Attorney billing is more than a matter of getting paid — it is an important component of ethical practice, risk management and law firm profitability. This program examines the ethical rules governing attorney fees and explores how sound billing practices can help lawyers reduce risk, strengthen client relationships, and ensure they are properly compensated for their work.
The course examines Rule 1.5 of the Rules of Professional Conduct, including the reasonableness of fees, communicating fee arrangements to clients, advance and contingent fees, prohibited fee arrangements, and division of fees between lawyers. Attendees will also explore how accurate billing records can provide critical protection in fee disputes, disciplinary proceedings, malpractice claims, and other challenges to an attorney’s work.
At the end of this program, participants will be able to:
* Identify the ethical requirements governing attorney fees and billing under Rule 1.5
* Apply best practices for accurate, contemporaneous timekeeping and billing
* Recognize billing practices that may create ethical, disciplinary or malpractice risk
* Draft detailed billing entries that demonstrate the purpose, necessity and value of legal services
* Evaluate ethical considerations involving travel time, fee adjustments, discounts, and write-offs
* Implement effective invoicing and collection practices that improve client communication, reduce risk and support law firm profitability
Through practical examples and billing hypotheticals, the program addresses contemporaneous timekeeping, travel time, missed billable increments, modifying another attorney’s time entries, and creating effective billing narratives. Attendees will learn strategies for documenting not merely what work was performed, but why it was necessary and how it advanced the client’s matter.
Finally, the course explores client billing guidelines, rejected time entries, discounts and write-offs, invoicing, and collections. Attorneys will leave with practical strategies for improving billing accuracy, demonstrating the value of their services, addressing unpaid fees before they become significant problems and developing billing practices that promote both ethical compliance and a healthier, more profitable law practice. Noah Fiedler is a shareholder at Barron & Newburger, P.C., where he serves as a co-leader of the Attorney Risk Management Practice Group and heads the firm’s Wisconsin office.