(b) During the course of a lawyer's representation of a client, a lawyer shall not give advice to a person who is not represented by a lawyer, other than the advice to secure counsel, if the lawyer knows or reasonably should know the interests of such person are or have a reasonable possibility of being in conflict ...
The responsibility for identifying an account as a Trust Account shall be that of the lawyer in whose name the account is held. Whenever a lawyer holds Rule 1.15 Funds, the lawyer must maintain at least two accounts: one in which those funds are held and another in which the lawyer's own funds may be held.
(a) When a client's capacity to make adequately considered decisions in connection with a representation is diminished, whether because of minority, mental impairment or for some other reason, the lawyer shall, as far as reasonably possible, maintain a normal client-lawyer relationship with the client.
Non-billable time isn't wasted — these activities are essential for running a successful practice and developing your skills as a lawyer. However, they do not generate direct revenue, and managing the balance between billable and actual hours is a critical skill in legal practice management.
Unauthorized Practice of Law; Multijurisdictional Practice of Law. (a) A lawyer shall not practice law in a jurisdiction in violation of the regulation of the legal profession in that jurisdiction, or assist another in doing so.
A lawyer shall not bring or defend a proceeding, or assert or controvert an issue therein, unless there is a basis in law and fact for doing so that is not frivolous, which includes a good faith argument for an extension, modification or reversal of existing law.
Some examples of non-billable work hours are things such as team meetings, staff development/training, or networking and attending conferences. These are items which would raise the eyebrows of any client when appearing in their invoice, as they are not specifically for that client.
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 To Calculate Time in 6-Minute Increments. To calculate time in six-minute increments, divide the work duration in minutes by 6. Each of these increments equals 0.1 of an hour when converted to decimal form. So, for 42 minutes, you get seven increments, which equals 0.7 hours.
In most cases, non-billable hours include time spent in meetings, working on internal projects, or simply conducting any operations not defined in the project scope.