Law firm lawyers love to claim that they outwork (and outsmart!) their in-house counsel counterparts. But is this really the case? Some new data in from a Bloomberg Law study indicates that in-house counsel may actually be outworking law firm lawyers. Lawyers are notorious for struggling with work-life balance, with some going so far as to declare it a fraud. And let’s take data with a grain of salt – some lawyers will look at these figures and ask where did people get so lucky to work so little?
“An in-house lawyer does not necessarily have better work-life balance than a law firm lawyer, according to data from Bloomberg Law’s most recent Workload & Hours Survey. The survey responses indicate that in-house attorneys are working longer and have worse well-being than their law firm counterparts, shattering the long-held belief in the legal profession that working in-house is not as draining as law firm work….Law firm attorneys reported working 47 hours a week, while in-house respondents said they worked 50 hours a week. Over the course of the first half of 2023, this means that in-house respondents worked almost two full weeks (78 hours) more than those at law firms.”
Read: In-House Counsel Say They Work More Than Firm Lawyers at Bloomberg Law