Billing Requirements

[LostParalegal]

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Well, for the first time today, we were informed of what our minimum monthly billing requirements are (this wasn't made clear at start of employment? No, no it wasn't).

Ordinarily, this wouldn't be an issue - it actually is in some respect helpful because now I don't have to worry about boss getting arbitrarily angry with me for low billing.

The problem? The number named is one I haven't come within twenty hours of in my time working there.

After our ad hoc meeting was over, I had a quick chat with the most experienced paralegal.

"How close do you get to that?" I ask

*shrug* "I think I last got that sometime last summer"

Awesome.

(Not to mention we still have to do all the marketing/admin/secretarial on top of it)

[Nikki]

At my last firm, I never made my billing requirement. It was 1250 for the year.  It didn't matter how hard I tried or how much work I asked for.

When an associate not only made her requirement of 1600 in her first year, but exceeded it by 100 hours, she was accused of inflating her hours.

[Grumpy Humbug]

We have quarterly meetings, and the chief topic for several years running is that none of us will meet our billable hour requirements.  I've given up caring or listening anymore.  They set the numbers higher than they know you can meet. 

[Corporate Paralegal]

Come to the corporate side.  Billing.  We don't need no stinkin' billing.  What is fun is getting to knock down attorney bills when they come in - especially the managing partner bills.  Maybe it has some downhill affect and they yell at the paralegals and knock their billing down and for that I am sorry.  But the momentary glee when I use my red pen on those bills is wonderful.

Here is a clue to avoid getting bills reduced by clients.  Make sure that your time entry is specific as possible in as few words as possible.  Maybe you and two other attorneys are in a meeting discussing my case.  I hate having to pay for 2 attorneys and 1 paralegal to discuss my case.  In fact, our billing guidelines prohibt this unless it is justified.  So, instead of writing "Meeting with attorney X & Y to discuss case" which I would strike down because attorney X & Y would also do those same time entries, write something like "Discussion regarding client interrogatory responses and discovery strategy."  Same meeting - better description.  Of course, if your firm has specific time entry requirements then I cannot help.  But, if attorneys start seeing your time getting paid without complaint from the client they will be more willing to let your billing go out as opposed to writing it off and reducing your billables.

[Momalegal]

I love the word "Preparing" for billing.  I can talk to my attorney about discovery responses, but I include it in "preparing" the responses.  It was necessary to do the responses, and it helped me "prepare."  And I won't get time knocked off for an interoffice conference.  Years of insurance defense work has trained me well in the ways of creative but ethical billing.

I'm eternally grateful that we don't have a minimum number of hours to meet.  They definitely look at our billing, but we've never been set to a number.  I have my own personal # in mind.  I think I'd really have to hurt Atty A or B if they started complaining about my hours in addition to everything else I put up with.

[ParalegalHell]

Bankruptcy= No billing.  Love it!

[LostParalegal]

Bankruptcy= No billing.  Love it!

Hah. My office does (mostly) bankruptcy. All billed.  (the corporate litigation is so much easier to enter - block-billing FTW) - Guessing you don't do committee/debtor work where fee apps have to get filed (or are in a different jurisdiction from me with different reqs )

Boss created some creatively bullshit work for all of us today.

I checked my billable today. I haven't entered all my time, but I'm approximately 40 hours from the requirement.

[ParalegalHell]

Nope.  There are fees, but my attorney used to include it in his flat rate.  It was awesome.

[DenPL]

I'm incredibly lucky.  I do have to bill my time but there are no requirements and no pressure (other than to make sure it's in by the deadline)!  I sure don't miss the days of accounting for every second (and coming up with ways to make "sitting around doing absolutely nothing because the attorney won't get back to me until 5 minutes before I leave" billable...).  And we have a list of all the appropriate phrases to use so the clients don't have to knock down our bills. 

[LostParalegal]

So, an update.

I'm in the middle of doing something useful, important, and billable, and suddenly an email comes down from the High and Mighty Accounting, saying "get all your time in by 4pm today up through yesterday". The email came about 12:30pm. And we've moved to a new system that no one knows how to use. So there went my afternoon.

Boss then sends an email saying that he needs the report of all our billable time on his desk by COB, no exceptions.

Guess how many of us hit the 100 hour mark?

That's right, zero.

Guess who came within ten hours?

Yep. You guessed it.

Twenty?

Yep.

Thirty?

Yep.

Thirty-five?

One.

Forty?

One.

Forty-Five?

One.

That's how much work our office has.

[Psychic Paralegal]

This is an issue at my firm. They gave us a guideline of how much we can bill for certain tasks. Then they cut that amount in half. Did they change the amount of time we are supposed to bill each day? Nope. 

[Grumpy Humbug]

Psychic - that's just not right.  I'm certain the people who decided to cut those times in half have never done our job, or at least not for a decade or more. 

[Momalegal]

I agree with GH. That's ridiculous. 

[Dee]

Ohhh the billable nightmare is coming back!  Not enough Xanax to quell the end of the quarter attack.  I may have taken a little salary hit for going corporate, but I do not miss the pain! 

[Corporate Paralegal]

I am with you Dee.  No billing.  No days divided into .6.  I love corporate!