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[911 crisis actor]

As a 2L, I do wonder if the "billable hour" varies firm-to-firm, group-to-group, and client-to-client. On CB's, I spoke to associates that claimed they worked 60 to bill 40 and at other firms, the associates seemed to work 46 to bill 45. Does having a lower hourly rate ($/hr) translate into higher billing efficiency because clients are more willing to pay for hours when they're cheaper?

I'd add person to person. A guy I work with will deduct time it took him to sneeze.

You'd think that with smaller billing rates, it would be easier to collect but its actually the opposite. Cheap clients are cheap. Rich clients are rich. The rich ones are less likely to give you shit about the bill.

How much time do you deduct per post

I think this is a valid question for DF.

DF pls respond.

[Morgan12Oak]

2600 isn't that hard unless you bill like a pussy. There are people at my firm who will wait around from like 530 to 730 for a document and not bill it. Generally, any time you spend in the office because of a client outside of 9-530 should be billed. If you have a busy day from 930 to 530 that should be about 7 billable (minus one for lunch) and if you're there till 11 pm or so that's another 5.5... so 12.5. The hours can really start getting cranked out and 2600 is achievable without a bunch of all nighters

[thesealocust]

2600 isn't that hard unless you bill like a pussy. There are people at my firm who will wait around from like 530 to 730 for a document and not bill it. Generally, any time you spend in the office because of a client outside of 9-530 should be billed. If you have a busy day from 930 to 530 that should be about 7 billable (minus one for lunch) and if you're there till 11 pm or so that's another 5.5... so 12.5. The hours can really start getting cranked out and 2600 is achievable without a bunch of all nighters

: |

[Desert Fox]

Isn't it the opposite?

If an hour looks like this:

Task 1 takes 19 minutes (.4)
Task 2 takes 25 minutes (.5)
Task 3 takes 2 minutes (.1)
Task 4 takes 14 minutes (.3)

Then you have billed 1.3 hours in 1 hour ethically.

19 minutes is a .3. I'm not billing a client an extra .1 for one minute of work. I don't feel comfortable billing a .1 until I'm closer to 3-4 minutes on something. I might bill a .1 for that 2 minute task, depending on what it is, but most things don't take that short an amount of time. If it's that short, I will usually "bill no charge" it so it shows up on the bill but isn't charged.

You are stealing from your firm bro. Unless you are blocking billing.

[Desert Fox]

I'd add person to person. A guy I work with will deduct time it took him to sneeze.

You'd think that with smaller billing rates, it would be easier to collect but its actually the opposite. Cheap clients are cheap. Rich clients are rich. The rich ones are less likely to give you shit about the bill.

How much time do you deduct per post

I think this is a valid question for DF.

DF pls respond.

If I'm posting, I'm not even remotely working, so I don't count it at all.

[911 crisis actor]

Seems like you are having many slow days. Should we be worried about you, brother?

[Desert Fox]

Seems like you are having many slow days. Should we be worried about you, brother?

September I'm going to bill way under 100 hours. But that just happens in lit. My case I was billing 200 hours a month to went away suddenly. I'm only now getting up to speed on a new one.

[gk101]

2600 isn't that hard unless you bill like a pussy. There are people at my firm who will wait around from like 530 to 730 for a document and not bill it. Generally, any time you spend in the office because of a client outside of 9-530 should be billed. If you have a busy day from 930 to 530 that should be about 7 billable (minus one for lunch) and if you're there till 11 pm or so that's another 5.5... so 12.5. The hours can really start getting cranked out and 2600 is achievable without a bunch of all nighters

[kalvano]

Isn't it the opposite?

If an hour looks like this:

Task 1 takes 19 minutes (.4)
Task 2 takes 25 minutes (.5)
Task 3 takes 2 minutes (.1)
Task 4 takes 14 minutes (.3)

Then you have billed 1.3 hours in 1 hour ethically.

19 minutes is a .3. I'm not billing a client an extra .1 for one minute of work. I don't feel comfortable billing a .1 until I'm closer to 3-4 minutes on something. I might bill a .1 for that 2 minute task, depending on what it is, but most things don't take that short an amount of time. If it's that short, I will usually "bill no charge" it so it shows up on the bill but isn't charged.

You are stealing from your firm bro. Unless you are blocking billing.

We bill by matter. The firm doesn't want us billing those .1's individually.

[Desert Fox]

Isn't it the opposite?

If an hour looks like this:

Task 1 takes 19 minutes (.4)
Task 2 takes 25 minutes (.5)
Task 3 takes 2 minutes (.1)
Task 4 takes 14 minutes (.3)

Then you have billed 1.3 hours in 1 hour ethically.

19 minutes is a .3. I'm not billing a client an extra .1 for one minute of work. I don't feel comfortable billing a .1 until I'm closer to 3-4 minutes on something. I might bill a .1 for that 2 minute task, depending on what it is, but most things don't take that short an amount of time. If it's that short, I will usually "bill no charge" it so it shows up on the bill but isn't charged.

You are stealing from your firm bro. Unless you are blocking billing.

We bill by matter. The firm doesn't want us billing those .1's individually.

Ok, then you can't round up per task. But some clients DEMAND you bill per task. So they are asking to get ass fucked on rounding.

[kalvano]

We bill by matter. The firm doesn't want us billing those .1's individually.

Ok, then you can't round up per task. But some clients DEMAND you bill per task. So they are asking to get ass fucked on rounding.[/quote]

We bill to individual clients, then to the project we are working on. I don't round up or down, really. I just don't feel comfortable billing for a 30 second follow-up email. If I have to do 4 or 5 of them, then maybe, but we try not to bill for that sort of thing.

[911 crisis actor]

Seems like you are having many slow days. Should we be worried about you, brother?

September I'm going to bill way under 100 hours. But that just happens in lit. My case I was billing 200 hours a month to went away suddenly. I'm only now getting up to speed on a new one.

Estimate the chance that you'll bill less than 2000 hours this year

[Desert Fox]

Seems like you are having many slow days. Should we be worried about you, brother?

September I'm going to bill way under 100 hours. But that just happens in lit. My case I was billing 200 hours a month to went away suddenly. I'm only now getting up to speed on a new one.

Estimate the chance that you'll bill less than 2000 hours this year

85percent. But it had been feast or famine. I'm joining a mega case right now. A black hole of billables.

[Mal Reynolds]

2600 isn't that hard unless you bill like a pussy. There are people at my firm who will wait around from like 530 to 730 for a document and not bill it. Generally, any time you spend in the office because of a client outside of 9-530 should be billed. If you have a busy day from 930 to 530 that should be about 7 billable (minus one for lunch) and if you're there till 11 pm or so that's another 5.5... so 12.5. The hours can really start getting cranked out and 2600 is achievable without a bunch of all nighters

Schulte is a leader in billing hours like a real bro.

[Desert Fox]

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