• I always ask. I want to know typical working hours and how much night and weekend work is expected. Sometimes I ask what their last week looked like in terms of work, and what their busiest week ever (outside a trial) was like.
• If it’s important to you and the interviewer is turned off by it, you know instantly the job isn’t for you. I’ve asked this question in every job interview and landed every job I’ve interviewed for, including the one that just gave me a 50% pay raise.

Counsel Responses:

• As long as I did it in the middle-end of the interview with people I had rapport with, bringing it up was never an issue. I assume the places that would ding you for asking are the places people talk about here where they are average 50-60 hour work weeks.
• Ask them what do they like the most about their job. If work/life balance pops out, then it’s likely a good sign.
• Read Indeed and Glassdoor reviews of the company for honest opinions.
• Depending on the size of the company and where you’ll be located, you could ask what hours they typically work. I’m on the East Coast, but a lot of the company’s business is in California, so sometimes I’ll be on West Coast time. Generally, this means my hours are 10-6 or 7. This covers the morning in the East Coast when most of the team is up and running, but still gives me time for those active later on.

• I guess it was a gamble but I asked about work/life balance directly during my interview. I asked how the work life balance was within the team. I was leaving BigLaw and the in-house role was a significant pay cut, so I wanted to be sure I was leaving for better work/life balance. It was definitely a gamble but, personally, if a company or interviewer was turned off by my question I decided it wasn’t the company for me. I was also not desperate to leave my BigLaw job so I took the gamble, I got the job, and can confirm that my work/life balance is excellent. - Oh and to clarify: I asked a more junior member of the team. If the conversation is flowing naturally, you can also ask the interviewer what they like to do in their spare time when they’re not working. You might get a sense of how much free time they have based on their answer :)
• Please do not ask this. I'm not saying it is not important to know but can immediately switch off an interviewer.
• If the only reason you would move in-house is for work/life balance, it makes sense to ask about it during the interview. If the interviewer is put off or they won’t give a straight answer, it’s probably not the right opportunity for you. If work/life balance is a consideration but not something you absolutely need, then it makes sense to hold off until you have the offer or find more subtle ways of inquiring about it.
• I once waited until I got the offer, and then I asked if I could chat with the other attorney who was most analogous to my level again before I made my decision. That conversation was eye opening.

In-house? Be a part of the conversation on Fishbowl (anonymous).