I Hate Billable Hours

As a lawyer working in a law firm, I hated billable hours requirements.

The first firm I worked for I was tasked with billing 8 hours a day. It didn't take long for my mind and body to wear down with stress from trying to meet this standard...

The second firm I worked for I did not have a billable requirement at first. As it grew bigger, that changed. Because I was always paranoid about "staying profitable," I tried to bill 6 hours a day. This went down as I started focusing on bringing in clients and mentoring/managing new lawyers. The pressure was always there! It drove me nuts.

As a law firm owner, I don't have a billable hours requirement. I luckily have mostly had employees that still understand the lights need to stay on. I'm considering whether I bonus employees for meeting certain billable targets, but not make it a firm requirement.


This is just my experience with billable hours though, and I want to hear yours!

For those brave law firm owners that DON'T have billable requirements, what have you done?

For those attorneys that have dealt with billable hours requirements, what are YOUR thoughts?


PS: Are you thinking of starting a law firm? If so, you should check out my ebook, How to Start a Law Firm..