Features

AI and the Billable Hour: Transactional Work First to See Changes
The end of the billable hour has been prophesied for years. But, as the steady adoption of artificial intelligence upends how legal work gets done, the promised efficiencies from automation are most likely to emerge in certain elements of deal work, like due diligence and contract review and analysis.
Features

How the Kasowitz Decision Puts Attorney Fee Provisions in Proprietary Leases on Shaky Ground
A bedrock of living in a New York City co-op has been the notion that a tenant/shareholder who breaches their proprietary lease or drags their building into expensive and protracted litigation will be responsible for reimbursing the co-op corporation for the expenses incurred as a result of the breach, including the corporation’s reasonable attorneys’ fees. However, a recent decision from the Appellate Division, First Department has thrown this well-established concept into flux.
Features

The Legal Industry’s Next Competitive Advantage: Reinventing the Revenue Cycle with Invoice-to-Cash
Billing and collections are the engine of a law firm’s financial health, yet at many firms, this core process remains fragmented, opaque, and manual. In a profession built on trust, precision and performance, the invoice-to-cash cycle is lagging far behind — and the cost of inaction is growing.
Features

Gen AI Unlikely to Bring Down Law Firm Rates
Clients may hold out hope that the adoption of generative AI tools will bring down the rates they pay outside counsel, but a recent survey suggests they shouldn’t hold their breath.
Features

Is the Ballooning Billing Rate Ready to Pop?
Short of a seismic financial shock, hefty law firm billing rate increases are seemingly here to stay, much to the chagrin of clients and their general counsel. But that’s not to say that market conditions aren’t evolving to challenge the status quo of large rate increases — and in the words of one consultant advising corporate law departments, you don’t know you’re in a bubble until it pops.
Features

The Double-Edged Sword of Discounting Corporate Legal Fees: Weighing Profitability Against Client Retention
This article delves into the multifaceted implications of discounting corporate legal fees, exploring both the potential benefits and the risks associated with this strategy.
Features

ABA Issues New Ethics Opinion On Billing for AI-Supported Work
A new American Bar Association ethics opinion touches on what has been a risky business area for Big Law in the emergence of generative AI: billing and fees related to AI-supported legal work.
Features

Partner Pay Spread Increases for Top Law Firms Amid Partnership Model Changes
Amid unprecedented billing rate hikes and an escalation of the battle for rainmaking talent, Am Law 100 law firms again raised the stakes on partner pay last year. At the same time, the average spread among Second Hundred firms fell a bit.
Features

Law Firms Eager to Increase Nonequity Tiers
Last year saw a "staggering" jump in the number of law firm leaders who said they wanted to increase their nonequity tier going forward. Now it's clear many of the biggest Big Law players are following through, with several Am Law 100 firms growing their income partner ranks by double-digit percentages in 2023.
Features

Big Law Banks On Contingency Fees to Maximize Profitability
In a quest to maximize profitability, Am Law 200 law firms have grown their share of business tied to contingency fees, a gamble that has paid off for some firms in recent years.
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