Mark this day down on your calendars, kids. We will one day look back on November 18, 2014, as the first day in the long anticipated end to the dreaded billable hour.
From today’s American Lawyer:
Law firms have been calling for the end of the billable hour for decades. And since the 2008 recession, they have increasingly offered cost-conscious clients alternative fee arrangements.
Now Jackson Lewis says it wants to take the next step in the evolutionary process of alternative fee arrangements by eliminating the billable hour as an evaluative tool for its 293 associates. As of Jan. 1, associates at the labor and employment firm will be assessed on efficiency, client service, responsiveness, team-orientation and pro-bono commitment in an effort to align the way Jackson Lewis “deliver[s] legal services with clients’ needs,” according to firm chair Vincent Cino. (The firm’s compensation model for partners is based on revenue rather than hours.)
“The billable hour is directly opposed to the best interest of the client and to the provider of service because by its very nature it adds an artificial barrier to the accomplishment of the only real objective, which is a quality legal product for a set and expected price,” Cino says.
Whether you agree or not that the “billable hour is directly opposed to the best interest of the client” you have had to wonder, at some point in your career, “Well, how did we get here?”
As a “culinary Jew” (my family shows up for the food), I was out of the office yesterday so I could join my extended family for lunch. They came from synagogue. We came from the Westside. This side of my family are my mom’s paternal relatives. These are my second cousins. Growing up we got together twice a year as a clan: Rosh Hashanah and Chanukkah, along with funerals, and selected bar mitvah’s and weddings (depending on how close our parents were as first cousins). Growing up, it seemed to me that there were a hundred or more of us at these family parties. What I remember most is the warmth and comfort I found there, and, of course, the food. My grandmother’s kugle, Aunt Sophie’s mendel bread (which I do have the recipe somewhere in my files). There was security in those family traditions. As I sat around a table with some of my second cousins yesterday, we lamented the passing of one of our parents’ cousins, and how a couple others did not come due to personal excuses (not reasons, excuses, yeah, we gossiped). I couldn’t help but think about how special those years were when my grandparents generation was still alive, especially in light of how my mother’s generation is aging and passing away. As we were leaving, my cousin thanked me for taking off work to be with them. Of course. I don’t know how long this magic will last, and I want to capture as much of it as I can. So where am I going here? Last week, sitting in the conference room going over the new benefits and paperwork, we began by introducing ourselves and how long we have been with the firm. With my seven years as marketing director, I was one of the newbies. And this is across all departments, from the attorneys, to the office service representatives. I have worked in enough law firms and corporations to know that, especially in today’s business climate, this is very unique. This is a part of our culture. It is a culture that began with Mr. Barger, and continues today. Simply because our signage, business cards, and log-ins will change next Wednesday, it doesn’t mean we won’t be bringing aspects of our culture with us, because this is a part of who we, as a firm, are. Like any marriage, or a move, now is a great time to let go of some things that didn’t work, embrace new ideas and ways of doing things, and learn to blend together things from each firm that are great. This goes for both firms, as well as individual departments, and people. So what’s on tap today: 
