Law360
Nov 6, 2009

One tool ACC has offered through the Value Challenge is an online economic model that allows users to input different numbers, billing rates and salaries for associates and partners into an Excel spread sheet, then test various staffing approaches to see the results. While it may be easy to demonize the billable hour, a flat fee does not necessarily guarantee fairness, either, Lemons said. "It is so easy to look at a lawyer or a doctor and say, 'They charge how much per hour?' What you don't realize is that they are only taking 15 or 20 minutes to do something that might take an attorney charging less than half that hours to do," she said. DiLucchio has observed the varying degrees of enthusiasm among general counsel with the billable hour, noting that some are perfectly content with the current system. "I think overall some general counsel are perfectly happy with the hourly rates and discounts," he said. "Part of the reason for that it is really easy to calculate savings. You can quickly do the math and say, 'We save this much money,' and some people are still perfectly satisfied with that situation." 

Read the full story  (subscription only)

View all ACC in the News