We hear stories about big firm associates billing crazy numbers of hours. When I got out of law school back in 1987, the story was that big-firm lawyers billed a minimum of 1,800 hours per year. Don’t automatically trust the numbers you hear. Be skeptical. It’s not uncommon for a lawyer to hear someone else’s numbers and react with a “that’s impossible”. It very well may be impossible to replicate what you’re hearing in your particular practice area. It’s key to apply critical thinking skills when hearing the numbers of others. Even if the story you’re hearing is accurate it may have no relationship to what’s realistic in your practice setting.