f/k/a archives . . . real opinions & real haiku

Legal outsourcing advocate Lisa Solomon has put together an excel- 

lent Billable Hour Resources Page, on the website of her retail firm,

The Billable Hour™ Co (which offers “clever timepieces for lawyers”).

The web page aptly sums up its content:

 

                                                                                                     “pocketWatchS”

“A compilation of links to books; studies and reports; newspaper

and magazine articles; and blog entries discussing the billable

hour and related subjects such as client service and value billing.”                                                                                

An upcoming press release, notes that Lisa, “a practicing lawyer and

partner in The Billable Hour™  Company, vetted all of the listed items for

relevance before adding them to the collection.   Her spouse and  time-

piece partner, Mark Solomon explains:

“While the utility and proper role of the ‘billable hour’ is hotly

debated in the legal community, until now there hasn’t been a

single comprehensive source for links to writings on the subject.”

Although their timepieces bring a bit of humor to the subject of billable 

hours, the Solomons want “to encourage serious consideration of the issues

involved in the billable hour/value billing discussion.”  As the debate unfolds,

the Resources Page will be regularly updated; it has an RSS feed.

 

 

This list is far more comprehensive than others I have seen.  Of equal im-

portance for those interesting in seriously considering the ethical and

practical issues raised, the Billable Hours Resources Page — unlike others

— includes materials that are skeptical of both the blanket condemnation of

hourly billing and the unquestioning acceptance of the value billing mantra. 

 Much of the skeptic materials appeared first at this

website and voice the Editor’s belief that “value billing” may

result in neither lower overall fees for clients nor more leisure

time for associates. See, e.g., chronomentrophobia (hourly

billing is not the problem) and value billing or venal bilking?.

So, the f/k/a gang suggests you bookmark the page and grab its RSS

feed — or even re-syndicate it (instructions are at the foot of the page).  

Thanks to Lisa and Mark Solomon for assembling this tool, and — “ad-

vanced praise” — for keeping it updated.

 

                                                                                    Billable Hour desk clock