GoKawiilBaker McKenzie moves away from hourly billing as default model
Baker McKenzie is shifting away from the billable hour as its standard way of charging clients, adopting alternative fee structures instead. The firm's move comes amid broader industry disruption as artificial intelligence tools change how legal work gets done and valued.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
If a major global firm abandons hourly billing, it could pressure rivals to follow suit, since AI tools let lawyers complete tasks faster, making time-based billing less aligned with value delivered. This suggests law firms are rethinking pricing to capture the efficiency gains from AI rather than letting faster work simply shrink their bills.
- Baker McKenzie is moving away from hourly billing as its default client payment structure.
- The shift is linked to AI's growing role in automating legal tasks.
- The change could push other major law firms to reconsider traditional billing practices.
Source: wsj.com, 2026-11-13
Published there as: “Baker McKenzie Looks to Abandon the Billable Hour”
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