Working Hours at Allens

On average I work 8.20-6.20 with variation depending on workflow. Company is quite flexible, most of the pressure to be at the office and working is self-imposed if any.

My hours vary significantly. At worst, I have worked 8am-2/3am for about two weeks. At best, my day starts at 10am and I leave around 5/6pm. It depends if there is a deal happening at the time and what the deadlines on the deal look like.

Very flexible in terms of being able to work from home, arrange appointments during work hours, etc. I was also pleasantly surprised with the hours after what I'd heard about top tier firms working graduates incredibly hard.

I generally work long hours, but within that the hours are flexible. For example, I am able to work from home if I need to meet a tradesperson or have an appointment.

Although sometimes there can be long hours when there is a tight deadline, this is not all the time. Allens is extremely flexible with hours in terms of working from home, going to appointments or having a break to go for a 30 minute walk to regroup.

I am generally in the office for at least 12 hours a day, although often a lot longer. While the company advertises itself as being flexible, in some teams there is a strong expectation for you to do the late nights.

On average, I work 9am-6:15pm. Flexibility is available even to grads and has been easy to obtain when needed - e.g. working from home, coming in late or leaving early for doctors appointments etc.

I generally arrive at the office at 9 and leave at 6. Occasionally I have to stay later to complete urgent tasks. The firm provides excellent cooked meals and pays for taxis after 8pm in these circumstances. I have been able to work from home when I need to, and feel comfortable leaving early/arriving late due to appointments. I sometimes go to gym classes during the day.

The work hours can be long when there is lots of work to do however when there is less work to do, the company is flexible and is happy for you to leave earlier.

The availability to work flexibly and to continue activities outside work has been excellent.

The workflow can be sporadic, meaning that I often have to work long hours but at other times will have little work. This is the nature of the legal work at top- and mid-tier firms and I expected this coming into the job. The company is incredibly flexible when it comes to working - I have often worked from home and there is no obligation to have a reason to do so.

Although the hours are long, there is flexibility in when and where we complete the work, which is important to me.