How many billable hours in a day?
Asked by: Rodger Waters | Last update: December 30, 2025Score: 4.1/5 (19 votes)
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 many billable hours are realistic?
The Goal is Between 1,700 and 2,300 Hours
Most law firms set a yearly billable hour target for their associates. This figure typically ranges between 1,700 and 2,300 hours, forming the average billable hour requirement.
How many hours does the average attorney bill per day?
For lawyers working an 8-hour workday, this means that they only bill for 2.3 hours of their time. After factoring in realization and collection rates, the average lawyer only collects 1.6 hours of billable time per day.
Is 1800 billable hours a lot?
Billable Hour Requirements
Typically, law firms require that their lawyers work between 1,700 and 2,300 billable hours per year, though it can vary by firm, practice area, and experience.
Are billable hours stressful?
The pressure to meet billing targets while juggling numerous responsibilities can lead to stress, inefficiency, and burnout. However, with the right strategies and mindset, you can win the billable hour battle and boost your productivity.
Why Are Billable Hours Such a Big Deal?
Is 1850 billable hours a lot?
It's not a complicated equation – the more hours you bill, the more revenue for the firm. Firms “average,” “target” or “minimum” stated billables typically range between 1700 and 2300, although informal networks often quote much higher numbers.
How do lawyers keep track of billable hours?
With a time tracking app like Toggl Track, lawyers can easily drag and drop their clients, projects, and tasks into a calendar and organize their work on lists. Toggl Track lets you track time spent on client cases or other billable projects and tasks in three ways: automatically, with a start/stop timer, or manually.
Why do lawyers bill in 6 minute increments?
There are numerous methods and techniques lawyers can use for time tracking and billing. Some are more laborious and time-consuming than others. Among them, 6-minute increments are a great way to keep track of your time and tasks. A chart with 6-minute increments also helps with calculating and invoicing.
How many billable hours do big law firms require?
If you check the statistics, the typical minimum billable hours for big law attorneys per year are around 2,200 hours, which is about 42.3 billable hours weekly. Knowing that corporate lawyers usually work 60+ hours per week, one can agree that their time tracking isn't working in their favor.
What is a good billable hour?
Thankfully, using a billable hours chart can help. Lawyers work hard, and they work a lot. Many firms expect attorneys to reach minimum billable hour requirements ranging between 1,700 and 2,300 hours per year. According to the latest Legal Trends Report, lawyers spend just 2.9 hours each workday on billable work.
How many hours does a first year lawyer work?
According to the National Association for Law Placement, the average billable time required from a first-year associate is about 1,900 hours per year.
Do small firms have billable hours?
Depending on your role within a firm, you may be given a required number of billable hours per year, or you might make the call for yourself and/or other associates. Small law firms arrange less traditional systems; for example, your compensation may be based on the number of hours you bill.
How many billable hours is normal?
In Philadelphia, Orange County, CA, San Diego, and the San Jose area, most offices required either 1,900 or 1,950 hours; in Miami, most firms required either 1,900 or 2,000 hours.
What are the criticism of billable hours?
The concept of the billable hour is controversial in nature. It's a business practice that creates polarising opinions on both sides. Critics argue that, with it, the work performed by lawyers becomes a matter of quantity over quality, repetition rather than creativity, and that it forces a culture of overworking.
Do meetings count as billable hours?
When working for a client, any tasks you complete on their behalf count toward your billable hours. These tasks will vary by industry or profession but may include: Attending project-related meetings. Completing and reviewing work for the client.
Do lawyers make $500 an hour?
For example, an attorney practicing in a small rural area in Kansas may earn $50 per hour for the same exact legal services performed by a lawyer in Los Angeles, Atlanta, or New York where hourly rates for the same legal service could be as high as $300 to $500 per hour.
Do lawyers work 9 5?
During the week, many attorneys work additional hours outside of the traditional 9-to-5 business day. The 2022 Legal Trends Report provides deeper insights into lawyer working hours: 86% of lawyers work outside of the typical work day (beginning between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. and ending between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m.).
How many billable hours a day is 2000 a year?
For example, if you want to reach a goal of 2,000 hours annually, you would need to bill for roughly 40 hours each week, or eight billable hours a day. You may not work exactly eight hours each day, but this breaks down what you should average in a day, week, and month to reach your annual goal.
How many hours a week do most lawyers work?
If you work at a smaller law firm, you'll probably wind up working between 45 and 55 hours a week. And if you work at a larger firm, you'll probably be required to work between 65 and 80 hours a week. It may also come as no surprise that young lawyers tend to work more hours than their older colleagues.
How many billable hours is a work week?
With that percentage in mind, you can set your billable hours targets. So, if you want to work a 40-hour week, try to get at least 30 billable hours in. If you want to work a 20-hour week, aim for at least 15 billable hours per week.
How many billable hours do consultants get a year?
On a larger scale, a utilization of 80% is roughly 1,700 billable hours in a year (considering 42 weeks). But that's only if you haven't done any training, attended meetings, worked on internal firm projects, etc. That's why consultants are usually available from 2,000 to 2,200 hours per year.