Innovation at Lavan Legal in Perth, Australia

Another article in Lawyers Weekly on the Perth firm Lavan Legal and its quest to rid itself of timesheets.Lavan was mentioned in a prior post, which also linked to a local article on the firm.Dean Hely, the deputy managing partner, said the firm established a pricing committee as of July 1 and is aiming to move away from time-based billing to showcase its innovation credentials.He also noted:

You do get used to timesheets but the thought of not having timesheets is like the lawyer's utopia.

Of course Utopia means "no place," but there are firms out there without timesheets.I'm not about to claim they are all utopia, but we do know it's possible.Another law firm is profiled in this article in The Lawyer:

CMS Cameron McKenna has launched a marketing campaign to promote its alternative billing structures, which include a 'pay what you think its worth' option, to clients.

This firm has also established a pricing team.Since pricing is a separate function, we are big advocates of turning it over to people who are good at it.Poor pricers should not be allowed to price.Congratulations to these two firms. More cracks in the dyke of the obsolete billable hour.