Government work can be *much* better, but it depends on that particular location (e.g. I talked to one public defender who is a full-time ski instructer during the winter and skis over 100 days a year). Lifestyle firms are out there - in general they aren't as prestigious as "biglaw", but that may not matter if you find a lifestyle firm that you want to spend the rest of your career at. To find a lifestyle firm, I'd search NALP for any that requires 1800 or fewer hours per year. However, even if the stated minimum is low, some firms really only require the minimum while others require many more hours - the only way to find out is to talk to people. Some firms (even big firms) have flexible hour programs (e.g. work less and get paid less). This is very firm dependent and the impression I get is that even some firms that say they have good flex programs don't really have them in practice; however, I also get the impression that some really do have great programs where you can bill 1600, 1500, 1400, or even 1300 and get paid accordingly.
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