. . Today is the very first day for a new weblog called the [non]billable hour, which is edited by Illinois solo lawyer-mediator Matthew Homann. Matthew’s weblog promises “daily ideas to re-energize your law practice and make practicing law fun again.” I’m a little confused about that “again” concept, but I hope he can pull it off.
Matthew’s very first weblog post is called I hate billing by the hour! and contains a number of New Year’s resolutions (delayed for posting ’til Jan. 26), the first of which is:
I resolve to move all of my practice away from the billable hour — no exceptions. I do not want to keep another timesheet as long as I live.
His second posting contains a strategy to end procrastination, which I happen to believe is the finest labor-savings device ever invented, and thus a great way to reduce billables. Be that as it may, you should check out the [non]billable hour and let Matthew know if your practice is fun again.
P.S. This evening, Matthew posted what will apparently be the first of a series of commentaries on The problem with the billable hour. In fact, like many brand-new webjournalists, he appears to be having a burst of productivity (what will happen when the inventory shelf is empty?), inspired by evangelical zeal for practicing client-centered lawyering — and the radical notion of actually listening to the client. (Gaining mediator skills, I believe, makes a lawyer a better lawyer, and a better person.)