I learned a long time ago that the Business of Law isn’t that different from countless other professions.  Sure, I’ve got my little card from the Bar, but on another level my work isn’t that far removed from various other consultants and technical writers.  Various legal pundits have been on a kick lately about the death of the billable hour; we must find another way to bill that blah, blah, blah.  

Yeah, that’s about as far as I get in those articles, so it was refreshing to see a good piece on the pros of the billable hour today that mirrors my experience from Jhames (a designer).  Personally, flat fees have a time and a place, just like several other masochistic activities I can think of.  Running comes to mind, as does getting my blood drawn.  Billable hours at a negotiated rate are the best way of measuring value and services that’s fair to both parties.

That said, while I love to do the occasional pro bono work, take everything Jhames says about the time-wasting proclivities of clients on a flat fee and square it for clients who aren’t paying anything.  He hints at the problem near of the end of his post when he discusses clients who aren’t being charged enough: without fail it’s the pro bonos (and my clients from my Public Defender days) who stand me up for meetings and generally run me ragged holding their hands as though they were in kindergarten.   Hate to say that most people seem to need a financial incentive to show common courtesy, but some days it certainly seems to be true.