GLS Legal Opinion: How many hours should the in-house community be working?

So, how many hours should an in-house counsel be working?

Do you want the pre-amble leading up to our answer or should we just give it to you straight?

You want it straight? Sure. No problem.

50 hours a week. Not more, and not less. If you are full-time.

Let the criticism begin:

• “That’s inhumane”
• “There are laws against that”
• “I do 50 hours in my sleep”
• “That is not realistic – not with the unique demands that I must meet at my Company.”

Being a lawyer is a tough job. It always has been, and it always will be. If it is not tough then that aspect of your job is a prime candidate for automation or dispatch to a low-cost outsourcing solution.  

You are, after all, being paid for your knowledge, instinct, your EQ & IQ, your project management skills, your availability and your thick skin.  

In-house lawyers should be ready to commit to a solid 10-hour workday Monday to Friday working regular hours. This amounts to 50 hours of contribution which is usually more than enough time to create “value.”

Sure, some flexibility is required as lawyers may need to be available outside of standard business hours to accommodate time zones and project demands. This should be the exception, not the rule. 

However, it’s unacceptable to consistently compensate for resource deficiencies in the legal department by you simply being “constantly available”, particularly outside of business hours.

If you are not working “in range” of our prescription, then something is up and what you are doing is not sustainable. It will not be a good economic bargain for you. 

You need to stop and have a good think about what you are doing, what you want to be doing and where you are doing it.

In our view, appropriate boundaries can be found in a sensible interpretation of our 50-hour week rule by application of the following principles:

• Availability should never result in your wellbeing and that of your family’s suffering
• You are never available during holidays or on significant family occasions
• Calls outside of regular business hours should be taken only when they’re essential, not for convenience
• Keep in mind – the only people who will remember your excessive hours will be your family!

Here’s some ideas on how to put this into practice:

• Agree with your business what the “Availability Compact” looks like in your Business
• Be really good at your job and a team member who consistently delivers
• Recognise that the future of in-house is “value creation” – not hours delivered
• Book your holidays and family events well in advance
• Keep your project teams appraised of approaching holiday events
• Agree with your team that avoidable non-standard availability should generally not be entertained (note this is not always possible with cross border/time zone deals)
• Push back consistent disruptions to non-business times by proactively scheduling needed calls during business hours
• Work for a company where your health and family life are respected
• Maintain strong file, matter and project management practices to enable smooth handovers to other team members

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