Is 180 billable hours per month a high “target” (to use the firm’s vernacular) or expectation?Although it may not be unreasonably high, I believe it is a high number and would at least appreciate someone at my firm acknowledging that. Perhaps I’m wrong and I’m sure you’ll tell me if so.

like
Posting as :
works at
You are currently posting as works at
Highlighted IconHIGHLIGHTED

High target but not impossible. I find 160 to 175 to be a tolerable level where I feel busy but I’m not necessarily losing my mind.

like

No. 180/Mo is about 45/Week which depending on your practice area is actually less than average. Most attorneys (associates AND partners) strive for around 200/Mo (or 2400/Yesr). If you don’t like long hours, you may have to choose another profession. Sad but true. Been doing it for 33 years and it does get easier but it never gets easy, especially if you are one of the lucky young guns pulling down $250K/year — TO START!

funnylike

Any advice on how to bill MORE hours? Like how do you find the work to do? Ask the partner? Stay late? I’m new - and j want to hit the hours.

funny
Recent IconRecent

2100 a year? Hope you’re being paid with a fat bonus (both to market rate)

like

I establish the required minimum billable hours at my firm. It is only 100 hrs/month. Quality of life first. I don’t believe any attorney or staff member needs to die in the work saddle.

like

Yes. Within the range of “busy month without necessarily ruining my life,” but it’s high as a regular expectation for sure.

likesmart

I had a 2200 annual requirement at a mid size firm and everyone agreed that was really high. I even had big law colleagues who had less hours than that at around 1800.

like

How did you hit the hours? What did you do?

Well, fortunately for us, the market is in our favor and we have leverage to demand lower billables.
I was hitting 215 average at my old firm (first year of practice with a 170 minimum) and realized it wasn’t worth the work. Firm gave be a shitty bonus and even shittier raise.
Why go above and beyond for a firm who didn’t take care of me? I’ll just meet my hours and focus on putting out quality work product and taking care of my cases.

like

My target is 170/month, but you have to have to average at least 180 to be eligible for bonuses. It's definitely doable, but you'll be busy.

For example, in March, I need to average 7.5 billable hours per business day to hit 170.

likesmart

Prior firm had 163/month requirement but 180 was kind of the expected, “regular busy” pace for lit associates.

like

@A5, it’s 1,950 per year. I do the same saying mine is 167/month because we have a 2,000 year target

Yeah. That’s a very high target. For context, mine sits between 150 and 160 per month.

like

My bad. I forgot to include the tax (discount) for the millennials. God forbid these over-fed, over-priced primadinnas or dilettantes should actually have to actually put in a full days work for a full days pay like the rest of the world. And before I get the haters, that is said with love and tongue-in cheek.

like

Maybe someday I won’t be broke

uplifting

It doesn’t need to be that bad. I’m an associate at big law and while 180 months aren’t uncommon, it’s definitely a busier month - I’ll have 2 or 3 of those a year. More typical for us be 140-150, but it looks like I’m on the luckier end.

like

IMO, It’s a harder target now than it used to be for some areas of practice because clients and carriers have become more cost conscious over the years. The older attorneys of course worked very hard and were Trail Blazers and trial war horses, etc. in their own way, but they had a field day with the billing. They did shit we could never get away with and many still do some of that - because they can and we can’t.

At many firms I have seen things the senior partners bill for on files and I laugh at how total BS their entries are. My entries are all pretty much timed accurately to the second and laid out with specificity and in compliance with any guidelines. If you bill correctly and specifically and honestly/without fraud, it’s not easy to hit that 180 a month. Not easy at all.

like

Depending on the month it may be high, but not unreasonably high. Part of the ebbs and flows of lit.

Definitely high target but not crazy.
I am at an AmLaw 200 firm in litigation and our target is 167

that’s very high. i haven’t had an 180 month yet

I would say that is relatively high but it depends on your practice area. I worked in ID and billed 170 consistently even when I needed to “viva la vacay” I just worked remote. Most firms recognize the need and pushback for work-life balance.

Do recall, however, that you are an attorney and if you are not working six days a week, it’s because you’re “out to lunch” training the legal intern or teaching the junior associate on how to draft interrogatories. Remember, the legal intern or junior associate only left their desk because they drafted over 35 interrogatories, and in California, they could care less about lunch… they only agreed because they need your signature on a declaration.

I’ve averaged ~180 a month in 11 of my first 16 months at my V10 firm (lit associate). I think it’s probably on the high end, and certainly nobody has ever suggested it was the bare minimum (I just don’t hear either way about hours).

I require 25 billable hours per week/1200 per year. I leave time for my associates to market and learn to develop business and contacts. Oh yeah, and have a life.

Related Posts

Opinions? Management now requiring everyone to have 45 billable hrs per week, not including mandatory concepting n pitch work. Most people participating in 2-3 initiatives at same time. Is this normal

like

Any info regarding Zuckerman Spaeder? For example, salary, work-life, billable requirements, and whether the firm is making its way back to in-person now. Would greatly appreciate any insight!

like

Partners/shareholders - how many hours are you expected to bill on work vs client dev and firm/associate management? My firm keeps saying that "there's no such thing as a relationship partner" and everyone top-to-bottom is expected to log 2000 hours/year on real billable work. Marketing etc is done on top of that. Is that normal?! If so, I'm going to have to totally rethink my life goals.

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

Hi there, starting new in private practice. My job requires billable hours. Anyone know where I can find a list of terms and descriptions I can use when I am billing clients? TIA

like

Did the billable hours bonus not get paid out today? Or is it to be paid in the next check?

Is it reasonable to be expected to spend 20-30 non-billable hours a month checking your paralegal’s work? (i.e. summarizing hundreds of records and bills). The partner said he “didn’t use paralegals” at his previous firm and eating the time is an “investment in yourself.” Is this common?

like

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.

like

Is it just me or the average billable work in infrastructure transactions has blown off steam in the last couple of weeks?

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.

I am a 10 yr lawyer. 7 yrs in my practice area. Little over a year at current firm. Still an associate. Im at large plaintiff firm w/ billable requirements. I do mass/class cases and hold a couple leadership positions (these were competitive to get). What should salary be and when should I make partner. I’ll add I work remote and pretty autonomously. Little contact with partners or anyone at my firm.

like

How many billable hours do you aim for per month? Thinking of lateraling to a firm with no official hours target and wondering what I should be aiming for - is 170/mo (2000 per year) acceptable? Don’t want to burn out but also don’t want to get fired lol. I also understand there’s little control over how much I’ll work but just wondering what y’all think is good enough.

like

What is a material billable hours difference from your peers at the same group? If I bill 150 less a year than another associate should I be worried?

like

Have any of you taken "low bono" clients while working at a firm? I want to take on a low bono client or two but not sure who would get the money. This is a contract opportunity through a non profit so I'm assuming a 1099 will be issued. The per hour rate is significantly less than my billable rate. I would (obviously) like the money but my real objective is just getting experience/networking since I recently moved to a new state and don't have clients of my own.

like

There is almost nowhere to find reliable bonus information on Canadian firms. I’ve heard of year end bonuses ranging from 10-50% this year (not including Covid bonuses). Let’s start a thread posting year of call, rough billable hours worked and bonus as a percent of salary.

5 year call. 1850 hours. 10%.

Looking to leave a govt job for a junior attorney role in a small workers comp defense firm. I have no experience in workers comp. How easy is it to learn the work and make 1850 billable hours? What future opportunities does this experience give?

like

Can anyone who works close to billing speak to the rationale behind why vacation days aren’t billed 8.0 per day, and why they don’t count toward an associate’s billable hours?

likehelpful

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?

So I've been working at my company for 8 months now as a business analyst. Both senior consultants on my project are leaving, with no replacements in sight, so the project work is most likely going to fall to me. I am already doing most of the work of a full fledged consultant as defined by the companies description. I'm only getting paid 55k a year which I'm being told by other employees is below industry standard (they take around 70% of my billable rate) and I'm feeling kind of stuck. Advise?

like

Is asking first year associates to hit 215 billable hours normal?!

like

More Posts

Anyone have a gym bag they travel with? Looking for some recs! Ideally something that has enough room for two pairs of shoes (lifting and gym shoes), accessories, and supplements. Durable for travel.

Kon kon chala lenda 😎

Post Photo

Koi veer ya bibi apni Amazon wich haigi jo refer kar sake?

like

I always have to answer the phone bc coworker says people have trouble w/ his accent, but he's perfectly easy for me to understand... what gives?

like

What type of PF KPMG India has? EPF or Trust based PF?

like

After reading through a lot of these bowls, while considering to pivot to consulting for the first time, I see a lot of negative aspects about the field. Is it really all that terrible? Is a 40 hour work week not a reality in consulting? Is there specific bad and good experiences people can share so that I may make an informed decision before pivoting careers?

like

How have you dealt with/recovered from burnout and feelings of numbness while working as a therapist?

likeuplifting

Donald Trump is delivering peace to the Middle East. Barack Obama and Joe Biden delivered pallets of cash to Iran.

Remember that when you vote this November.

likefunnysmart

Barr is out...seems like suspicious timing

like

Anyone here from Microsoft Canada? Specifically from Vancouver who would be open to chat?

like

Can someone please share examples of behavioral questions asked during S&O interviews? Thanks

like

Is it normal to still not have team match feedback after 2.5-3 weeks?

like

If someone buys an income restricted property and they then get a raise / start earning more than what they originally had at the time of purchase, do they have to sell the property or can they keep it?

like

What platform do you use to trade stocks? I use fidelity and robinhood.

like

I have recently accepted offer from accenture as management consultant level 9 and i am not sure if accenture strategy and CN is the same thing or different verticals.

My offer goes as “we are pleased to offer you a position in Accenture Solutions Private Limited (hereafter referred to as Company) our in Global Strategy and Consulting - Capability Network, India”

like

18 months into a pandemic, I’m really feeling like there needs to be 24 hours—one day— where if you have a license to practice law, you’re prohibited from helping anyone. Hashtag Nero is burnt out and wanna fiddle.

like

Hi all, anyone aware of tiffin services in hitech City Hyderabad?

like

Hi all, My joining date is 21st September i need to know when i can get my onboarding joining mail and others document

Please if anyone guide me for that

like

I'm a management consultant (analyst-level) with 6 months of experience looking to lateral into banking. Ideally I would like to spend 10-12 months in my current role before jumping to banking. When should I apply? How much time do the banks give you before they expect you to start as a lateral hire?

likesmart

Additional Posts in Litigation & Arbitration

Tips for organizing an email to client in which we discuss categories of documents produced, privileged items, work product items, and problematic documents? It’s a huge net

like

Those in L&E at small to mid size firms, how is your WLB?

likesmart

Can I get attorney’s fees if I’m representing myself?
What if I represent myself AND my spouse (both as plaintiffs)?

like

Assuming the client doesn’t have a particular rule on the issue, do you bill for time spent traveling to/from court appearances?

like

Writing sample question. I drafted a really complex dispositive motion that was granted. It was obviously revised by the partners on the case but can I still use it as a sample?

Obviously I would redact or change client/identifying information. It was publicly filed and is available on the public docket. I am not one of the attorneys of record.

Curious what people have done in the past. I'm interested in lateral positions so can't exactly ask the partners I work with.

like

I have 9 months experience as an ID attorney and I absolutely hate my job. My goal was to get a year experience before applying to other firms. Is it worth it to stick it out 3 more months to leverage more experience for higher pay or should i start looking now? Will it look bad if i leave after 9 months? I would like to transition out of ID into something else.

like

Trying to win an office Halloween decorating contest and I set up this graveyard, but it just occurred to me to make it a lawyer joke like “here lies the bodies of our opposing counsels” or something along those lines, so gimme your best Halloween lawyer jokes! Here’s to hoping you will come up with something better 😂