Yale Law School has an interesting paper explaining the realities of billable hour targets, and the actual hours required to meet the targets. The paper includes a link to calculate the number of hours of work required to meet your target. It explains that, to achieve a billable hour target of 1700 hours target requires a 50 hour week, assuming you are working 47 weeks a year, taking 1 hour for lunch and spending little time on admin or CPD. To achieve a billable hour target of 2200 hours/year requires a 60 hour work week.
The article notes that these calculations assume no training or mentoring time, personal time, time for discussions with co-workers, any time spent involved in a legal committee, or in preparing an article. It omits the fact that the calculations allow no time for marketing or other rainmaking activities.
It provides a reality check for both law students, lawyers and clients. To achieve a billable hour target of 2200 hours a year, (and remember most targets are billed targets, not billable), plus develop their own clients and contribute to their personal development, a lawyer is going to work well in excess of 70 hours per week, every working week of the year. Paints a pretty bleak future for a law student doesn't it?