Legal Marketing & PR

Does The Law Job Require An Annual Billing Quota? It?s Changing.

By lawjobspipeline

The ABA Journal ran a piece recently about the different approaches taken by three different firms to billing.  Ford & Harrison relieves first year associates of the need to meet billing quotas.  Their approach represents both an educational approach to the associates and a benefit to clients, whose eyes light up at the prospect of cheaper fees.

A Feb­ruary 2007 straw poll conducted by the ABA Journal, about 84 percent of asso­ciates would prefer a more manageable billable-hour requirement, even if it means smaller checks.

Shepherd Law Group uses flat fees and fixed prices as its approach to billing.  The results for the smaller firm have been good, the lawyers like it and the clients, knowing what the case is going to cost (the firm specializes in employment work), are delighted.

Strasburger & Price slashed billable time and focuses on training and mentoring.  Again, good results all round.

Maybe the model is changing.  Certainly firms are much more inclined towards experimenting with new billing models.  But will it catch on with bigger practices?  Maybe.  Whatever the outcome, clients are rapidly becoming more savvy when it comes to handling firms and their old-line billing habits. 

Full post as published by Lawyer Marketing Blog on February 11, 2008 (boomark / email).