Ah yes, the billable hour – a lawyer’s ticket to unlimited wealth, or so we think anyway. If we’re not careful, it’s also a ticket to stress, countless headaches, and often for new lawyers and even experienced ones, total burnout. And the three main perks of billable hours can also be your downfall if you’re not careful.
Perk #1: You Can Bill from Anywhere
The flexibility offered by technological advancements allows attorneys to work remotely, far from traditional office settings. This capability has transformed legal practice, enabling lawyers to manage their duties from anywhere with internet access. While this benefit allows for unparalleled convenience and adaptability, it comes with significant caveats.
Con: Don’t Let Go of Work-Life Balance
The ability to work from anywhere can blur the boundaries between work and personal life. Lawyers may find themselves working during vacations or family time, as evidenced by so many social media posts made by colleagues who are billing while on vacation in Europe. This encroachment into personal time can erode work-life balance, leaving attorneys unable to truly disconnect and recharge.
Perk #2: You Can Be Extremely Flexible with Your Schedule
The billable hour model affords lawyers the ability to schedule their work around personal commitments, such as doctor’s appointments, without needing to take official time off. This flexibility is seemingly ideal for managing both professional responsibilities and personal life efficiently.
Con: What is Work-Life Balance Anyway?
Despite the apparent scheduling freedom, the necessity to meet billable hour quotas can pressure lawyers into working extra hours to compensate for time taken off. This often results in a reluctance to fully utilize allotted PTO, leading to minimal breaks and a continuous work cycle that can hinder true relaxation and personal time.
Perk #3: The Sky’s the Limit for Your Earning Potential
Billing by the hour correlates directly with earning potential, where more hours worked equals higher income. This model rewards diligence and long hours with financial gains, offering substantial economic opportunities, particularly for those who consider themselves to be workhorses.
Con: Burnout is Always One Step Away
The pursuit of increased earnings can lead lawyers into a relentless cycle of working longer hours to sustain and enhance their lifestyle. This relentless drive, while financially rewarding, can lead to burnout. An example of this is an attorney who logged 3,000 billable hours in a single year, working consistently, even during holidays and weekends. He made a lot of money, but the intense pressures and unsustainable work pace that come with such high earning expectations will lead to burnout (it’s just a matter of time).
What is a lawyer to do about these risks?
While the billable hours model provides significant perks in terms of flexibility, remote work capabilities, and potential earnings, it also poses substantial risks to attorneys’ well-being and work-life balance. Firms and individuals must manage these challenges strategically. Jordan Turk has experienced this in her own practice. She shares her insight and six keys to overcoming the cons of billable hours in her post, “The Gilded Cage That is Lawyer Billable Hours” on Smokeball.com
More about Smokeball Bill and the State Bar of Texas
Smokeball, the industry-leading legal practice management software platform, in an exclusive partnership with the State Bar of Texas, is providing all State Bar of Texas members with free access to Smokeball Bill, Smokeball’s trust accounting and billing software solution for law firms. This tool will help solo and small firm practitioners effectively, efficiently and compliantly manage their client trust accounts for improved client service.