How much time of your day is dedicated to work when being a lawyer?
Looking at real-life crimes and working with them is entertainment for me. That is why I am very interested in being a lawyer. Please help me figure out how much "me time" I will have with this job. #business #law #lawyer
5 answers
Gary’s Answer
This is a wonderful question. It depends what kind of lawyer you want to be. If you want to work in an extremely reputable corporate law firm, you should expect extremely challenging hours, late nights, and weekend work. If you want to work in criminal law then you can find a way to hold down 40 hours a week, but the hours may be erratic, so you might end up having to work some nights and weekends. There will also be some travel involved if you're doing criminal law. You can certainly have a life, but you will be disappointed if you go in with the expectation that a lawyer's lifestyle is easy.
Richard’s Answer
You could be an assistant DA. That job is typically Monday through Friday form 9 to 5 (although I would imagine the hours are longer before trying a big case in court).
Jared’s Answer, CareerVillage.org Team
Here's another data point to consider: I have a lot of friends who are corporate lawyers. I get to see them late nights after work, or for brunch on weekends. They work pretty hard, and often complain that they are overworked, but I still get to see them. So there's definitely some "me time".