The Billable Hour: Cons

Let's keep talking about the #billablehour.

Whenever I talk about it, people come out strong against it.

People explain why they got away from it and how.

And: rightfully so.

Most of y'all know that I don't think the billable hour is all bad, but there are definitely a host of cons to it, like:

😕 It's not applied uniformly across practice areas or firms, meaning it's easier to acquire hours for some than others.

😕 It's not something you can control, especially in the beginning: associates don't choose who gives them work or how long that work takes.

😕 It becomes the priority and focus, ahead of other life-giving or practice-sustaining things (self-care, exercise, learning, networking, client and business development).

😕 It encourages exaggerated (and/or double) billing.

Now, your turn: Why do you hate, dislike, prefer something different than the billable hour?

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