How many hours should a first year associate be billing in their first month or two? Just graduated law school and passed the bar.

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At least at my firm (AmLaw50), the first week or two has a lot of onboarding sessions, various trainings, etc. so first years who bill 50+ hours are doing well. In the second month, first years who are ramping up well might bill 75-100 hours, and then continued ramp up from there. First years who bill in the 1400-1600 range their first year are in the normal range, though some associates end lower or higher depending on their practice group. The key is that the first years remain eager to help and not turn down work, generally speaking.

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I meant to say 50+ in the first month are doing well given all the trainings and ramp up.

200 per month

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This really depends on industry, firm size, ramp-up period and workflow. Some places are going to start slow as you get brought into matters, others are going to onboard and ramp you up quickly.

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There’s no such thing as too many hours if you actually worked them.

If you take too long on a task, they might write it off. If it happens too frequently, maybe they talk to you about it. But don’t fret about it. Part of this deal is that you’re learning how to practice.

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