Busy Week in My Life as a Corporate Lawyer in Hong Kong

Take a peek into one of my extra busy weeks working as a junior associate at a large international law firm in Hong Kong. As a second year associate on a relatively small team, I work quite closely with the M&A partner in my team, and am often responsible for managing my own transactions.
While this week was busier than usual, I thought it would be interesting to show you guys what my schedule looks like when I work on closing a transaction and have several client deadlines in the same week (on top of a particularly packed social calendar).
I hope you enjoy this realistic week in the life of a corporate lawyer when things are busy!
Love our content and want to support us? Buy us a milk tea here! ☕ ko-fi.com/emandlloyd
Follow us on Instagram 📷 / emandlloyd
Subscribe to our newsletter 📝 emandlloyd.com/newsletter
Contact and Goodies
🌐 Website - emandlloyd.com
📧 Email - [e-mail]
🎧 Chill Beats Playlist - open.spotify.com/playlist/0Kx...

[@EmandLloyd]

Hey guys! With this video, we wanted to give an honest look into what a busy week as a corporate lawyer looks like, as a contrast to Em's 'week in my life' video which showed a more moderate week. Realistically, there's usually some ebb and flow with client services work - it can be super busy at times and more relaxed at other times. This was definitely a busier week. Thanks for watching as always! 😄

[@TheVolos]

Oh man I already commented on the other video, I have no idea why, but it feels like copy-paste of my work-lile balance / workload, so it evokes kind of commrade style emotions :) Keep it up!

[@mdumairmdumair5183]

Big law firms are worse than worst

[@nc4582]

This kind of workload in East Asia is crazy, I thought my schedule was hectic as a physician in the US, cheers enjoy your video very much

[@EmandLloyd]

This was a particularly busy week for sure (both work-wise and socially), but was a good one to document since Em's week in the life video was for a more standard week! Thanks for watching, and glad to hear you enjoyed it :)

[@Dvlzpower]

Thats why they suffer from depression

[@jonaschan9808]

We hkers invented the hustle culture.

[@billcaan4192]

@@jonaschan9808 it's not to be proud of tbh. What does it give u? What do u achieve poor ppp have more peace then city workers most of the time.

[@jasonmoy5452]

@@billcaan4192 guess why Asian have the highest average salary in the US despite being a minority group.

[@vchu1689]

the soft smile to Emily as she poured tea - my heart!

[@blissful828]

Equally a lawyer in HK and it’s amazing how you can manage to fit in filming + editing videos in your schedule !!

[@sinyeeloves]

I guess is the 'work from home' as you save time from travelling.

[@jingkang2227]

When I freshly graduated from college 10+ years ago, I was so looking forward to a busy job, make something out of my career, but lo and behold, every job I've done since graduation has been like a vacation, I have never ever been busy with work. It can sometimes feel too laid-back and make me feel like a loser at work. BUT, as I grow older, I began to remind myself not to fight one's fate too much, it's not as though I didn't do my work right or well. Now I just enjoy the great work/life balance that I have while it lasts.

[@Lecintel]

That's such a cool thing though, I am already exhausted

[@KeoTsang]

Loved the effort you two put into your videos! It's amazing how you can fit filming and editing into your schedules too!

[@EmandLloyd]

Thanks so much Keo, that means a lot - we both love your beautifully filmed and edited videos as well!

[@nkcamchau]

I really enjoyed your videos: very concise, interesting and well edited. Watching your routine really helped me to overcome my work burnout!

[@SM12457]

This was highly informative and enjoyable to watch. It really transitioned perfectly from one situation to another, keeping me glued to the screen. There were never any dull moments where I was disinterested. It gave me a glimpse into the corporate firm life. I'm glad you enjoyed your weekend, even though there was a one late night with a slight work situation, but positively an added leisure component to it as well.

[@yeungrachelmy]

Great video for showing secondary school students the real work life of a corporate lawyer. U have a very disciplined and healthy lifestyle, which is inspiring. Now, I know why a lawyer's paycheck is really hard-earned money.

[@chadsteel]

Enjoyed this a lot mate. Love how much you are able to fit into a week. Well done!

[@mugensekai]

Had no idea about the life of lawyers besides the intense workloads ... I thought Engineering was tough, but life as a Lawyer is something else too! Respect that you always try to get some movement in despite the crazy schedule. Cheers.

[@Connieful]

I love your lifestyle!! I’m inspired by the way you work as I work sometimes nights too because of deadlines but enjoy the luxury of time on the weekends! Glad to see you fit Em in the middle of the night on a weekday and weekend!! And balance gym. Thanks for reminding me that time is a luxury when people in my life don’t get it.

[@EmandLloyd]

Thank you so much!

[@shannontongg]

I love this insight - you seem to have such a good routine in terms of fitting me/gym time around busy work periods. Hoping to get there one day with my own routines!

[@BiGAAAAAAAAAALLLLL]

I have to say - this is a very good and very interesting blog. Probably the best corporate law blog. It's very frank. You can tell you're very hard working but also an actual human as well, which is nice to see

[@Cecilia-]

Love how detailed your video is!

[@jdbuentello]

Great insight into your lives and daily rouitne!!! Love the content and look forward to more videos!!!

[@alstlew]

Pretty fascinating to watch this. I'm a litigation attorney here in the US and I also have had to work until 3 to 4 am a few times to get motions for court out on time. Guess our transactional colleagues also work long hours. For litigators, all of the work comes from preparing for trial instead of working on corporate deals. Preparing for trial can also result in all nighters. We get involved usually if there is a breach of a contract or a party gets injured as a result of a tort. Thanks for posting.

[@camel_102]

very efficient and disciplined (even tho it may not be 100% accurate), you're my inspo. Keep up the good work! btw your talking speed defo shows your efficiency.

[@JohnCena963852]

Love the quality and the tempo of your video, and the lifestyle in HK as well.

[@TippiTub]

Great video, thanks for documenting it. I like how you prioritise nutrition and social life alongside your work.

[@gregorygrattan181]

Thank you for posting this, it's so hard to find good videos explaining the life of a transactional lawyer.

[@jalabi99]

I love watching "week in the life" videos and this one convinced me that I would never be able to do what you did - be a corporate lawyer. It's way too much work! Happy that both you and Em were able to escape the rat race!

[@miulantam]

Watching your videos keep me productive ✌️

[@mjradi4371]

Great video. It was a pleasure to watch a week in your life, especially to see Hong Kong.

[@ArtraLife]

it's so great to follow your journey here and see you guys succeed :) soooo happy for you both! keep up with the great videos and have so much fun with it :)

[@earl.cuevas]

I found this hectic schedule relaxing to watch. Good video, sir!

[@luduong]

I loved this video for its honest reflection. No fluff, just an honest look into Lloyd’s life as a HK based corporate attorney. Thanks for sharing!

[@EmandLloyd]

Thank you so much! This is absolutely what we wanted to go for with this video, so we really appreciate the feedback :)

[@aa1lop459]

Wow you are only a 2nd year associate? You look so poised, confident and knowledgeable. Keep up the good work, you are literally made for M&A law. I'm in Banking and Finance, if only the lawyers i work with are half as good as you. I wouldn't need to look over transactions so closely.

[@EmandLloyd]

Thank you so much! That's an incredibly kind thing to say. I've been very fortunate to have great support from seniors, while also being put in positions of responsibility from a relatively early stage in my career. Not sure that I want to be doing M&A forever if I'm honest, but certainly very happy that I began my career learning everything I did here.

[@Jayhawkfinance]

@@EmandLloyd "being put in positions of responsibility from a relatively early stage in my career." This statement is everything as I can relate. Essentially being thrown into the waters to swim or sink is a sure way to find out what you are made of and grow a lot quicker than others that had the safety nets.

[@explorewithCK]

This video motivated me to be more productive whilst having 'me' time too like when you finished work to wind down. Enjoyed the video's narrative, subscribed!

[@noman266]

I am so inspired by your productive work routine and commitment to fit everything else into the week!

[@EmandLloyd]

Very glad to hear it! Life is about living after all 😄

[@AzukiZen]

Lloyd's time organisation and productivity is crazy

[@mjruslim]

I used to work at Jardines. Definitely miss the awesome view from the round windows after burning the midnight oil. Thanks for posting this vid, feels nostalgic to me!

[@siris2105]

This is so well-made I love it

[@tobiast3338]

Amazing video. I am from Germany and currently learning for my second Examen to become a lawyer next year. It is my goal to become a corporate lawyer like you 🙏🏻 you gave me good motivation with your video! Go on!

[@Praddyyy]

I clicked this video when I saw the title, because 'Suits' is one of my most favorite series and eventhough it is fiction I have seen the lives of Lawyers 'at work' for almost 8 seasons. I really wanted to see how Harvey Specter lives away from work, or for that matter, how other lawyers spend their time otherwise. Your video showed a fraction of it and I really loved it. Hope to see more videos like this. Great content! :) Cheers

[@1024specialkay]

really enjoyed watching this!!

[@jaceyang3375]

Very wholesome! Thanks for sharing.

[@julianranetunge7329]

Killing it - and very informative!

[@EmandLloyd]

Thanks Julian!

[@ElvinMarco]

What an awesome video! I miss Hong Kong so much, show us more of it!

[@ckchongchoongkian2256]

Thanks fr sharing and really eye opening of the corporate lawyer's busy dateline.

[@JIbanez1989]

Man I love everything about this. Hong Kong is beautiful!

[@punbishal5874]

Wow u r amazing. I should learn more from you the way you balance your life. Respect to u ma man !!

[@jessiebinni3118]

Love these videos cant wait for an updated one been rewatching almost all the videos on this channel

[@EmandLloyd]

Thank you so much! :)

[@jessiebinni3118]

@@EmandLloyd doing my thesis before I finish my LLB and have been watching your videos to keep myself motivated 😊🧡

[@theworldforgot4857]

You guys look very organized and disciplined fromt the video may God bless you both!🙏🏽🤲🏾❤️😊

[@yowie1175]

Love the suit you had on at the wedding!

[@British_loyalist]

Im starting law school in September and your videos inspire me!

[@EmandLloyd]

Awesome - best of luck with school!

[@vivianechang5829]

I just recently started following your channel. I love your contents even though I don't work in law. I can relate to those busy days working into the night. I now put your video on loop when I have to work late at night pretending that I have a late night working buddy so I don't have to feel that I am the only person on earth who has to work so late 🤣 You guys should make a work late with me video similar to those study with me videos.

[@EmandLloyd]

That's a great idea. Thanks so much for watching!

[@envy7131]

Your Job Amazing keep up the videos ❤️

[@leeroger3]

Enjoy the video! Seems pretty hectic week but boy you’re super productive!

[@jojowu1611]

I have been looking forward to your new upload ♥️

[@EmandLloyd]

Hope you enjoyed the video! :)

[@dexterts63]

Love this video. I would love to work as a Corperate Lawyer but unfortunately I am not particular good at studying. This is such a great video to have a sense of what they do. Keep up the good work and would love for more videos about the work!

[@wongmickey.hk852]

Great video… it gives me a good idea what to expect as a future corporate professional. Add oil 💪

[@sunnykel7573]

You're a very, very hard worker!

[@Alejandro-xk6ft]

Amazing! Subscribed!

[@farrysun]

Very clean sheriff shots!

[@himanthawickremaratne4240]

Great to see how well planned your week is. Out of curiosity, did you skip household chores like laundry and cleaning this week because it was so hectic?

[@bethbaker2519]

I feel tired just watching your week. I used to be, but glad I’m no longer doing M&A work!

[@manpenny8511]

Very nice content accurate enough without spilling important details. Damn workload is crazy hope asian countries improve their working conditions

[@charlesberkeley6429]

This is really impressive, Lloyd. It makes me miss Asia in a major way.

[@EmandLloyd]

Thank you!

[@6HO57]

im tired just watching this man's week

[@spacewalker9375]

Man. I've worked late hours and early mornings, but you seem way more fresh and alive than I usually do. Also it seems like you work way more long hours than I do, so I have no clue how you push through

[@EmandLloyd]

Tbh, the busy weeks and late nights are never easy, but I try and keep a positive outlook on things outside of my control to the extent possible - the work has to get done either way, but we can exercise some control over how we choose to approach it mentally. This way of thinking doesn't always work in practice, but it certainly helps! :)

[@sitrakaforler8696]

It's impressive !!!! I wish to once visit Hong Kong tho!

[@pittwm]

Interesting insight. My son just started law school in Ohio State and he’s wanting to practice Corp Law as well.

[@putik279]

Likely hk life 😁 thanks for sharing 🙏

[@oliverwoodgate7800]

I like this dude

[@lorenzobear8233]

As someone working in Ad based in London, I can't imagine how this workload would be...

[@laumargaery4599]

Love this video! Saw that you have a samsung screen & a Thinkpad with you when you’re working. Can you plz do a desk setup tour like how it can boost your productivity?

[@EmandLloyd]

For sure - I'm a sucker for a good desk setup. Will be one to add to the list!

[@tanjab3323]

Okay wow the workload is just insane

[@jimmylu3675]

Love the editing mate - the length you went to cover even the business card on your table. Unfortunately, you missed the names on the folders 😂

[@DaddychiLL6]

Dope video very interesting

[@lcylydia]

"Spending a bit of time with Emily" is that code 😉

[@nicholascherry5962]

bro ur freaking squat form is impeccable. that's awesome. I'm working to get my hips to move smoothly like yours

[@EmandLloyd]

Thanks man!! Always a work in progress, but happy with how it's coming along 🤝

[@ritul89]

that is absolutely an insane schedule you are keeping mate! ... compared to that if I made a week in the life of an engineering manager, this would be tame compared to what you have uploaded!

[@pz1498]

Love this channel. I wonder how you could fall asleep quickly after such an intense day of work! Any tips? Appreciate it

[@EmandLloyd]

Thank you for watching!! That's a great idea for a video actually - but the simple answer is that we try and carve out a bit of time to wind down before we go to bed, even if it's just 10-15 minutes, without phones or screens. Helps to ease into sleep a bit so the contrast isn't so severe once our heads hit the pillow.

[@pearsonm1306]

I'm contracts lawyer here in the States and man do I feel lazy as hell compared to you! Keep grindin!

[@voutoo7899]

I left law due to the long hours.. it seems like it doesn’t matter where you live, law is a long hours field.

[@merrillcrossing5676]

Great video! Your stamina is insane. Sorry if u answered this in another video but how much did u love/ hate it? I feel I would hate anything if it kept me up until 4am lol

[@xiangli7695]

Thanks for being so generous to share your interesting life with us. May I know how many languages do you master? I find that quite many people in Hong Kong have acquired two or more languages, given its internationality. I guess the situation is more so with lawyers?

[@EmandLloyd]

Thanks for watching! Em speaks English and Cantonese, and I speak English, Mandarin and Cantonese! Languages are definitely an important part of working as a lawyer (and speaking multiple languages can be a huge advantage when looking for a job as a lawyer too)

[@sufiansaidon5600]

I’d die 5 times just trying to keep up to your schedule for a day.

[@Lolll-fi5gh]

Quality content again! Did you find it a bit hard to adapt to the long working hours when you first entered the firm?

[@EmandLloyd]

I think in the beginning when I was super green and fresh out of law school, I was just happy to finally start working and putting some of the school to use! Definitely over time the busy periods are a bit more taxing, but there's usually an ebb and flow which helps :) this was a particularly busy week. Thanks for watching!

[@Michelle451]

Interesting perspective - thanks for sharing! But I have to ask - do you guys not print out things double-sided?? that's a lot of paper!

[@user-dc4xw8zp4t]

Could you do a video on how you fit strength training into your schedule, and how you fir enough weekly training volume

[@EmandLloyd]

The short answer is that I don't follow a program nearly as much as I used to. I just try and train full body each week, and hit each major group twice if I can / fit in some HIIT. Some weeks I can make it to the gym 5-6 days, others I struggle to make it to the gym even one time, so I've needed to build some level of flexibility and priority into my training.

[@harryhuang369]

Hey, Lloyd thanks for the great video! I am about to go to law school in the US and am planning to return to China ultimately to practice. I think you mentioned in a previous video that you worked in London for a bit then came back to HK to practice. Do you have any suggestions for people thinking about the same thing? Are there any noticeable differences between the two places? Hope you can make a video on that!

[@EmandLloyd]

Hi Harry! Yep, I was in London for 6 months on a secondment with my firm as part of my training rotations. In my case, it was definitely a great experience working abroad and definitely opened some doors as well (some of my colleagues ended up taking permanent roles in overseas offices they went to, but I decided to stay in HK). Culturally, there were definitely some differences (Friday drinks were a very big part of work culture in London), but on the whole I would say the work and lifestyle was relatively similar. Thanks for watching!

[@kevinwoo3720]

Can you do a video about time you think about quitting big law? I m a hk corporate lawyer too and believe me, i think 99% of us constantly think about that when we had to work at least 6 days a week. Love the momentum you have though. Respect

[@EmandLloyd]

Yup, definitely have something to say about this in a video soon. Thanks for watching, and appreciate the very honest question - it's definitely brutal at times and we've certainly all had the thought at some point in our careers!

[@Killerxrt2]

the was some good form with those squats lol

[@roycheung1992]

Lloyd, it's awesome seeing your busy schedule. But you never explained, HOW YOU GOT EXALTED IN A WEEK WHEN YOU SLEEP AT 4 FOR WORK.

[@EmandLloyd]

1) Buying Arakkoa Feathers on the AH definitely helps; and 2) Definitely wasn't playing WoW during this particular period 😂

[@joeleyf]

Definitely enjoying your videos! Just curious, what percentage of your weekly work would you say comprises of Chinese-related stuff? Do you have to do any Chinese drafting?

[@EmandLloyd]

Thank you! It really depends on the practice - for both of us, our work was not too Chinese-heavy. We both took calls with clients in Chinese (both in Mandarin and Cantonese for Lloyd and in Cantonese for Em), but for the most part our drafting work was entirely in English.

[@Aven-Sharma1991]

Butter chicken? My man 👊🙏🏻🇮🇳❤️

[@michaelr375]

Hey dude, love your videos. What glasses do you wear? They look quite modern.

[@EmandLloyd]

Thank you! My everyday glasses are from Oliver Peoples, and the blue light blocking glasses are from Gunnar

[@Mefhisto1]

The guy is literally living to work.

[@melonie_peppers]

Hong Kong is real fancy

[@29subhra]

I am a manager here in India and I work 6 days a week

[@timothywong3651]

Where did you get that Tobacco Linen suit from? Looks wonderful on you 👍

[@EmandLloyd]

Thank you! It is from my good friends at Prologue in Hong Kong. A friend of mine owns the store - they do great work.

[@kimjong420]

what kind of keyboard and mouse do you use in your home office set up?

[@sara6088]

Ohh, Lloyd love this video! Can you share a link to your white home office desk, Im currently looking for something exactly like it.

[@EmandLloyd]

For sure! It's a simple IKEA white desk called "BEKANT". I modded it with the standing desk legs, as well as recently adding in some cable management under the table to keep the surface nice and neat.

[@ngkinman2601]

loll I knew who your client is. It's Kaisa Group. I rmb the kitchen and the office

[@MB-tz7by]

awesome vid! btw what keyboard do you use??

[@EmandLloyd]

Thank you! I get asked this a lot and probably should address it in an FAQ video - the keyboard was just one that I picked up off of Amazon from a brand called Drevo (which I don't really recommend tbh). Looking to replace it soon myself!

[@kaweaakuna7325]

Damn! I gotta give it to you bro💪 Inspired me also made me tired😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@EmandLloyd]

I felt tired watching it again too ngl

[@kaweaakuna7325]

@@EmandLloyd 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@Aidan_Au]

Cheers! I watched you two from 67 subscribers to 12k! Let's do a Q&A video It doesn't seem like Lloyd drinks Scotch like other typical lawyers. "I finished at 1:30 AM... wake up at 8 am tomorrow". Wow. mad respect to all the lawyers out there! Kudos to Emily the tea master

[@EmandLloyd]

Thanks, Aidan! We appreciate your support from the beginning so much :) definitely have a Q&A video in the works! And yes, very grateful for Em's tea master services in dire times 😄

[@fcnyc952]

Hey, thanks for sharing another video. Could you share the link where you purchased the blue light glasses? Thanks!

[@EmandLloyd]

For sure - they're from Gunnar (gunnar.com). We bought our glasses from their website direct. I (Lloyd) got a prescription pair while Em got a pair with no prescription. They def work the best out of all of the brands we've tried so far (no affiliation).

[@fcnyc952]

@@EmandLloyd Thank you!