Quinn Emanuel chief says UK firms have ‘healthier’ work-life balance
The founder of US law firm Quinn Emanuel has suggested that lawyers at US firms work harder than those at their UK counterparts.
John Quinn set up the firm back in Los Angeles in 1986 as a litigation-only boutique focused on high-stakes business disputes rather than transactional work. It has since expanded across the globe, including an office in London.
In comments reported in the The Times (£), Quinn highlighted the different conceptions of work-life balance on either side of the Atlantic, suggesting that British firms enjoy “a healthier sense of work-life balance”.
He reportedly said:
“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.”
The inflow of US firms into London has certainly rocked the City legal market, with UK firms pressured to boost their pay packets in order to compete in attracting and retaining top talent. But alongside that comes the expectation of much longer hours.
Exclusive Legal Cheek research published last year showed that juniors at US outfits in London have the longest average working days, with those at the very top clocking around 13 hours a day, often leaving the office after 10pm. Fourteen firms (12 of which were American) recorded an average finish time of 9pm or later, up from 11 the year before.
That being said, the Magic Circle doesn’t trail very far behind at all, with juniors at some Magic Circle outfits clocking close to a 12-hour shift each day, and logging off after 9pm — on par with the likes of the US elite.
Outside of this Magic Circle and US bubble, however, the Silver Circle firms and other leading UK outfits tend to enjoy a comparatively shorter working day. So whilst Quinn’s claim broadly rings true, the working hours gap appears far smaller at the very top of the City market.