Ed. note: Welcome to our daily feature, Quote of the Day.
Law practice at the highest level, especially litigation, is a labour-intensive exercise. There really aren’t any shortcuts. There are no ‘Einsteins’ that enable you to do projects and get right to the end sooner because you’ve had a flash of brilliance.
It’s hard work, it’s time consuming. I’ve seen data that indicates US firms on average tend to work much longer hours, or materially longer hours. You could say that maybe the British firms have a healthier sense of work-life balance, that may be one explanation.
— John Quinn, executive chairman of Quinn Emanuel, in comments given to The Times, concerning the tendency of lawyers at U.S. firms in London to work more hours than their counterparts in British firms. “US firms, they may work harder, that’s one thing,” Quinn went on to say. “The other thing is, you see these stories about partners being poached by [American] firms in London and the US as well, with large sums being enticed to make moves with very large increases in compensation. I think they’d be more willing to do that, and they have more money, they have more wherewithal, too.”
Staci Zaretsky is the managing editor of Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Bluesky, X/Twitter, and Threads, or connect with her on LinkedIn.
