Although most lawyers have a regular 40-hour week, a significant percentage of them work more frequently. The average weekly work hours for various types of lawyers are: Lawyers working for large firms: 66 hours per week. Lawyers working for small and medium-sized firms: 42-54 hours per week.
Outside of a few exceptions, the general rule in the U.S. is that only licensed attorneys can own law firms.
The Goal is Between 1,700 and 2,300 Hours Most law firms set a yearly billable hour target for their associates. Using an attorney billable hours chart can help in systematically documenting and managing these targets. This number is usually between 1,700 to 2,300 hours which is the average billable hour requirement.
In Philadelphia, Orange County, CA, San Diego, and the San Jose area, most offices required either 1,900 or 1,950 hours; in Miami, most firms required either 1,900 or 2,000 hours.
As we mentioned, many law firms require their lawyers to work between 1,700 and 2,300 billable hours per year, depending on their situation. This means working between 142 and 192 hours per month, or between seven and ten billable hours per day.
1200 hours a year is healthy and should be profitable by a good margin. Some months have more work and others don't. Any more hours and you risk attorneys churning hours on files which obviously isn't a good for the attorney-client relationship.
Cutting down on non-billable hours: Strategies for reducing... Examine the hours logged by the employees. Identifying and categorising non-billable activities. Setting clear guidelines for internal hours usage. Implementing tools and processes for efficiency. Communicating the guidelines to the staff.
As we mentioned, many law firms require their lawyers to work between 1,700 and 2,300 billable hours per year, depending on their situation. This means working between 142 and 192 hours per month, or between seven and ten billable hours per day.
How many billable hours in a day? In most cases, someone would work eight billable hours in a day, as an 8-hour day is standard in most industries. However, your company may choose to work longer days and may bill clients at standard or overtime rates for the extra time.
The Goal is Between 1,700 and 2,300 Hours Most law firms set a yearly billable hour target for their associates. This figure typically ranges between 1,700 and 2,300 hours, forming the average billable hour requirement.