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Thread: Lawyer Bills 3600 Billable Hours

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    Cool Lawyer Bills 3600 Billable Hours

    Racking Up Those Billable Hours? This Michigan Lawyer Has You Beat. This self-proclaimed workaholic billed 3,600 hours last year. The Howard & Howard IP lawyer billed 3,600 hours in 2017— the equivalent of almost 70 hours a week every week of the year.

    https://www.law.com/americanlawyer/2...-has-you-beat/

    Attachment 23572

    I am typically in the top 2 or 3 in the firm in billable hours, each year billing about 2300 billable hours. Think about it. You can't bill every hour you're here, so to bill that many hours you probably have to add another 15-20% of time in the office, not to mention the time that the clients won't actually pay for such as travel time, "clerical time" you have to do etc. This guy though -- wow. I don't know, this is the type of guys that makes the partners nervous b/c one bad bill audit can kill a 30-year relationship. Ideally, you'd like to have your partners billing less, marketing more and your associates billing more b/c you make more money off of your associates.

    Watch this youtube link, you'll find it funny (but oh... so true)

    Any time you give a man something he doesn't earn, you cheapen him. Our kids earn what they get, and that includes respect. -- Woody Hayes​

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    donttread's Avatar Senior Member
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    Quote Originally Posted by DGUtley View Post
    Racking Up Those Billable Hours? This Michigan Lawyer Has You Beat. This self-proclaimed workaholic billed 3,600 hours last year. The Howard & Howard IP lawyer billed 3,600 hours in 2017— the equivalent of almost 70 hours a week every week of the year.

    https://www.law.com/americanlawyer/2...-has-you-beat/

    Attachment 23572

    I am typically in the top 2 or 3 in the firm in billable hours, each year billing about 2300 billable hours. Think about it. You can't bill every hour you're here, so to bill that many hours you probably have to add another 15-20% of time in the office, not to mention the time that the clients won't actually pay for such as travel time, "clerical time" you have to do etc. This guy though -- wow. I don't know, this is the type of guys that makes the partners nervous b/c one bad bill audit can kill a 30-year relationship. Ideally, you'd like to have your partners billing less, marketing more and your associates billing more b/c you make more money off of your associates.

    Watch this youtube link, you'll find it funny (but oh... so true)


    My divorce lawyer from my first marriage would charge 15 minutes for a 2 minute conversation with his para legal. His rate of course, not hers. A few years later there was a backlash against the profession for similar issues and other greed.

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    Quote Originally Posted by donttread View Post
    My divorce lawyer from my first marriage would charge 15 minutes for a 2 minute conversation with his para legal. His rate of course, not hers. A few years later there was a backlash against the profession for similar issues and other greed.
    When I started practicing law we billed on the quarter (1/4 - .25) hour. There was a backlash b/c many clients felt billing for 15 minutes for a 2 minute conversation was unfair. Now, we bill on the tenth (1/10 -- .1) of an hour. .1 .1 .1 .1 -- every day. .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 It is so hard to teach these kids to capture time.

    I do insurance defense and corporate civil defense work 99% of the time. These companies have billing audit departments that routinely "adjust" the time I was at court from .7 to .6 (or whatever) "just because they can" - they mark it noncompliance with billing protocol -- as if they know how long I sat there waiting for the judge. I told one large insurer to come get their files b/c we couldn't make any money on them with their Bill Nazi's combing our bills.
    Any time you give a man something he doesn't earn, you cheapen him. Our kids earn what they get, and that includes respect. -- Woody Hayes​

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    Quote Originally Posted by DGUtley View Post
    When I started practicing law we billed on the quarter (1/4 - .25) hour. There was a backlash b/c many clients felt billing for 15 minutes for a 2 minute conversation was unfair. Now, we bill on the tenth (1/10 -- .1) of an hour. .1 .1 .1 .1 -- every day. .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 It is so hard to teach these kids to capture time.

    I do insurance defense and corporate civil defense work 99% of the time. These companies have billing audit departments that routinely "adjust" the time I was at court from .7 to .6 (or whatever) "just because they can" - they mark it noncompliance with billing protocol -- as if they know how long I sat there waiting for the judge. I told one large insurer to come get their files b/c we couldn't make any money on them with their Bill Nazi's combing our bills.
    Sorry to hear that you are effected but those who came before you paved the way for distrust

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