One beneficiary of the downturn: alternative billing

The recession has increased pressure on lawyers to consider alternatives to the billable hour, write Patrick T. Driscoll, Jr. and Patricia M. Fallon in the latest ISBA Federal Civil Practice newsletter. "A client expects to pay a fee that corresponds, at least somewhat, to the amount of time spent by the attorney," they say. "Unfortunately, one of the problems with the billable hours system is that it makes no distinction between the hour spent on trivial activities and the hour spent on substantive matters." Read more.