Do small firms/boutiques really have better hours than Big Law? A recruiter told me I should still expect to bill 2000 hrs at a boutique, but if that’s the case, why take the pay cut?

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I bill anywhere from 1500-1700 per year.

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Depending on what you're doing you might not have to bill at all. I don't bill any hours. First party insurance litigation on Plaintiff's side.

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It would be a soft IP litigation boutique. I’m not sure about their billing structures though.

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We are expected to bill at least 1000. I target higher than that because I get commissions, but no one has ever commented when I've been at or near 1000.

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I work at a small firm. I work roughly 1840 per year after PTO and firm holidays. Only have to bill 640 of the 1840.

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Depends entirely on the firm. You may end up doing a lot more administrative/marketing things that can really take away time from substantive work.

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We've never had billable hour requirements. We focus on what is accomplished and the quality of the work rather than how long you spend doing it.

We don't bill our clients by the hour though, so efficiency matters more than hours billed. It's all flat fee or contingency. We do keep track of them in case we ever have to submit them to a Court. It's also a quick way to review what someone did throughout the day. It's just not a priority.

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