Big Law Life #101: The Seven Billable Hour Pitfalls That Hold BigLaw Associates Back
After years as a partner in global firms, I've watched countless associates struggle with the billable hour for reasons that have nothing to do with their talent or work ethic. What often derails them are avoidable habits: reconstructing time at the end of the month, underbilling to appear efficient, overlawyering simple assignments, taking on too much work at once, relying on one partner for all their hours, failing to bill fully legitimate work, and assuming non-billable hours will meaningfully count toward their annual target.
In this episode, I walk through the seven most common pitfalls I've seen across firms and explain exactly how they show up in day-to-day practice. These aren't theoretical issues. They're the real behaviors that cause associates to miss targets, lose credibility, or burn out. If you've ever wondered why your hours don't reflect the amount of time you know you're putting in or why the math never seems to add up, this conversation will help you identify what needs to change and how to regain control of your billable life.
At a Glance 00:00 Why the billable hour creates so much anxiety 02:08 How late time entry leads to lost hours 03:41 Why underbilling backfires 04:29 How overlawyering wastes time and damages trust 05:29 What to clarify with partners before starting work 06:22 The danger of saying yes to everything 07:31 What to do when teams overload you 07:59 Why relying on one partner is risky 09:28 Legitimately billable work associates forget to record 10:15 How travel time rules differ across firms and clients 11:03 The trap of "fake billable hours" 13:59 Why unbilled time erodes your evaluation 14:27 A final reminder to examine your billable habits
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Interested in doing 1-2-1 coaching with Laura Terrell? Or learning more about her work coaching and consulting? Here are ways to reach out to her:
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Show notes: https://www.lauraterrell.com/podcast