Seeing Lawyers in Crisis, Some Blame the Billable Hour

Measuring lawyers by the hours they bill was long treated as a necessary evil. Faced with evidence that mental health erodes as hours increase, legal industry innovators are asking how necessary it really is.

May 19, 2019 at 07:00 PM

8 minute read

Roy Strom

The original version of this story was published on Law.com

Alan Levin hears it all the time in his therapy practice: Lawyers say they're wracked with stress over targets for billable hours. Being short on hours often feels like an affront to their self-worth, says Levin, a former attorney.

In her meetings with law firm associates seeking advice on how to avoid professional burnout, Paula Davis-Laack asks lawyers what would most to boost their well-being and help them thrive. The most common answer? Escaping the grip of the billable hour.

“I just hope that firms recognize that when you keep hearing the same message over and over and over again, it is an indicator that maybe new conversations need to start happening,” said Davis-Laack, a former Michael Best & Friedrich associate who is now founder and CEO of the Stress & Resilience Institute.

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