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[quote=Anonymous]As a recovering big law attorney, I'm not sure if this is a time management issue.  I left big law because I wanted to have a family, and, personally, didn't find it compatible. You said that your husband has been in big law for a year.  Is he a new attorney or just new to big law?  Is he a first year associate, senior associate on the verge of partner, partner, etc.?  Being a junior associate in big law is hella hard.  While I do think work/life balance has possibly improved a bit in recent years and there is more flexibility/less focus on face time, you really do have to prove yourself and your work ethic to an intense degree.  As a junior associate (it got better by mid-level), I worked every evening and most Saturdays/Sundays.  I also took little vacation and often worked on vacation.  I did have some time on the weekend to socialize and see friends, but I didn't have many adult responsibilities at that point in my life and I had outsourced cleaning and laundry.  So, if I wasn't working, I could spend the time doing something fun.  Now that I'm married and have a kid, I think I'd have almost no free time.  You do get more efficient as you get more experienced, but this takes time and actual experience rather than just desire.  Yes, he should have an hour to spare on the weekends, but it is not unusual that he is working late every night and working on weekends (and this is even more typical for someone new to big law).  I do think this is fairly well known about big law, so I'm surprised this wasn't discussed before he took the job.  Regardless, I think it is unlikely that his work/life balance is going to get notably better anytime soon.  It sounds like it is time for some serious discussions about goals, short/long term plans, finances, and how you manage and divide responsibilities.  If you can afford to outsource, that will solve many, but not all, of your issues.  While an obvious solution is for him to find a new job, I think it will be hard if he has only been at the firm for 1-2 years, and also might be damaging on his resume.  [/quote]

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