I’m a Jr litigation associate at a small firm. Juniors are constantly told to bill for all their time and outs the partners responsibility to write time down. So I’ll bill for everything, incl. .1 for emails I’m just copied on or when I’m following up on work I’ve turned in with no response. I’ve just been told by a fairly new partner to no longer do this. I’m inclined to check with other associates on whether this is what they’ve been told (lots of inconsistency) and ask my EP. Thoughts?

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Talk to your partner on how to incorporate some of that time into a specific task like implementing revisions from a client. Some clients will scratch their heads if they see a bill with multiple timekeepers billing to review the same email or an internal follow up email. Yes, this work is part of practicing; however, the time enteries should reflect added value to the case and not look redundant or administrative.

likesmart

Your firm may have guidelines on this, but I would think just checking email, where you are not actively participating in a discussion, is not billable.

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But you'll need the information on the email to do your work. You need to be aware of what's transpiring. There's a reason you're copied on it. But I agree it's better to incorporate it into the larger picture and the task you do. I'm a junior associate.

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If you’re on calls or emails with other counsel, clients, experts, etc. find a way to bill it or roll it in unless told not to.

Do not bill for internal emails to the partners or other team members. You should capture almost all of your day but you can’t explicitly bill for internal communications with most clients and carriers

likesmart

This

I’ve worked at 2 ID firms where this has been an issue. The practice was whoever is responding/primarily handling tasks related to the email bills for the email and no one else. Your Partner probably knows what they’re talking about but confirm with other Partners as well. Who knows your firm might want Jr Associates to go ahead and bill those things for practice and to give you some additional time until you’re easily hitting requirements.

likeuplifting

Billing preferences can vary by client and matter so just ask for any billing guidelines when you join a new matter

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Ask other partners, not other associates.

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I've never interpreted "bill for everything" to include either of the things you mentioned. Small firm partners are going to scoff at you if you ask this question. The perception in small firms is typically that only big firms nickel and dime their clients like this (and I don't even agree that most associates do this in biglaw). Sometimes you can roll this time into other tasks, but this is definitely not something I would ever put on a bill to a client.

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You don't want to be that associate who spends all week doing tasks that have to be written off. Your goal in billing is not to prove that you worked 8 hours every day but to create revenue for the firm and to keep a record of the value you bring to each matter. At my firm,, we have a way to "bill" for nonbillable time like CLEs, but the partners I asked think that entering nonbillable time is, at best, not helpful.

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The best way to think about billing is imagine you are the client. You see a $100 time entry for “follow up email to partner re memo.” You want to pay that? Of course not. So either don’t bill it or figure out a description that doesn’t sound ridiculous.

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Bill for it but don’t bill it as inter office communication or meetings. That will never get paid by a client or carrier

I don’t bill for inner office communications, especially when they’re not substantive, like following up with partner about work you’ve turned in. Clients don’t pay for that.

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