Comments on: Bainbridge on Attorney Bill Padding http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/archives/bainbridge_on_attorney_bill_padding/ Online Journal of Politics and Foreign Affairs Thu, 26 Nov 2009 14:06:28 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 hourly 1 By: vnjagvet http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/archives/bainbridge_on_attorney_bill_padding/comment-page-1/#comment-96108 vnjagvet Thu, 31 Aug 2006 18:01:42 +0000 http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/archives/2006/08/bainbridge_on_attorney_bill_padding/#comment-96108 YAJ; Again, we are in complete agreement. A cheat is a cheat whether a lawyer or not. YAJ;

Again, we are in complete agreement. A cheat is a cheat whether a lawyer or not.

]]> By: yetanotherjohn http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/archives/bainbridge_on_attorney_bill_padding/comment-page-1/#comment-96071 yetanotherjohn Thu, 31 Aug 2006 15:02:48 +0000 http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/archives/2006/08/bainbridge_on_attorney_bill_padding/#comment-96071 I worked one summer in a very large, well known (at least in legal circles) law firm. There was an attorney there who called down to the computer support center with a problem. The billing system wasn't letting him enter all of his billings into the computer. Upon further investigation, it was determined that the problem was the billing system had a limit of 24 hours of billing in a day. The computer support was not sure how to help the lawyer as the computer rework to allow a more than 24 hour day would be extensive, wouldn't be done in a timely manner to help with the existing problem and would likely not be cost effective as the 24 hour day had never been a problem for any other lawyer at the firm. Then the question was asked of the attorney if he had tried to enter the excess billing on another day. The call was concluded and the billing problem went away. On the other hand, the billing is somewhat like the story of the guy who went on a trip from Texas to New York in the winter. In much of Texas (though not all), a heavy winter coat is not required, but would be at the same date in New York. So he bought a coat and put the purchase on his expense report as the coat had no personal value and would only really be useful on this one trip for company benefit. The expense report was kicked back as the coat was not deemed a reasonable expense. He re-submitted the expense report with out the coat, but with the same total expenses. In short, the coat was in the expenses, you just couldn't find it. Does a lawyer really need 30 minutes to read and inwardly digest a file? Who is to say that it wasn't 15 minutes of work stretched over half an hour. Who is to say the lawyer doesn't pad on the non-trackable time (for example time spent preparing or reading) to make up for the examples here (e.g. "but for" time). Bottom line is that your lawyers bill is likely to be only as ethical as your lawyer. I worked one summer in a very large, well known (at least in legal circles) law firm. There was an attorney there who called down to the computer support center with a problem. The billing system wasn't letting him enter all of his billings into the computer. Upon further investigation, it was determined that the problem was the billing system had a limit of 24 hours of billing in a day. The computer support was not sure how to help the lawyer as the computer rework to allow a more than 24 hour day would be extensive, wouldn't be done in a timely manner to help with the existing problem and would likely not be cost effective as the 24 hour day had never been a problem for any other lawyer at the firm. Then the question was asked of the attorney if he had tried to enter the excess billing on another day. The call was concluded and the billing problem went away.

On the other hand, the billing is somewhat like the story of the guy who went on a trip from Texas to New York in the winter. In much of Texas (though not all), a heavy winter coat is not required, but would be at the same date in New York. So he bought a coat and put the purchase on his expense report as the coat had no personal value and would only really be useful on this one trip for company benefit. The expense report was kicked back as the coat was not deemed a reasonable expense. He re-submitted the expense report with out the coat, but with the same total expenses. In short, the coat was in the expenses, you just couldn't find it.

Does a lawyer really need 30 minutes to read and inwardly digest a file? Who is to say that it wasn't 15 minutes of work stretched over half an hour. Who is to say the lawyer doesn't pad on the non-trackable time (for example time spent preparing or reading) to make up for the examples here (e.g. "but for" time).

Bottom line is that your lawyers bill is likely to be only as ethical as your lawyer.

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