Mid-Law vs Big Law Hour Requirements

I made the switch from Big Law to Mid-Law and I'm answering your questions. I received a DM from someone asking how to navigate the landscape of mid-sized law firms because she heard that mid-sized law firms will work you just as much as big law firms without paying as much. There is some truth to that, but there is a major discrepancy here that makes, in my opinion, mid-law more work than big law. For example, at my big law firm, my billable requirement was 2000 hours a year. Whereas at my mid-sized law firm, my billable requirement are 1800 hours a year. That 200 hours alone is already a month and a half of work that I wouldn't be doing if I were at a big law firm. Additionally, at a mid-sized law firm, I can hit my 7 hour goal in a 9 to 5 span, whereas in big law, the reason they're paying you so much is so that you are available 24 hours of the day and on the weekend. So while the billable hour requirements are similar to each other, in my opinion, they're not really that similar because those 200 hours do make a difference that is literally a month and a half as I stated, and you have a better work life balance because you're getting your work done in a normal 9 to 5 span versus in big law, they really do require you to be available at all hours of the day. So yes, I did take a $100,000 pay cut. However, I do think it's worth it to have a sustainable life and to have a 9 to 5 where I don't work on the weekends. So navigate this, you should ask during your interview, have a candid conversation with an associate who is either interviewing you or follow up with them and ask them how they navigate this. Do they consider their job to be a 9 to 9, a 9 to 5 where they work on the weekends? So it all comes down to what is important for you. If you think you can grind out for three to five years on a 24/7 basis working in big law, all means do it. However, that is not my type of lifestyle at all. I'd rather work at a smaller law firm where the partners are investing in me, I'm not just numbers, a number to do doc review all the time and I'm getting actual substantive work rather than doing doc review for three to five years. Have candid conversations with people who can do with me, you can do with the link in my bio, schedule a free 20 minute consultation at my website. You do have to click the button that says consultation and it'll take you to my availability. I'm here to answer any more questions that you may have and if you have any experience to share, please do in the comments and thank you for watching.