Comments on: Mine, yours and hours

By: Shoes drop, crows roost, the whole thing « Likelihood of Success

Shoes drop, crows roost, the whole thing « Likelihood of Success — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 23:29:09 +0000

[...] Olbermann been fired?Shoes drop, crows roost, the whole thingChurchill was right about the JewsMine, yours and hoursToo little, too lateThe whole world is a narrow bridgeCheesecake from spaceShoe [...]

By: Exit Zero

Exit Zero — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 15:08:59 +0000

Parliment of whores

Ann Althouse says:

By: pennywit

pennywit — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 22:30:34 +0000

Today, I also pondered how one can bill that many hours per year and still maintain a happy family life. Then, I realized …

–|PW|–

By: Ron Coleman

Ron Coleman — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 13:32:29 +0000

In fact it is quite possible to sustain a 2500 hours or so pace for a while. 200+ hours a month without vacation — doable if you have one or two big matters and just chalk up arrival till departure to that one or two billing number.

But each 50 hours after that level really is pretty preposterous.

By: pennywit

pennywit — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 11:14:11 +0000

Granted, I don’t have extensive experience at BigLaw either, but when I think about some of the things that a high-powered attorney might be doing at the firm — serving on one or two internal committees, mentoring younger associates, networking with other attorneys, prospecting for new clients, and so forth — I have trouble seeing 3,300 hours a year.

–|PW|–

By: Fern

Fern — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 05:48:29 +0000

I was going to comment that I didn’t think 3300 hours was possible on your first post, but then I thought maybe I didn’t know what I was talking about since I’ve never worked at a big muckety muck firm like Skadden. 3300 hours is only a few hundred hours shy of being TWICE what the firm I worked at during my 2L summer required.

By: Peter Klima

Peter Klima — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 03:33:10 +0000

I have also worked in a big law firm. I have billed over 2,500 hours and actually cut some time. Your conclusion is without any REAL support.

Also, you cite a journalists story, surely not based on a review of billables, as true…. you should know better than that.

Your opinions are weak and they bore me.

Imagine being so bored you manage to spend time writing a comment. “Opinions” are “weak”? Ok, see ya. Thanks for stopping by. A ton. — RDC

By: Ron Coleman

Ron Coleman — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 00:00:29 +0000

Well, she did do M&A at Skadden. That can be massively hours-intensive, but the hours are really just made up hours. I mean, 3,300 is just plain a lie. Sorry. The clients are more or less in on it; they aren’t really fee sensitive in those deals. That’s the only reason firms like Skadden can exist, God bless ‘em. But it’s still padding of pendulous proportion.

By: pennywit

pennywit — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 23:57:56 +0000

3,300 hours a week does seem a bit much. The only semi-realistic scenario I can see is an extremely masochistic doc review attorney with no wife, no kids, and little to no social life. Or perhaps an attorney with spouse and kids but doesn’t really like them.

–|PW|–

By: ;christi

;christi — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 23:32:05 +0000

Here’s an example. I forgot to tell my husband that I had ordered Girl Scout cookies from some one at work, so when he stopped at the store for me, he picked up a couple of boxes this Saturday. He got some thin mints and do-si-dos, which are his favorites, and also got some samoas, which he loathes, but I love.

Last night, I brought my order home. It included thin mints and do-si-dos for my husband, and a box of my daughter’s favorites. My husband wanted to know where the samoas were. I told him that I didn’t buy the cookies for me, I bought them for him. Just like he bought them for me, and isn’t that the way it was supposed to work?