Reply to SO: What is a typical day for a lawyer? I am just curious what goes on during all those work hours.

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Reply to "SO: What is a typical day for a lawyer? I am just curious what goes on during all those work hours."

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Well, here's a few examples:

1. (Jr. to midlevel biglaw) Get to work at 8:00 am. Read emails. Email from Partner 1 about upcoming expert report from economist in Case 1. He wants to know how our sales of X products  were during 2010-2012. Pull up super-long spreadsheet because I'm the only one who knows how to do it, get information, call expert, 20 minute phone call about that and three other issues. 10:00 am team meeting on case No. 2, which is entering discovery. Spend 1 hour coming up with search terms and review sheet to sort 500K documents that are going to be reviewed. Send to lead associate to review. 12:00 pm. Call from expert about 2 other issues. Spend 45 minutes tracking them down. 15 minutes reading Above the Law. 1 hour legal research on issue brought up at the team meeting. 30 minutes writing an email about it, scrap that and give the Partner 2 a call. 8 minute conversation. 20 minutes putting in time. 1.5 more hours on the research. Review coding sheet and search terms come back from lead associate; 20 minute editing, send to team. Draft expert report comes in, 2 hours reading/editing. Finish inputting time. Go home.

Another day might look like this:

2. Senior level associate, biglaw. 5:30 am. Wake up, check emails and respond - 20 minutes. Shower, etc. Check emails and respond - 25 minutes. Breakfast. Drive to work, arrive at 7:30. Respond to emails 20 minutes. Legal research for summary judgement motion 1.5 hours. Prepare for deposition 7 hours, including 1.5 hours reading and responding to emails. Read SCOTUSblog 30 minutes. Prepare for deposition 2 hours. Go home, eat, put kids to bed. Prepare for deposition 3.5 hours.

Yet another (same guy a few days later).
3. 7:30 wake up, order room service. Review deposition outline 30 minutes. Breakfast 30 minutes. Review documents for deposition 15 minutes. Walk to local counsel law firm. Take deposition 7.5 hours. Cab to airport, flight home, cab home, go to bed.

Yet another example:
4. Senior govt attorney. Arrive at work 9:00. Work on brief 4 hours. Lunch 30 minutes. Meet with boss about legal issue, 15 minutes. Legal research 20 minutes. Weird guy from down the hall comes to talk, 15 minutes. Work on brief until 5:30. Go home.

One of the above describes one of my days this week, but I have experienced them all.[/quote]

I thought paralegals did the legal research??[/quote]

We call them "first year associates." In the old days a paralegal might pull a bunch of cases for you, but it's so simple now why bother. Paralegals mostly make binders.[/quote]

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