Here's what a partner at a 'Big 4' accounting firm does all day

Courtesy of pWc

Lawrence Ballard, 43, has been working at PriceWaterhouse Coopers for 21 years.

As a partner for the 'Big four' accounting firm, his core responsibilities are managing his clients and staff members. Currently, he has 19 personal clients and supervises about 80 staff members. 

Ballard also takes on recruitment efforts for the company, typically spending two to three hours a month working with the lead recruiting manager to coordinate events at his alma mater, Howard University. He helps with fundraising, community events, and faculty events. In the spring and fall, he even goes on campus to conduct interviews.

However, in a typical day during "busy season" — tax season — Ballard spends over 50 hours a week at the office.

"On any given day I may interact with up to five clients and 20 staff just through the normal day-to-day email, calls, and meetings," Ballard told Business Insider.

This is what his typical day looks like:

4:30 a.m. Wake up and work out

"[My wife] is up at 4:50 a.m. to work out and drags me out of the bed," Ballard said.

He tries to squeeze in at least 45 minutes of exercise every morning before going on to wake his kids, Alexis, 12, and Ava, 8, up for school. By 6 a.m., Ballard is on his way from his home in central New Jersey to the office in Manhattan. Depending on meetings and location of clients, he either drives or takes the train.

"My day starts early so that I can beat the commute," Ballard told Business Insider.

He takes advantage of this time to get organized. "I use my commute in the morning as my opportunity to get my day organized – check email, organize my priority list for the day, catch up on reading client files, memos, etc.," Ballard said.

7:30 a.m. Arrive at the office

Before anything else, Ballard likes to get his morning fix of coffee and oatmeal.

At around 7:45 a.m., he's at his desk. He tries to FaceTime his kids before they go to school and before he gets swept away by the workday.

8 a.m. Address urgent issues and make a to-do list for the day

"The first couple hours of my day I spend reviewing any client files I need to review or taking care of staff matters," Ballard said.

After scanning some emails, Ballard makes a to-do list for his executive assistant to help him with filing papers, scheduling meetings, and travel arrangements if needed. He also tries to make his own to-do list, but this proves harder since he needs to be flexible in dealing with clients and their schedules.

"Adjusting my day for situations I did not anticipate in order to stay on track is unavoidable, as unexpected situations always surface," he says.

Flickr / slgckgc

9 a.m. A rush of meetings, calls, and tackling the inbox

The staff usually arrives by 9:30 a.m., so from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. there is a "big rush" full of calls and meetings with his teams. Since Ballard has 19 clients and three to four staff members per client, he is essentially working with over 60 staff members everyday (they are shared among other partners as well).

The rest of the morning is spent sorting through over 50 emails, attending around six meetings, and making about 15 calls.

"From about 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. I typically spend in meetings, on calls or with my clients but I try not to schedule anything too heavy after 4 p.m. to give me time to catch up on anything that I did not get to earlier in the day," Ballard said.

12:30 p.m. Working lunch

"I eat in [pWc's] café maybe two days of the week," Ballard told Business Insider. "The other days I go out to lunch with clients, my engagement teams, or the other partners."

Courtesy of pWc.

5 p.m. FaceTime with his family

Ballard tries his best to stay involved with his kids' lives on a daily basis and even helps them with homework. He uses FaceTime to catch up when he's not physically there.

"5 p.m. is FaceTime with my kids to see how their day was and to answer any math homework questions. My wife covers homework when she gets home, but hates math!" he said.

Ballard makes a great effort to guide younger associates, teaching them to balance work and family, which is something practices regularly. "I believe it's important to balance family life and work, and I tell all my associates that."

7 p.m. Leave work to pick up his daughter

On Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays he tries to leave the office by 7 p.m. so he can pick his daughter Ava from gymnastics practice, and maybe even watch the last 45 minutes.

During "busy season," however, Ballard might find himself staying in the office, working late until 8 p.m., and might not get home until 9:30 p.m.

"My wife and I agreed that if I have work, she would much rather I stay at work than bring it home, because even if I'm physically there, I'm not actually there," Ballard explained.

See the rest of the story at Business Insider