The billable hour is not the natural state of legal billing. In fact, it wasn’t invented until after World War I, when Reginald Heber Smith proposed to move his firm to the model — setting up a system around 6 minute increments because “I can more easily add, subtract, and divide on the decimal system.” Which firm did Smith manage as he invented the billable hour and changed the profession?
Hint: The firm has changed names, but still thrives and is currently pushing back against the Trump administration.
AI Is Killing Legal’s Billable Hour. It’s Also Repeating Its Worst Mistake
Law firms and legal departments are writing the future of the profession in separate rooms. What happens when they actually work together?
See the answer on the next page.