Plan B Forum

Though, next to the typical medical plan explanation of benefits, or whole life insurance annual statement, law bills read like a Dick and Jane first-grade reader. I remember when I was starting out, there were still partners (and btw, who wore hats to the office every day) who would pick up a file, heft it for weight, then write out a simple bill: $X,000 for services rendered.

I dunno . . . I use a program called Clio, which is very like many of the other software programs available to solo practitioners and law firms, and it's pretty detailed and easy for clients to understand.

I've never seen a confusing bill for legal services, actually, but I've only worked in about two dozen law firms in my career (private, large corporate, legal aid, public defender, government office) and interacted with many dozens more to whom work was contracted or bills were part of discovery (when legal fees were sought in litigation).

So, it's a funny cartoon and it plays on the general stereotyped dislike of attorneys (dislike that dissipates as soon as the person needs an attorney), but it's not at all accurate in my experience.

As to the anecdote about weighing the case file and writing a bill - I do some of my work, as do many of my colleagues, flat rate. We base that rate on the typical case of type, and eat the differences one way or the other.

I've quickly fallen into a group of attorneys who are known as bleeding heart under-billers who take too many pro bono cases . . . and I'll typically give back funds even though I've technically earned them, because I know my clients needs the funds more. (Most of us are middle-aged women and former public interest attorneys.) There are plenty of attorneys I know who are good attorneys, but also much more profit-oriented than me and my closest colleagues.

By the way, my business is going good! I'm seeing enough traffic and collecting enough retainers that I'm feeling very positive about making it in the long term.

As I mentioned, I've got housemates moving in (3 for the summer, only 1 is staying long-term, unless another comes along) to help with those expenses, so I can continue to repay myself for my capital investment in the business, and pay off the limited amount of business debt I took on to cover start-up costs.

Meanwhile I have tickets to Boston for a visit in late July - early August, taking my family to a BoSox game (Tampa Bay series) and spending a week at 'my' Cape Cod cottage.

Life is good for this country lawyer!

glad to hear it big sky.

wes