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Yes, we get credit for written off hours. I don’t see it as much of an incentive to be dishonest though, because I want the partners to know I’m efficient.
Realization rate (how much clients actually pay for your time) plays into bonus calculation, which disincentivizes padding the time sheet. You could technically hit hours but if your time isn’t paid for, people will catch on quickly. A lot of times a low realization rate can be due to client discounts or other factors outside of your control, but if it’s lower than within a range it’s obvious.
We do, but obviously we track realization rates. If you’re padding the bill (or taking forever to do simple tasks), you will have a reputation that spreads quickly.
Yes, most firms give credit because the folks who get time cut are low paid anyway and working their way up, plus bonuses and raises are based on how much money you bring in, obviously, so you stand to lose on your bonus and raise.
My experience is that it depends on why the hours are being written off. If it’s a courtesy to the client, like a free consultation or if they’ve asked you to take on a matter slightly out of your wheelhouse, you should still get credit. If your hours are being written off because you took an excessive amount of time to complete a task, it will probably count against you if it happens often enough to be noticeable. Plus if you google around you will see that there have been attorneys who have been fired and had their licenses suspended for being not quite honest about their billing. While I understand the temptation, it’s really a lose-lose idea.
My firm does. Cut time does not affect bonus.
Associates do not get credit for hours written off, the 1850 requirement is net billable hours. But the firm has implemented accountability for partners where if they want to write off a certain number of hours they need various levels of approval. This initiative has actually increased overall firm profitability because partners are expected to bill good time and not just write off associate time for client development purposes.