I'm interested in focusing on IP law (specifically, copyright law) in law school and then heading into a big or mid-sized firm post-grad because I will need to make some good $$$ to pay back the loans I'll have. I'm wondering if there's anyone practicing in this area (especially folks who are only a couple of years out of school) who can give me a sense of what their day-to-day work schedule generally looks like. Are you doing 10/11/12-hour days every day? Is the work satisfying? Etc. As much detail as you can provide would be appreciated. Thanks!

I am a litigator, but all of my IP friends generally work less than I do. You would be hard pressed to find many IP guys who bill more than 2,000 hours a year. Most of my friends average 8:30 to 6 or 6:30, with a lunch break. Not even a 9 hour day when you take into account lunch and breaks. I wouldn't worry to much about the hours until you interview with firms. If it is too much, there are always alternatives after a couple of years.

Thanks, Anonymous! Anyone else care to share?

I hope so, I'd love to hear more on this topic from those in the market-almost as much as my wife wants to know.