i remember reading this years ago when the thread was first started and i am pleased to tell all of you that given my biglaw experience so far, what the OP says about NYC corporate law hours is somewhat true.

not all NYC corporate hours are this bad. it depends on your practice. there are some corporate practices like structured products or insurance that have less hours and more importantly, less firedrill situations at 2:30 am.

but other practices like M&A can be absolutely soul-crushing and are reflective of the OP's experiences.

the last time i calculated my hourly rate given my billables, it came out to something like $63/hr, around what an engineer earns. add in loan payments + federal income tax + NY state and property taxes + NY city tax + Obama 3.8% tax if you're investing. taxes are at Nordic countries' tax levels without much of the benefits that citizens of Nordic countries get to enjoy. but MUH NY LAWYER PRESTIGE, SUCH WOW

anyways, i'm just being bitter lol. it's honestly not bad at all since you're still earning a shitton of money by almost any standard. just don't fall into the trap of comparing yourselves with your counterparts in Finance or FAANG. the grass is always greener my friend. plus, as i said before, not all practices have such terrible hours. oh, and working in CA, DC, IL, TX helps.