ID Associates…how the hell do you reach your billable requirements? Just started at an ID firm and am lost as to how it’s possible when there is so much daily grind type work that you cannot bill for. Someone enlighten me.

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You only start hitting when you become efficient and you can bill more than how long it actually took you. You used to bill a lot for court appearances (and they’d take 30min) but zoom has ruined that. But even after all the work, hitting the req usually leads to a terrible bonus not worth your effort. I left ID and have never looked back. I found it pure hell.

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I can only speak for the firm I worked for and other firms I knew, but yes. Because clients (insurers) are horrendous and cut like crazy, it’s the only way to counteract. You don’t grossly overbill, but if something of routine usually takes 2 hrs, and you knock it out in 1.4, that’s the extra spare change that’ll get you to your hours and beyond. Don’t forget internal cuts by the partners. Also, billing .1-.2 for emails that take 30 seconds are winners. It’s just part of the industry

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Bill on the toilet. You know you're evaluating key legal issues don't short change yourself! Dream about a client? That's at least a .4. pick some discovery fights. I went from complex lit to ID (needed a mental break) and was shocked at how bad plaintiffs attorneys were. A few withdrew instead of actually complying with local rules. Go to war my friend. This. Is. Sparta.

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Ready your breakfast and eat hearty… for tonight, we dine in hell!!

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It’s not you, it‘s hard. Took me 3 years of trial and error and billing anxiety before I felt like I knew what I was doing. At 6 years, I am confident in my billing and it’s become second nature. It also depends on how stringent your client’s billing guidelines are.

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Creative billing for the daily grind stuff

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What is your billable requirement?

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Received a job offer. Was wondering if anyone had any thoughts on a concern I had about it. It's an entry level position, and I don't have much experience. The billables are 2040 a year. For billable hours in civil litigation and insurance defense, is 2040 hours for a 1st year associate on the high end in this field for a small or midsize firm? It seems like most attorneys I know have minimum requirements of around 1800. The compensation is around 80k a year.

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Highest number of billable hours you have seen in a year?

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Recent lateral junior associate in brand new practice where I'm the only associate. I'm probably going to bill 1,500 hours max this year due to being very slow and taking time off for a delayed honeymoon which I disclosed during my interview process. I have been told my work product is good, I don't turn anything down, I participate in non-billable work, I'm responsive and I always let people know I'm available to help. Do I need to be worried about getting fired for low hours?

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Idk, maybe it’s time we bring these engineers and techs down. If my 🧠 links to a 💻 , all of my non-billable work will come to light. 😤

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Is 150 billable hours per month little/average/a lot?

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Are any other paralegals struggling with billable hour requirements? I have 5 years of experience in corporate transactions, M&A, and real estate work, and have never had billable hour requirements. I'm in a new job now where I do and I'm nowhere near meeting them. I'm getting a lot more admin work than billable work, and it's stressing me out.

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What are firm’s known billable requirements? Is there a ramp up period?

To the post below- it is quiet, so I’ll bite!
Does anyone know about associate compensation at the regional Atlantic Canada firms? The the big ones have all been posting job ads for associates in the 3-5 year range. Any insight on salary and billable targets?

How many billable hours do people in prosecution tend to average each month? I’ve gone through waves of feeling like my billable hours requirement is reasonable to feeling like I’m drowning and can’t possibly do it for that long.

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Does anyone have experience working for a ALSP? How does compensation work (pay and benefits)? Are you an employee or technically an IC? Do you have billable requirements like at a firm? How do you think it prepared you to potentially move in house? I'm currently at a firm but thinking of taking a position with an ALSP but my goal is to go in house.

Mental health is busy, looking for tips to help manage tasks, currently I supervise 12 therapists in 3 different departments that are all different with unique dynamics in each dept. I still carry a small caseload on top of this. I'm struggling with my patients and worry I am not giving them my best, I wax and wane between focusing on patients and therapists. Looking for advice navigating this type od conversation with my leadership, we have all been asked to work on increase billable time...

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Can you share first year salary for midsize firms? I'm in NJ, but curious to hear other markets. Also billable targets? Thanks!

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BONUS. What’s amount bonus do you get, and how often? Including bonus structure (ex for meeting billable hours), firm/boss randomly bonuses you, Christmas bonus, etc)

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I’ve practiced litigation in DC for about 5+ years at a larger plaintiffs’ firm, and am considering a switch to a defense firm. Is there any insight to how many billable hours this would require, and how much time that would actually be? For reference, the firm has a 1900 billable hour requirement and the partner said I would have “no problem” fulfilling that based on the work they have.

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Recently lateraled as a public defender in HCOL area to ID in LCOL area for $$$. I’ve been at the job a little over a month. My concerns are that I’m getting very little guidance or mentorship, and I’m worried about not hitting billable hours (2000 requirement but I am just over 80 for the first month). I am only in charge of a ~5 cases atm and struggle with figuring out the next steps, etc. I’ve met all my deadlines that have come up. Thoughts or advice?

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How is productivity measured for in-house attorneys? Is there any analog of billable hours for in-house lawyers?

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So I was a 5th year associate in nyc making 100 k a year 2k billable hours.. I decided to leave for the role Im in now.. my old countered to keep me at 115k (which was like pulling teeth for them) but I left anyways now I find out that they offered a 7th year 150 k and a partner title should I be offended that they didn’t even try more with me

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Billables are low this month. Like I have 65 billable hours in so far. I’ve messaged partners over the last week to try and get more cases but there are tons of new associates who were just onboarded and were at a low point for business. I’m freaking out

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Any insight into Jackson Lewis NYC office? Compensation, billable hours, WLB? I would be a 2-3 year

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Weber folks! At what point do you become eligible for a yearly bonus and how is your bonus determined? Any tie to billable hours?

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Idk, maybe it’s time we bring these engineers and techs down. If my 🧠 links to a 💻 , all of my non-billable work will come to light. 😤

Post Photo
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Is 150 billable hours per month little/average/a lot?

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How do you manage the stress and anxiety around billables? I feel like there’s no happy medium. You’re either smashing your targets but stressed and overwhelmed with the workload or you’re anxious that you’re not hitting targets. The job would be so much more enjoyable without them!

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I've been a government attorney for nearly three years now and have worked in the same office/division since I passed the bar. I've yet to receive a promotion other than two cost of living increases (in sum, a pay increase of 6k over 3 years). I know this is meager, but I'm mostly ok with it, I just want to see some recognition. On the other hand, it's hard for me to imagine negotiating because (given my inexperience), I don't feel I'd be able to do better anywhere else. Any advice?

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Any insight into Richards, Layton, & Finger out of Wilmington, Delaware?

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PARTNERS: two questions —1. If you see an associate has really low hours for the month, do you imagine them chillen on a beach somewhere or do you consider they probably spent most of their days sitting in front of the computer being “available”? 2. If you send an associate a random e-mail on a weekend like “Can you pull X and send to Y”, would you get annoyed if they responded saying they weren’t by a comp or would you consider it reasonable that they wouldn’t be by a comp on a weekend?

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Has anyone been through a job search with a Bar issue hanging over them? I’m being terminated at year’s end and the Bar still has not resolved discipline over a misdemeanor offense from which I just got completed diversion and expungement. Isn’t this just a total disqualifier for new work until I have a resolution?

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So the feeling that you’re forgetting something important because you have so much on your plate…that never goes away right?

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4,000 weeks. We get 4,000 weeks on this planet if we’re lucky…

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Why do we put up with the dysfunctional BS from our peers and superiors? Are we well-compensated chumps?

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Can you share first year salary for midsize firms? I'm in NJ, but curious to hear other markets. Also billable targets? Thanks!

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How often do you respond to emails from law students who want to learn about your firm/practice area? I get like a dozen requests right around OCI every year. Frankly I’m tired of speaking to them and answering the same boring questions, especially if I know they have a low GPA and no chance of summering at my firm, but I do feel bad saying no/ignoring them

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You hired an intern in law school, trained him mentored him. Work product was great. Gave him a full time offer and he was working full time for 3 months. Set to go back in the office. He gives notice because he doesn't want to be in the city we're in and wants to move for family reasons to a completely remote firm.


How pissed are you at this?

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I’ve practiced litigation in DC for about 5+ years at a larger plaintiffs’ firm, and am considering a switch to a defense firm. Is there any insight to how many billable hours this would require, and how much time that would actually be? For reference, the firm has a 1900 billable hour requirement and the partner said I would have “no problem” fulfilling that based on the work they have.

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Okay...here goes: I’m not sure if I just want to leave my firm or private practice altogether? For those of you who have contemplated leaving private practice, how did you finally come to realize that that was really what made sense for you, as opposed to just switching firms?

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What’s the fastest/youngest you’ve ever seen someone make partner?

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Beisdes CiIPPS and CIPP/US, what certifications would make you more likely to hire an attorney for a data privacy/IT law role?

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