Can lawyers with mandated work schedules excel at work?

I feel stunted in my career because my job requires me to work 9-5. My job could be remote, but we’re mandated to work 9-5 & in the office. As a night owl, I get my best research & writing done at night. I’m convinced that lawyers need full autonomy over their work schedules to fully excel. I had complete autonomy in my first lawyer job, so I assumed all lawyer jobs were fully autonomous. I didn’t know autonomy was an anomaly

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For context, my first job as a lawyer was as a public defender. Our only attendance requirement was “be in court when you told the court you’d be there.” I was free to work on my cases whenever and from wherever I wanted. We weren’t required to work in the office. My last few lawyer jobs had in-office requirements and mandated 9-5 schedules.

I’m learning that mandated 9-5 schedules & in-office requirements are the norm. BUT It feels impractical to practice law like this. I’m not a robot. I have no power on/off button. If I work until 2 am to finish a brief, I should be free to start work whenever I want the following day. Unless I'm meeting with a client, I shouldn’t be forced to power back on at 9 am. I excel the most when I have autonomy over when, where, and how I practice law.

Was I spoiled at my first job, or is micromanaging lawyers' work schedules still practical in 2024?

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Some bosses are dinosaurs and some firm cultures are still old school. Depends too on whether it is a collaborative environment and you are either a newbie who needs to be around mentors, or it is expected that you be around to assist. Every place operates differently and has different expectations. Did you ask about this during the interview process? I knew with my new job I was giving up my open schedule freedom for a 9-5. But the pay and stress level was a good enough trade off.

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