34. What Does the Lawyer Hour Mean to the Lawyer?

Isn’t it fair that we ask what the “lawyer hour” means to the lawyer working it? Once you examine the “lawyer hour” in that light, you reach a startling conclusion: Attorneys and clients view the proposition the same way — it’s law firms who are the odd ones out.

X

Thank you for sharing!

Your article was successfully shared with the contacts you provided.

The previous lesson, in our discussion on hourly rates, asked what a “lawyer hour” means to a law firm and a client. We quickly established that it has completely different meanings. To a law firm, an hour is a chargeable unit, and every hour performed by a given lawyer carries the same charging rate. To clients it’s much more nuanced.

To a client, lawyers exist to solve problems, and an hour of outside counsel time must advance a project. That project has a context, milestones and goals, all of which matter. So, to a client, an hour spent efficiently and effectively advancing the project is an hour well spent, and if that happens the hourly rate is less of an issue. An hour spent inefficiently or ineffectively it has no value, regardless of the rate.

This premium content is locked for
Lean Adviser Legal subscribers only.

  • Subscribe now to receive:

  • 100+ Think Lean Daily Messages
  • 100+ Lean Lessons
  • 27 Lean Routine Checklists
  • 15 Lean Adviser Videos
  • Conference Calls for Q&A with Lean Adviser Editors including
    what’s coming next from Lean Adviser
  • Quarterly Training Sessions

Already have an account?
Interested in customizing your subscription with Law.com access?
Contact our Sales Professionals at 1-855-808-4530 or send an email
to [email protected] to learn more.

 

Read These Next

  • 35. Why Money Won't Win the Talent Wars

    4. How to Give Your Clients the Gift of Trust

    The answer to the talent war is to focus on the talent, not the war. It’s not about the rival firms, or about the money, it’s about your own talent and making them feel valued. Talent is what draws people to join an organization and inspires people within it. It’s the first thing clients notice.

  • 36. Human Values Can Keep Power Hungry Leaders At Bay

    4. How to Give Your Clients the Gift of Trust

    The law may be a business, maybe even big business, but it’s still just people: the clients, the talent, and now the investors. They’re all people, and people are drawn to organizations with core values they recognize and admire. Very few agree with autocracy or unchecked power, and this is precisely why, happily, the rogue law firm leader is a disappearing breed.

  • 37. Is Life Really Easier In-House?

    4. How to Give Your Clients the Gift of Trust

    The grass is always greener … you know the saying. Lawyers who toil away in law firms, burning the midnight oil working on an assignment that’s due the next day, daydream about the cushy life of their in-house colleagues. “Those lucky ducks work 9-5, weekends off, corporate perks, and no firm politics to navigate,” they lament. But is that really the case? Is the in-house life the low-stress ultimate legal gig?

Lean Adviser4. How to Give Your Clients the Gift of Trust

About Us / Contact Us / Site Map / Advertise With Us/ Customer Service / Terms of Service/ FAQ / Privacy Policy

Publications

Law Topics

Rankings

More

Law.com

Copyright © 2024 ALM Global, LLC. All Rights Reserved.