[HDPM]

A couple of things to consider. If you want to be a good lawyer you have to work, I don't care what you are doing. Big law firms you have to work hard anyway, but even in lower hour government work to do a good job you have to work. I am not saying you have to work 80 hours a week, but even in a "9 to 5" job you have to figure on some late nights and weekends sometimes. As others have said, if you are in trial expect more. 6 am to midnight or something in a significant trial. It never bothered me that people wanted to work mostly regular hours, but it drove me nuts when they would fail to put in the extra 2 hours of research or the half day on a weekend when they needed to. Then they always seemed to ask what to do after you already told them. Well, do the 3 hours of work I told you it would take and get back to me. They would invariably go down the hall to ask somebody else. Bad way to practice law IMO.