Is there a legal ethics guide to billing hours? Forum

[rad lulz]

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[NotMyRealName09]

This may even vary by state. My practice is to not bill for anything that constitutes "background knowledge" -- or what the substantial majority of attorneys in my areas (as in, geographical area and practice area) should already know. This is different from having to research things that particularly experienced attorneys may already know, as that difference is reflected in different billing rates. It's an inexact science, but I think that's the ethical way to do it where I practice.

Meh, you're lower billing rate as a more junior attorney is meant to compensate for your general lack of knowledge too. If you're doing legal work at all, bill it, and let the biller decide whether to cut it down.

[NotMyRealName09]

Is it safe to assume that summer associates shouldn't be too concerned with things like whether they should "bill" their time for looking at samples because everything we do gets written off anyway?

Literally bill every second you are doing anything related to a task you've been assigned, including the time spent walking to get the paper file and opening it and placing the folder on your desk.

[NotMyRealName09]

What are typical protocols for billing travel time where you either can't work or don't have work that can be done? (i.e. sitting in a cab to the airport, going through security, etc..)

Ask your firm

Yeah, firms may have different policies, but if I'm traveling to another city for a case, I would bill all travel time, from leaving my front door to walking into my hotel room, and everything in between.