at least the transactions teams. My partner allows my team to start rolling in by 10, and be there by at least 11. I do have mornings to myself, and can usually squeeze in an hour of working out too other than chores.

TOO MUCH exaggeration in the comments.

Some lawyers have started owning their work hours as a badge of honour, and this can get quite unrealistic. That’s not same everywhere. Also, please remember that mostly people who are frustrated with their life are more likely to visit / comment on LegallyIndia - this might give you a skewed picture.

What’s the reality?

Generally working hours are 10-12 hours. Depending on the team and type of work at certain time, it can go up to 14 hours a days. There are days of less work, but you still have to stick around in office till 8:30pm - 9pm, in case some work comes in.

Also, on an average, out of the 12 hours, not everything is high intense work. You also develop a bond with your colleagues and take breaks in between work at the office, so that makes it bearable. You also get used to the hours after a point ?

Of course, during certain closings, people only get time to sleep for 2-3 hours, but that’s in rare cases. If someone is in a team where this happens regularly, that is just bad management by their boss and they seriously need to start considering other workplaces.

Hope this above perspective helps.

The work culture of the firm in particular of ALL THE REAL ESTATE TEAMS is horribly toxic. The working hours are somewhere between 12 - 15 hours per day. A0 - A3 Associates are intentionally called up on Sundays and public Holidays for so called "Urgent Deliverables" which are nothing more than making Flow Charts, Tables and Excel Sheets. The Associates are asked to remain available for calls and emails 24/7. The Senior Associates right up to the Associate Partners have all given up on their lives and are trying to imbibe that into their juniors relentlessly.

There are times when there is some real urgent work and you might have to slog that late. But as for other work that might not really be urgent, you will have to draw a line. If you don't, expect your senior to push you to hilt. As a junior associate, it is difficult to take a stand but it is essential if you want to stay sane. A senior associate in my team bullied me with work for months when I accepted eveyrything thinking it to be the right of passage but slowly as I gained confidence, I told him what was what. That improved my life.

Its 365247. There is no respite. Of course you may have some time off but you don't know when you will get that dreaded call/e-mail that will be super urgent because your partner blabbered to the client that they will get it across on Monday morning. There are no rules. We all are robots. Have fun with that money.

How many hours are expected out of an A1 at a Tier 1 Law Firm in Mumbai. Does it vary across offices/teams?

Of course it is hectic, but is it as horrible as heard? (15 hours a day, Calls on Sunday). Or is it just an exception (Deal Closing/Important Matters)

Is it like this just for the initial years or does it continue like this forever? How do associates balance work - life/family?