How demanding is life at your dream firm?
Behind the swish offices and six-figure salaries, many junior lawyers at top UK firms are working seriously long hours.
Exclusive new data from Legal Cheek, based on anonymous responses from over 2,000 trainees and junior lawyers, sheds light on the working patterns at more than 100 firms — offering a candid look behind the office doors of the legal world.
On the whole, working hours have remained broadly similar to last year. However, there have been some notable shifts: while certain juniors have seen their average hours fall, others are burning even more of that midnight oil.
At some US elite firms, juniors now report leaving the office about an hour earlier than they did this time last year — yet they are still regularly clocking up gruelling 11-plus-hour days. By contrast, insiders at other US players say their already hefty hours have actually crept upwards. These differences may reflect varying market conditions across practice areas, the pressure to justify soaring salaries with longer days, and firms’ increasing efforts to curb burnout by promoting work–life balance.
Regardless of whether hours are up or down, US powerhouses still dominate the table for the longest average working days. At the very top, junior lawyers report clocking around 13 hours a day — often leaving the office after 10:00 pm. These late nights don’t go unrewarded: newly qualified salaries at these top firms have surged to a record-breaking £180,000 over the past year or so.
Hot on the heels of the City’s US players, the Magic Circle sees average desk time hover between 10 and 11 hours a day, with NQ salaries coming in just below their US counterparts at a still impressive £150,000.
Notably, 14 firms now have an average finish time of 9pm or later, up from 11 last year.
Not every firm runs on desk-side Deliveroos and late nights. At 15 firms with strong regional roots, lawyers are signing off before 6:00 pm.
Taken together, the results paint a familiar picture of the legal market: demanding schedules at the top dogs in the City, tempered by shorter days at firms outside the US/MC bubble.
A full breakdown of start times, finish times and average day lengths can be found in the table below. Naturally, these figures vary by department and workload at any given time.
Legal Cheek Trainee and Junior Lawyer Survey 2025-26 — average start and finish times + average working hours
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| LAW FIRM | AVERAGE START TIME | AVERAGE FINISH TIME | AVERAGE WORKING DAY |
| Milbank | 9:03am | 10:06pm | 13 hours 3 minutes |
| Kirkland & Ellis | 9:45am | 10:02pm | 12 hours 17 minutes |
| Winston & Strawn | 9:32am | 9:45pm | 12 hours 13 minutes |
| Weil Gotshal & Manges | 9:24am | 9:25pm | 12 hours 1 minute |
| Paul Weiss | 8:57am | 8:57pm | 12 hours 0 minutes |
| Linklaters | 9:16am | 9:13pm | 11 hours 57 minutes |
| Fried Frank | 9:22am | 9:13pm | 11 hours 51 minutes |
| Clifford Chance | 9:22am | 9:11pm | 11 hours 49 minutes |
| Jones Day | 9:15am | 9:04pm | 11 hours 49 minutes |
| Gibson Dunn | 9:18am | 9:06pm | 11 hours 48 minutes |
| Paul Hastings | 9:29am | 9:16pm | 11 hours 47 minutes |
| Latham & Watkins | 9:18am | 9:00pm | 11 hours 42 minutes |
| Mayer Brown | 9:02am | 8:42pm | 11 hours 40 minutes |
| White & Case | 9:24am | 9:01pm | 11 hours 37 minutes |
| A&O Shearman | 9:21am | 8:56pm | 11 hours 35 minutes |
| Cleary Gottlieb | 9:19am | 8:50pm | 11 hours 31 minutes |
| Goodwin | 9:22am | 8:52pm | 11 hours 30 minutes |
| Morrison Foerster | 9:23am | 8:51pm | 11 hours 28 minutes |
| Debevoise & Plimpton | 9:33am | 9:00pm | 11 hours 27 minutes |
| Ropes & Gray | 9:37am | 9:00pm | 11 hours 23 minutes |
| Cooley | 8:45am | 8:04pm | 11 hours 19 minutes |
| Freshfields | 9:24am | 8:38pm | 11 hours 14 minutes |
| Norton Rose Fulbright | 9:14am | 8:26pm | 11 hours 12 minutes |
| Sidley Austin | 9:33am | 8:41pm | 11 hours 8 minutes |
| Sullivan & Cromwell | 9:40am | 8:48pm | 11 hours 8 minutes |
| Dechert | 9:12am | 8:20pm | 11 hours 8 minutes |
| Davis Polk & Wardwell | 9:41am | 8:48pm | 11 hours 7 minutes |
| Orrick | 9:11am | 8:16pm | 11 hours 5 minutes |
| Simmons & Simmons | 9:10am | 8:10pm | 11 hours 0 minutes |
| Greenberg Traurig | 9:00am | 7:59pm | 10 hours 59 minutes |
| Willkie Farr & Gallagher | 9:33am | 8:31pm | 10 hours 58 minutes |
| Vinson & Elkins | 9:12am | 8:07pm | 10 hours 55 minutes |
| Ashurst | 9:18am | 8:12pm | 10 hours 54 minutes |
| Macfarlanes | 9:11am | 7:47pm | 10 hours 36 minutes |
| Baker McKenzie | 9:12am | 7:48pm | 10 hours 36 minutes |
| Reed Smith | 9:16am | 7:52pm | 10 hours 36 minutes |
| Slaughter and May | 9:19am | 7:53pm | 10 hours 34 minutes |
| BCLP | 9:06am | 7:39pm | 10 hours 33 minutes |
| Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer | 9:18am | 7:49pm | 10 hours 31 minutes |
| Hogan Lovells | 9:17am | 7:45pm | 10 hours 28 minutes |
| Travers Smith | 9:07am | 7:30pm | 10 hours 23 minutes |
| Morgan Lewis | 9:25am | 7:45pm | 10 hours 20 minutes |
| Mishcon de Reya | 8:59am | 7:18pm | 10 hours 19 minutes |
| Eversheds Sutherland | 8:45am | 6:58pm | 10 hours 13 minutes |
| Akin | 9:17am | 7:28pm | 10 hours 11 minutes |
| Bird & Bird | 9:05am | 7:11pm | 10 hours 6 minutes |
| HFW | 9:01am | 7:05pm | 10 hours 4 minutes |
| Walker Morris | 8:32am | 6:32pm | 10 hours 0 minutes |
| Haynes Boone | 9:16am | 7:13pm | 9 hours 57 minutes |
| Katten | 9:05am | 7:01pm | 9 hours 56 minutes |
| DLA Piper | 8:52am | 6:46pm | 9 hours 54 minutes |
| Withers | 9:00am | 6:54pm | 9 hours 54 minutes |
| Wiggin | 8:57am | 6:50pm | 9 hours 53 minutes |
| Pinsent Masons | 8:52am | 6:41pm | 9 hours 49 minutes |
| Foot Anstey | 8:39am | 6:24pm | 9 hours 45 minutes |
| Stephenson Harwood | 9:11am | 6:56pm | 9 hours 45 minutes |
| Watson Farley & Williams | 9:18am | 7:02pm | 9 hours 44 minutes |
| Squire Patton Boggs | 8:52am | 6:35pm | 9 hours 43 minutes |
| Dentons | 8:54am | 6:32pm | 9 hours 38 minutes |
| Gowling WLG |
8:58am | 6:36pm | 9 hours 38 minutes |
| CMS | 9:00am | 6:36pm | 9 hours 36 minutes |
| RPC | 9:07am | 6:43pm | 9 hours 36 minutes |
| Farrer & Co | 9:04am | 6:40pm | 9 hours 36 minutes |
| Fieldfisher | 9:00am | 6:35pm | 9 hours 35 minutes |
| Harbottle & Lewis | 9:14am | 6:49pm | 9 hours 35 minutes |
| Taylor Wessing | 9:22am | 6:56pm | 9 hours 34 minutes |
| Gateley | 8:45am | 6:18pm | 9 hours 33 minutes |
| Shoosmiths | 8:42am | 6:14pm | 9 hours 32 minutes |
| Wedlake Bell | 9:01am | 6:32pm | 9 hours 31 minutes |
| Payne Hicks Beach | 8:44am | 6:15pm | 9 hours 31 minutes |
| Bristows | 9:11am | 6:41pm | 9 hours 30 minutes |
| Bates Wells | 9:06am | 6:36pm | 9 hours 30 minutes |
| Trowers & Hamlins | 8:49am | 6:19pm | 9 hours 30 minutes |
| Charles Russell Speechlys | 9:01am | 6:29pm | 9 hours 28 minutes |
| Burges Salmon | 8:54am | 6:20pm | 9 hours 26 minutes |
| K&L Gates | 9:12am | 6:35pm | 9 hours 23 minutes |
| Accutrainee | 8:59am | 6:21pm | 9 hours 22 minutes |
| Addleshaw Goddard | 8:49am | 6:10pm | 9 hours 21 minutes |
| Irwin Mitchell | 8:41am | 5:58pm | 9 hours 17 minutes |
| Express Solicitors | 8:11am | 5:27pm | 9 hours 16 minutes |
| TLT | 8:51am | 6:07pm | 9 hours 16 minutes |
| Penningtons Manches Cooper | 8:50am | 6:06pm | 9 hours 16 minutes |
| Cripps | 8:54am | 6:10pm | 9 hours 16 minutes |
| DWF | 8:45am | 5:59pm | 9 hours 14 minutes |
| Womble Bond Dickinson | 8:43am | 5:57pm | 9 hours 14 minutes |
| Lewis Silkin | 8:57am | 6:11pm | 9 hours 14 minutes |
| Clyde & Co | 8:55am | 6:08pm | 9 hours 13 minutes |
| Stevens & Bolton | 8:54am | 6:07pm | 9 hours 13 minutes |
| Howard Kennedy | 9:15am | 6:27pm | 9 hours 12 minutes |
| Kennedys | 8:52am | 6:02pm | 9 hours 10 minutes |
| Osborne Clarke | 8:59am | 6:07pm | 9 hours 8 minutes |
| Brabners | 8:45am | 5:52pm | 9 hours 7 minutes |
| Hill Dickinson | 8:51am | 5:56pm | 9 hours 5 minutes |
| Ashfords | 8:45am | 5:46pm | 9 hours 1 minute |
| Shakespeare Martineau | 8:41am | 5:42pm | 9 hours 1 minute |
| Maple Teesdale | 9:11am | 6:10pm | 8 hours 59 minutes |
| Winckworth Sherwood | 9:10am | 6:08pm | 8 hours 58 minutes |
| Kingsley Napley | 9:12am | 6:10pm | 8 hours 58 minutes |
| Bevan Brittan | 8:48am | 5:42pm | 8 hours 54 minutes |
| Michelmores | 8:47am | 5:39pm | 8 hours 52 minutes |
| Mills & Reeve | 8:50am | 5:41pm | 8 hours 51 minutes |
| DAC Beachcroft | 8:51am | 5:42pm | 8 hours 51 minutes |
| Forsters | 9:20am | 6:09pm | 8 hours 49 minutes |
| Russell Cooke | 9:12am | 6:00pm | 8 hours 48 minutes |
| Birketts | 8:50am | 5:36pm | 8 hours 46 minutes |
| Weightmans | 8:50am | 5:34pm | 8 hours 44 minutes |
| Moore Barlow | 8:52am | 5:21pm | 8 hours 29 minutes |
For those curious about life at the firms clocking the longest hours, here’s what some anonymous juniors had to say:
“We are constantly on call and we cannot leave our phones at home for more than 20 mins. I have had partners calling me when I am in bed for redlines and have been bombarded with emails even when ill.”.
“The hours are very long, and work during weekends and annual leave is quite frequent. I have been told to take my laptop on holiday.”.
“What would you expect”.
“Definitely depends on the seat. My transactional seat was wildly unpredictable — had months of very low hours then was at 300% PACE for others.”.
Though juniors with shorter shifts shared much brighter sentiments:
“Couldn’t really ask for better hours in a law firm.”.
“Generally pretty good, I am rarely expected to work late. Trainees don’t have targets which enables trainees to learn and develop their skills without the pressure of targets straight away.”.
Our final junior adds a note of realism for prospective applicants:
“I’ve definitely had to give up a few social things this year, and a few weekends […] Broadly, though, I still have a very active social life, most of the time I get enough sleep […] I think the work is manageable but you do need to know what you’re signing up for. This is not a 9-5, and it is not advertised as one.”.