Survey Shows the Bell Is Tolling for the Billable Hour

Companies are successfully pushing their outside counsel to abandon the billable hour, a new survey indicates. The survey of 587 general counsel and chief legal officers found that 39 percent paid law firms more money this year under alternative fee arrangements than they did in 2008. "People are assuming the change is here to stay," says Susan Hackett, general counsel for the Association of Corporate Counsel. "We've turned a corner, and I don't think we're going back."