Lawyer suspended for charging billable rate for non legal work 
Published: December 27, 2012
Tags: attorney discipline, billable hours, billing, legal fees
A lawyer has been suspended for two years for charging a client hourly legal fees for both legal and non-legal services, including driving the ailing client and helping him move to a new home.
Legal malpractice suit puts focus on billing practices
By:
Correy Stephenson and Dave Frank
Published: December 7, 2012
Tags: billing, legal malpractice, professional liability
A national law firm is facing a legal malpractice claim that offers a cautionary tale for lawyers who might not be following best billing practices.
Financial tips and tune-ups to improve your firm’s business
Published: November 26, 2012
Tags: 20 Things Lawyers Need to Know in 2013, alternative billing, billable hour, billing, law firm billing, legal fees
Succeeding as a solo or small firm attorney means being not only a good lawyer, but also a savvy businessperson.
A three-dimensional view of small firm success
By:
Ed Poll
Published: October 12, 2012
Tags: billing, law firms, legal marketing, marketing, small firms
The legal profession has reached a point where upheaval is the “new normal.” Certainly large law firms are changing in response to recession, technology and client demands; those firms that don’t change quickly enough, like Dewey & LeBoeuf, are doomed to swift failure.
Some wonder if the sole and small firm practitioner will survive this kind of turmoil.
The answer is that although big law firms serve the “1 percent” of the corporate world, there is enormous potential for solos and small firms to thrive by serving the “99 percent” of our society.
Bankruptcy bar takes aim at ‘unfair’ fee proposal
By:
David Frank
Published: June 28, 2012
Tags: billing, Chapter 11, Executive Office for U.S. Trustees, fees
A controversial fee proposal from the Executive Office for U.S. Trustees is receiving a cold reception from bankruptcy lawyers, with some even threatening to leave the practice if the policy is implemented.
Plusses and pitfalls of accepting plastic as payment
By:
Ed Poll
Published: May 18, 2011
Tags: billing, credit cards, practice management
The way in which legal services are marketed and delivered to clients must coincide with what the client wants and needs. One effective marketing tool is a law firm billing approach that is convenient and efficient. Service is the one thing that clients want from lawyers more than anything else, even more than lower fees.
Small Minnesota family law firm unveils novel flat-fee approach
By:
Dan Heilman
Published: November 11, 2010
Tags: billing, contested divorce, divorce, flat fee billing, practice management, profile
Much has been made of the growing efforts by lawyers to “unbundle” their services in an effort to woo clients, asking them to pay for only what they need.
Now, a small Minnesota family law firm is taking that concept in an unusual direction by offering flat-fee representation in cases that are often contentious and open-ended: contested divorces.
Flat fee billing another alternative for solos, small firms
By:
Correy Stephenson
Published: August 20, 2010
Tags: billing, flat fee billing, practice management, solo practice
Lawyers looking for an alternative billing method to utilize when portfolio billing isn’t right for a client should consider flat fee billing.
Portfolio billing: A valuable option for solos, small firms
By:
Correy Stephenson
Published: August 20, 2010
Tags: billing, portfolio billing, practice management, solo practice
Solos and small firms looking for ways to attract new customers and stabilize their income should consider an increasingly popular option: portfolio billing.
Billing problems are communication problems
By:
Tony Ogden
Published: July 27, 2010
Tags: billing, practice management
It can be a difficult problem when a client can pay but does not want to. Such a client may not realize the benefit of the result you achieved, may not understand either the specifics or the value of what you did, or may think the bill was unfair because you charged for things that weren’t requested or explained. When this is the case, an unpaid bill is not a collection problem – it’s a communication problem.
