We need new solutions for the delivery of legal services both for consumers and lawyers themselves.
Limits of traditional legal services and the billable hour are obvious. It’s prohibitively expensive. If you’re selling your time instead of your services, it’s hard to make those services affordable while meeting your own financial needs with a reasonable workload. With plenty of unmet legal need, the critical question is how to provide services more efficiently, in compliance with ethics rules as they may evolve. The resources below can help you get started.
Alternative Legal Services
What Clients Want: An Approach to Alternative Legal Services (ABA Law Practice Today, 2021)
The Alternative Law Issue (ABA Law Practice Today, May 2021)
Unbundled Legal Services and Alternative Delivery Models [Guest Post] (Mass LOMAP, 2018)
Limited Assistance Representation (Massachusetts Board of Bar Overseers, 2014)
Wearing Two Hats: Dual Practices and Ancillary Business (Mass BBO, 2003)
Check for Updates to Massachusetts BBO Ethics Articles Here
Alternative Fees
3 Alternatives to the Billable Hour [Guest Post] (Mass LOMAP, 2019)
Expert Roundtable: Flat Rate or Fixed Fee Billing Arrangements? (Law Technology Today, 2019)
The Power of Hybridizing Your Flat Fee (Law Practice Today, May 2021)
Growing Your Practice Through Alternative Revenue Streams (Avvo’s Lawyernomics, 2018)
Handbook for Value-Based Billing Engagements (ACC, Crowell Moring)
Value-Based Pricing of Legal Services (Above the Law, 2019)
Again, check for updates to Mass BBO ethics articles here in addition to the following:
- The Ethics of Charging and Collecting Fees (Mass BBO, 2015)
- Flat Fees: A Three-Dimensional View (Mass BBO, 2018)
- Too Much of a Good Thing: Understanding the Rule 1.5(a) Prohibition on Clearly Excessive Fees (Mass BBO, 2017)
- An Exception that Proves the Rule: Fee Sharing with Nonlawyer Qualified Legal Assistance Organizations (Mass BBO, 2015)
- Financing Litigation: A Lawyer’s Duties When a Client Seeks Financial Assistance (Mass BBO, 2020)
Related Resources:
Legal Innovation Regulatory Survey (ABA Center for Innovation)
When the Rules Stagnate Innovation, Change the Rules (Mass LOMAP, 2020)
Massachusetts Access to Justice Commission
The Legal Regulation Revolution (Law21 Blog, July 2021)
Supreme Court Justice Ann Timmer on Arizona’s Sweeping Regulatory Reforms (LawSites, May 2021)
Future Proofing: Practical Insights Into Innovation Leadership (ABA Law Practice Magazine, 2021)
Fee Agreements Best Practice Guide for Lawyers in Massachusetts [Templates] (Mass LOMAP, 2019)
Disrupt the Billable Hour On Demand Workshop (The Modern Legal Collective by K Bennett Law LLC)
Can You Crowdfund a Law Firm? (ABA Law Practice Today, August 2021)
Crowdfunding for Lawyers (ABA Law Technology Today, 2019)
Starting & Operating a Non-Profit Law Firm (Lawyers for Affordable Justice, 2016)
Fee Shifting in Debt Collection Actions (MBA On Demand Program, 2019)
Firms Offering Wide Range of Alternative Fees (Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly, 2021)
Automating Legal Services (ABA Law Technology Today, 2020)
The Lawyer Entrepreneur: What, Why, and How (Mass LOMAP Webinar, 2019)
Free & Confidential Consultations:
Lawyers, law students, and judges in Massachusetts can discuss concerns with a law practice advisor, licensed therapist, or both. Find more on scheduling here.
