Once again Adam Smith, Esq. nails the issues in a discussion of the tyranny of the billable hour, all arising out of a DC Bar article on the topic.
It’s really simple:
– if you pay your law firm for its lawyers’ time, that’s what they will give you – lots and lots of time. And if their business is not transparently run, if the services are not easy to compare, you will pay too much. It’s not intention – it’s culture. Call it the slow and progressive relaxation of the impulse to serve – whatever.
– if law firms compensate their people for their time, that’s what the people will give the firm – lots and lots of time. More so than if they were rewarded for other contributions. The associate / partner distinction is irrelevant here – you are either pulling for the ‘team’, or you aren’t.