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13 July 2012 / Jenni Morgan
Issue: 7522 / Categories: Features , Profession
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9 to 5 or 24/7?

Are legal professionals the hardest working, asks Jenni Morgan

According to research by Mars Drinks, the typical 9-5 working day is no more. On average, workers across the UK clock up nine hours and 13 minutes in the office. For legal professionals though, it’s even longer. They are in the office, on average, for 10 hours and 13 minutes Monday to Friday. That’s over 50 hours a week—without even mentioning any additional work that might be done at home during the evenings and weekends.

Breaking it down

The statistics show that most lawyers are already out of the door and on their way to work when the rest of the country is only just beginning to stir. On average, they start their commute, which lasts for 31 minutes and 52 seconds, at 7.06am. While the majority (28%) drive to the office, just over a fifth cycle. They arrive at the office at 7.37am, have their first chat with a colleague several minutes later at 7.44am, and their first cup of tea

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NEWS
Freezing orders in divorce proceedings can unexpectedly ensnare third parties and disrupt businesses. In NLJ this week, Lucy James of Trowers & Hamlins explains how these orders—dubbed a ‘nuclear weapon’—preserve assets but can extend far beyond spouses to companies and business partners 
A Court of Appeal ruling has clarified that ‘rent’ must be monetary—excluding tenants paid in labour from statutory protection. In this week's NLJ, James Naylor explains Garraway v Phillips, where a tenant worked two days a week instead of paying rent
Three men wrongly imprisoned for a combined 77 years have been released—yet received ‘not a penny’ in compensation, exposing deep flaws in the justice system. Writing in NLJ this week, Dr Jon Robins reports on Justin Plummer, Oliver Campbell and Peter Sullivan, whose convictions collapsed amid discredited forensics, ‘oppressive’ police interviews and unreliable ‘cell confessions’
A quiet month for employment cases still delivers key legal clarifications. In his latest Employment Law Brief for NLJ, Ian Smith reports that whistleblowing protection remains intact even where disclosures are partly self-serving, provided the worker reasonably believes they serve the ‘public interest’ 
Family law must shift from conflict-driven litigation to child-centred problem-solving, according to a major new report. Writing in NLJ this week, Caroline Bowden of Anthony Gold outlines findings showing overwhelming support for reform, with 92% agreeing lawyers owe duties to children as well as clients
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