Billable Hour Zombie?

She writes:

The billable hour has been dead in the minds of your clients for a long time, but because your firm is built around the idea of making money in minute-by-minute increments, the billable hour continues to aimlessly wander the hallways of your office, devouring productivity and goodwill.

Three changes are driving the move away from hourly billing.  1) the current economic downturn making clients want certainty in billing, 2) a Generation X & Y moving into the decision making seats demanding less cumbersome billing arrangements, and 3) advanced technology streamlining many aspects of the practice emphasizing quality of product rather than amount of time.  I would add to that that lawyers' value is not their time but their problem solving.  The price proposition should be what is it worth to the client to have the problem solved.

I recommend the full article:  The Billable Hour Zombie:   Why You Need to Act Now to Avoid an Attack on Your Business.

- Peter H. Berge

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