Miscellaneous

Billing clients may seem a bit off topic for this blog. Then again, there?s no denying that bills are important written communications from lawyers to clients. With that in mind, here?s a tip from Jim McElhaney on how to write a more effective bill: stop rounding time entries to the nearest tenth of an hour. As McElhaney explains, ?7.82 hours at $436.79 an hour looks a lot harder to challenge than 7.5 hours at $400 an hour. As if somehow it?s exact, so it must have a rational basis.?

Another tip I learned long ago: Write time entries that reflect how the task benefits the client. Thus:

• Not so good: ?Legal research. 4.5 hrs.?
• Improved: ?Legal research to support planned motion for summary judgment. 4.5 hrs.?