Maintaining any work-life balance when working in a major firm is next to impossible. You have no control over your time, and the firm and partners dictate when you work and when you can stop if you want to keep your job. Attorneys can usually forget about planning anything for their weekends, evenings, or holidays. As a big law attorney, you can never promise others in your life that you will be able to come to their celebration or attend an event with them because you are not in control of your time. If you are needed in the office, you have to be willing to come there when you get the call. Otherwise, you are risking that the firm will find a more willing attorney.
At the beginning of my career in my first legal job, I did not know this, and I decided to take a week off to go on a holiday over the summer. From how everyone reacted, I quickly realized I should not be taking time off. Attorneys rarely (if ever) go on a vacation, and some of the senior attorneys there have never taken time off.
I later realized how the legal world works, and my everyday experience at work changed. I remember all the evenings, weekends, and holidays I spent working. I once spent four days at the office working non-stop, and the moment I got home and fell asleep, I was called back because the partner I was doing work for did not receive an email. It was also during Easter weekend!
Attorneys cannot control their time or lives if they want to survive in a big law firm. This lifestyle is not for everyone, and there are other options in the legal industry. You can practice law in smaller firms, smaller markets, or go into alternative legal positions. However, if your dream and passion are large firms, you have to be prepared to invest all your time to work.