Technically Legal - A Legal Technology and Innovation Podcast

Best of 2024: Can AltFee Kill the Billable Hour and Bring Transparency to Legal Billing? (Scott & Digby Leigh)

Dec 18, 2024

Scott and Digby Lee, co-founders of AltFee, revolutionize the legal billing landscape with their innovative app designed to replace the billable hour. They delve into the significance of alternative fee arrangements (AFAs), emphasizing the shift towards value-based pricing, especially in the age of AI. Their discussion touches on enhancing client relationships through transparency, the impact of COVID-19 on legal practices, and the integration of technology to streamline billing processes. A must-listen for anyone interested in the future of legal pricing!

27:56

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Episode guests

Digby Lee

Scott Lee

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Episode notes

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

AltFee aims to revolutionize legal billing by promoting alternative fee arrangements, enhancing transparency and value for clients.

The platform fosters improved lawyer-client relationships through clear project scopes and pricing, reducing conflicts and encouraging collaboration.

Deep dives

Revolutionizing Legal Billing

The podcast features a discussion on the challenges posed by the traditional billable hour model in the legal profession. Scott and Digby Lee, co-founders of the software company Alt-Fee, aim to address these challenges by promoting alternative fee arrangements (AFAs). AFAs, such as flat fees, provide clients with price certainty and improve transparency in legal costs. This approach allows legal teams to determine appropriate charges for specific legal services, moving away from hourly billing that often leads to unpredictability for clients.

Intro

3min

From Sports to Legal Innovation: The Birth of Alt-Fee

2min

Revolutionizing Legal Billing

12min

Revolutionizing Legal Efficiency Through Technology and Transparency

5min

Evolving Client-Lawyer Dynamics

7min

In this Best of 2024 episode, we revisit our conversation with Scott and Digby Leigh, founders of AltFee—a legal tech startup tackling one of the industry’s biggest challenges: the billable hour.

Despite decades of debate, the billable hour still dominates legal billing. Enter AltFee. The app helps legal professionals scope, price, and manage projects using alternative fee arrangements (AFAs), offering clients more transparency and value.

Scott and Digby highlight why AFAs matter now more than ever: as AI reduces time spent on tasks, value-based pricing will become essential. AltFee provides a foundation for law firms to shift away from time-based billing, encouraging lawyers to focus on the actual value of their services—not just the clock. From scoping projects to auditing fees, this conversation explores the future of legal pricing and how AFAs can reshape client relationships for the better.

If you’re curious about innovation in legal tech, or if you’re tired of the constraints of hourly billing, this episode is a must-listen.

Episode Credits

Editing and Production: Grant Blackstock

Theme Music: Home Base (Instrumental Version) by TA2MI

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