Elite Investment Bank Settles Case Over 100-Hour Workweeks

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Centerview Partners, a prominent investment bank, has reached a settlement with a former junior banker, Kathryn Shiber, who had filed a lawsuit alleging the firm violated disability discrimination laws by firing her after she said she needed 8-9 hours of sleep per night due to an underlying mood and anxiety disorder. The case had offered a rare glimpse into the demanding work culture on Wall Street, with testimony that first-year analysts typically work 60-120 hours per week, and "in some projects, you are working 24 hours a day."

Why it matters

This settlement avoids a trial that could have further exposed the grueling work demands on Wall Street, a topic of growing public scrutiny. While Centerview denies wrongdoing, the case highlights ongoing debates around work-life balance, employee accommodations, and the potential health impacts of extreme workloads in the financial industry.

The details

Kathryn Shiber, a former junior banker at Centerview Partners, filed a lawsuit alleging the firm violated disability discrimination laws by firing her in 2020 after she said she needed 8-9 hours of sleep per night due to an underlying mood and anxiety disorder. Court filings and depositions in the case revealed details about the demanding work culture at Centerview, including testimony that first-year analysts typically work 60-120 hours per week, and "in some projects, you are working 24 hours a day." Centerview has denied any wrongdoing, stating it was "ready to prove" Shiber's "legal claims have no merit" and that it is "happy to put this distraction behind us."

• The lawsuit was filed in 2020 after Shiber was fired from Centerview Partners.
• The case was set to go to trial in Manhattan federal court before the settlement was reached in February 2026.

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