What comes after the billable hour? Based on Everlaw‘s interview with this thought leader, perhaps it’s a focus on value, not time.

The blog post titled (wait for it!) What Comes After the Billable Hour? Ken Callander Says Firms Should Charge for Value, Not Time (written by Petra Pasternak and available here), For Ken Callander, founder of Value Strategies, the question is not so much whether the billable hour will survive, but what comes after. What replaces time as the new proxy for value? If clients are no longer paying for the time it took their counsel to do the work, what should they be paying for?

Drawing on a unique background that includes running legal operations at Uber and CMO duties at Davis Wright Tremaine, Callander advises corporate legal departments on transitioning to value-based fee arrangements, which he argues can lead to better budget predictability for clients and higher profits for their firms.

Everlaw caught up with Callander to discuss how AI is accelerating this pricing transition, the structural “third rail” holding back traditional law firms, and steps needed to more closely align expertise, cost, and outcomes.

So, what do people fail to appreciate about the reasons for the billable hour’s staying power in legal? How is AI accelerating the transition away from time-based billing? And what should law firms be doing instead to stay competitive and actually capture the value they provide? Find out here, it’s only one click! Value is money! 😉

So, what do you think? Are you looking at alternate billing methods for legal services? Please share any comments you might have or if you’d like to know more about a particular topic.

Image created using DALL-E 3, using the term “robot lawyer wearing a suit smashing a clock on the ground”.

Disclosure: Everlaw is an Educational Partner and sponsor of eDiscovery Today

Disclaimer: The views represented herein are exclusively the views of the author, and do not necessarily represent the views held by my employer, my partners or my clients. eDiscovery Today is made available solely for educational purposes to provide general information about general eDiscovery principles and not to provide specific legal advice applicable to any particular circumstance. eDiscovery Today should not be used as a substitute for competent legal advice from a lawyer you have retained and who has agreed to represent you.