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Superior lawyers, much smarter than the drones in-house, bear up under greater pressure

Which is the more stressful job: general counsel of large company or partner in large UK firm?
“More than a third (38%) of City lawyers questioned thought their job was no more stressful than that of a leading general counsel.” So almost two-thirds think their job is tougher! That patronizing result comes from a Legal Week/EJ Legal Big Question survey, as reported in Legal Week, Vol. 9, May 10, 2007 at 8.

The lead to the story heightens the contrast: “A head of legal in a FTS 100 company has an equally stressful job as a senior equity partner in a City law firm.” Who would have thought otherwise?

Sorry, all you self-impressed partners, this finding is irritatingly condescending. And here is the capper, although there is some doubt whether in-house lawyers will understand it:

“Half of all private practice lawyers thought their job required a greater intellectual capacity, with only 15% saying it is more intellectually demanding to be a head of legal.”