THE 9 TO 5WORK HOURS IS OVER FOR GOOD OR BAD?

The 9 to 5 work hours is over for good or bad? The eight-hour workday was introduced by Henry Ford in the early 1900s as a way to attract autoworkers, many of whom were accustomed to 12-hour shifts.

More recently, Basecamp’s Jason Fried thought it was time to modernize the workday to fit the needs of employees at his Chicago-based software company. “There’s nothing magical about 40 hours,” says Fried, whose staffers work just 32 hours a week from May through August. The co-founder (and Inc. columnist) says having fewer hours to complete a task sharpens employee focus.

A few years back, we seemed to all adhere to the idea of 9am to 5pm career. Nowadays, workplaces are now becoming more flexible, the legal industry is of no exception.

Many lawyers are now switching to what is known as being a ‘platform lawyer’, considered to be a more self-employed role, being able to choose one’s working hours.

This increased flexibility is particularly popular with those looking to start a family and for lawyers who would like to run a business alongside their law career.

It is financially beneficial as remote working style requires fewer overhead costs, helping lawyers get to keep a larger slice of their billings.

As well as being able to choose where and when they work, lawyers are particularly drawn to the larger payments they can receive. Especially those lawyers who work long hours and bring a lot of money to a firm, with little reward to themselves.