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Anybody on here work for a "biglaw" firm as a lawyer? Can you compare it to medical residency? I know residency is longer hours (80-100 vs 60-70) but you make hella money in biglaw..
Any doctors work in "biglaw" once? Compare it to residency?
- Thread starter TheAppleJuice
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Haven't done it myself...but have had plenty of friends who are lawyers.
I think you're underestimating the hours in a major law firm, particularly if you are an associate looking to make an impression (aiming for partner) For one, there are no work hour limits on associates. Second, so long as those hours are billable, there's a direct correlation to the value added to the firm, which isn't always true for residents (eg, me watching behavioral interviews by the clinical psychologists during my Developmental Peds rotation was useless for everyone involved), creating significant motivation for firms to push associates. Third, in most firms, if you don't hit your anticipated target billable hours, you run the risk of not getting paid or potentially fired while in residency there are months/rotations that are easier than others - no one is expecting you to hit a minimum number of hours every week.
Obviously the salaries for associates is 3-5x that of residents, sometimes more, but you shouldn't think that Big Law is automatically easier than residency.
I think you're underestimating the hours in a major law firm, particularly if you are an associate looking to make an impression (aiming for partner) For one, there are no work hour limits on associates. Second, so long as those hours are billable, there's a direct correlation to the value added to the firm, which isn't always true for residents (eg, me watching behavioral interviews by the clinical psychologists during my Developmental Peds rotation was useless for everyone involved), creating significant motivation for firms to push associates. Third, in most firms, if you don't hit your anticipated target billable hours, you run the risk of not getting paid or potentially fired while in residency there are months/rotations that are easier than others - no one is expecting you to hit a minimum number of hours every week.
Obviously the salaries for associates is 3-5x that of residents, sometimes more, but you shouldn't think that Big Law is automatically easier than residency.
