Are some law firms making a mistake by handing clients their billable hour data despite working for flat or fixed fees?

If the lawyers don't want to face even tougher discount pressure, the answer may be yes. For clients, the information can be used to calculate and negotiate a lower fee when the next assignment comes around.

“Fixed and flat fees are structured in 100 different ways,” said Retta Miller, a partner in the Dallas office of Jackson Walker, who chairs the firm's 150-lawyer litigation section and serves on its management committee.