A recent contributor noted the pleasures of holidays with sleep, an issue that biglaw deals with daily – or nightly – as sleep-deprived associates and law students struggle to make billing targets or exam results at the expense of a deceent night’s rest.
Turns out a junior analyst at Centerview Partners tried to litigate exactly that. The poor soul wanted his sleep ring-fenced, sued when the elite M&A shop allegedly treated “eight hours horizontal” as optional, and the firm settled at the eleventh hour with the classic “no merit, just a distraction, now go away” statement. Case closed, eyelids still twitching.
But here’s the bit that should have every Big Law managing partner quietly shifting in their ergonomic chair: the same question lands squarely on your doorstep in 2026. US firms still top Legal Cheek’s annual “who works the longest” chart like it’s a badge of honour. Thirteen-hour days, 10pm clock-offs, tales of associates grinding through flu or family holidays because… well, the comp is “good”. Translation: suck it up or ship out, snowflake.
The Centerview spat never made it to trial, so we never got the delicious spectacle of a judge trying to decide whether seven-figure bonuses are adequate compensation for turning into a caffeinated zombie. Shame. Would have been fun watching senior partners argue, with straight faces, that chronic sleep deprivation is just “the price of excellence”.
Price of sleep remains, as ever, subjective. And negotiable only in the partner lounge.
