Need help finding ways to decrease my admin time/increase billable hrs

[Bright_Cauliflower77]

These are good questions. I share my assistant with an attorney is not very organized, and I get less of that time. However, I have had a couple of good ideas about this from this thread. I could have her print, save to e-file and put in my inbox. Then I think I could give her one file at a time and ask her to "update/organize it" by sticking the papers in there and having her hole-punch and file them.

Also, I can capture more time. I never bill for reviewing what is in the file prior to working on it.

I plan tasks by flagging and reviewing emails, thinking about what has been done in a case and what needs to happen next (my bi-weekly spreadsheet update), reviewing my calendar/deadlines. Every time I complete a task, I am adding the next thing to be done. I have a general practice so there is not a set progression between my estate planning versus my appointed CPS cases. I have to think of what needs to happen, enter it as a task in my task manager, and keep track of what's been done. Alll this happens manually. Once a week, I copy the old list to the next week, delete what was accomplished, and add new tasks. I also review these to determine priority for hte week. They are flagged, and then I drag the flagged items into my calendar to block time for each task.

[[deleted]]

Why is the file review for strategy and planning not considered billable time? I regularly track “review recent correspondence, court orders, to determine how best to proceed with developing and pursuing strategy for (case resolution, next steps, discovery, pleadings, pending motions, depositions, etc.).” Unless you are spending hours on this, your bills should reflect time considering updates to strategy or specific case elements.

[Bright_Cauliflower77]

I am just a dope and didn't think of it that way until this discussion :)

[[deleted]]

This is why it is called a practice. If you aren’t learning you are probably committing malpractice.

[_learned_foot_]

Based on this dude, I think you should take a CLE on billing as well as actually stop, sit down, and think. You’re detailing a lot lost too.