Young Lawyer 101: billing tips and more

“Every activity or work performed for a client can be analyzed for billing, such as ‘X’ dollars for a specific task, or ‘X’ hourly rate … or some hybrid of the two,” advises Reta A. McKannan in her article, “How to Decide What Kind of Fee Agreement to Use.” Since billing is one of the hardest aspects of a legal practice for new lawyers to establish, creating a plan and sticking with it are critical.

McKannan outlines some of the issues to address in a representation agreement, namely what work will be performed, whether partial payments will be accepted, and repercussions that the client may expect if payment is not received.

These billing concens are some of the topics included in the Young Lawyers Division “101 Practice Series,” which aims to break down the basics — especially for young lawyers.

In her article, “Preparing a Bill of Costs,” Janet J. Fuente advises on knowing local rules of the court in which action is pending, as well as reviewing Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 54(d)(1) when it comes to collecting costs from an opponent in one’s case.

“The types of rates that can be charged for legal services can vary by the work being performed,” suggests Mark O’Halloran in the “The Proper Fee Agreement.” Fees may include a flat fee, value billing, contingency fees and statutory fees.  “Make sure that the client understands that the fee agreement is a legally binding contract,” continues O’Halloran.

To read the articles in their entirety, ABA members may visit:  http://www.abanet.org/yld/101practiceseries/billing.shtml.

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