Bill While You Shower

Lawyers find ways to bill while they travel, bill while they make small-talk, even bill while they eat. But to bill while you're showering? That takes some imagination.

According to a post in the South Carolina Family Law Blog, at least one lawyer has found a way. He bills his clients a 5% surcharge for TAYC, which means "Thinking About Your Case." If this lawyer -- like the author of the SCFLB -- does his best thinking in the shower, then he has indeed found a way to bill while he showers.

Of course, billing is one thing; getting paid is something else. Does this lawyer really tell his clients he is adding a 5% fee for thinking about their cases? If so, do they actually pay?

I understand the point that lawyers spend a lot of unbillable time thinking about their clients' cases. But they also spend billable time doing things that don't end up benefiting their clients. The problem is the billable hour paradigm, not the difficulty of "capturing" every moment of time that benefits a client. My advice is: if you are concerned about time spent TAYC, don't add a 5% surcharge. Just raise your rates 5%. It'll raise fewer questions from your clients, and you won't feel guilty if your mind wanders a bit when you're scrubbing your back.