Even lawyers need sleep

Happy New Year to you all.

This year, I find myself hoping most for peace. In our world, in our workplaces, and in our minds. And as I reflect on that, I’m struck by how often peace — especially the inner kind — feels elusive in one of the professions I know best: the law.

Today’s topic? Even lawyers need sleep.

It might sound obvious. But in many law firm cultures, it seems to be the last thing we’re willing to admit.

The Insane Standard We’re Quietly Accepting

At a breakfast I hosted recently for English-speaking women lawyers in Paris, one incredibly impressive woman shared her experience. She was going for partnership. She was doing fantastic client work. She was also handling pro bono, mentoring, and internal firm initiatives. But she was told — her billable hours weren’t quite there yet.

And so… no partnership. Not yet.

What struck me most wasn’t just the absurdity of the decision, but what it implied: the real marker of success wasn’t her intelligence, her commitment, or her leadership — it was how little she slept.

Because that’s what billable hour culture really measures, isn’t it?
Not capability. Not impact.
But how long you can stay awake.

And frankly, it’s ridiculous.

I’ve Always Needed Sleep — And I’m Not Sorry

From the very beginning, sleep has been my thing. When I was born, the nurses couldn’t find me. I was curled up, fast asleep — for hours. My mother couldn’t take me out as a baby because I was always napping.

I’ve always been someone who needs rest. Someone who thrives with rhythm and routine. I suppose it’s not surprising — I’m also a musician. I believe in consistent, focused effort. A little every day. I was the student who finished her assignments two weeks early, not the one pulling an all-nighter.

So, when I returned to a law firm and saw the culture of 10:30 a.m. starts followed by midnight finishes — or partners working from noon to 4:00 a.m. — I thought, What is this madness?

I tried to fit in. Tried coming in early, staying late, adapting. But it didn’t work. The irregularity, the sleep deprivation, the constant adrenaline — it drained me. And I realized: this culture just wasn’t designed for someone like me.

The Cost of Burning Out Brilliant Lawyers

I know lawyers who’ve survived on four or five hours a night for years. And while there’s a certain buzz — that rush of working late toward a closing or a trial — it can’t be the baseline.

Because here’s the truth: every single one of us has a breaking point.

I remember an Australian lawyer I once met. She was told she needed to “work harder” to make partner. She was already staying until 11 p.m. every night, not seeing her children. Eventually, she broke down. Burst into tears. And then, she left.

What a tragedy. Not just for her — but for the firm that lost her. For the clients who no longer benefit from her brilliance. For the profession that continues to bleed talent in silence.

The Masculine Model — and What’s Possible Beyond It

At one of my breakfasts, a woman said something that stopped me in my tracks:

“When women become partners, it’s so they can get more done.
When men become partners, it’s about identity.”

It hit me hard — and rang deeply true.

Law firms, like many institutions, were created by men, for men, around a model of individual competition. The same kind of competition you see in the schoolyard, or the swimming pool, or the boarding house. (Yes, even my daughter tells me the boys' dorm is all about push-up contests, while the girls prefer chatting in each other’s rooms.)

But the thing is — this model doesn’t work for most women. And frankly, I don’t think it works for a lot of men either.

So why are we still building firms this way?

What Could Law Firm Culture Look Like Instead?

Let me offer a few stories and ideas that inspire me:

✅ Team-Based Performance
A woman going for partnership recently told her team, “I need you to step up — and when it’s your turn, we’ll do the same for you.” Her team rallied. Her leadership was clear. And not surprisingly, people are lining up to join her team. What if we measured billable hours by team, not individual?

✅ Efficiency Over Face-Time
My father — also a lawyer — was incredibly successful. But he worked differently. Up at 5:30 a.m., gym at 6, at his desk by 8:30, home by 7. He used his energy wisely and worked with focus. He even revolutionized trust deeds — cutting them from 150 pages to 8 — saving clients time and charging for value, not volume. We can do better when we work smarter.

✅ Creating Culture, Not Just Coping
Another woman I know left a big firm to launch a legal translation collective. No hierarchy, no billable hour targets — just women collaborating and covering for each other. It worked. Why? Because they designed their environment around shared values, not inherited structures.

✅ Different Models Already Exist
A partner at a Big Four legal team said offhandedly, “Well, we don’t work the same hours as international law firms.” She’s in M&A — one of the most demanding fields. And yet, she’s thriving without burnout. Which tells me: this is a cultural choice, not an economic necessity.

Let’s Build Firms That Work for Women — and Everyone

We have a choice. We can continue expecting lawyers to burn themselves out and call it dedication.

Or we can create something better.

That’s what I’m setting out to do — through Pathway to Partnership, and now through an event I’m launching: “For Firm Women: Redesigning Law Firm Culture.”
It will be held in central Paris — probably a mix of French and English (which is fine, we’re used to that here!) — and it will bring together women who want to reimagine the way we work, lead, and thrive.

If that sounds like something you’d like to be part of, I’d love you to join the waitlist.

And if you’re on the brink of partnership — whether one year before or one year after — and you want support, clarity, and a strong community, I invite you to explore Pathway to Partnership, my signature coaching programme for women lawyers.

Let’s stop glorifying exhaustion. Let’s start designing law firms that actually work.

Wishing you rest, clarity, and peace — this year and always.

Cecilia