Hourly Rates & Recovery for Civil Litigators

Introduction

Whilst there is a demand for alternative pricing options and value pricing in particular, hourly rates remain the backbone of law firm charging and management, through key metrics of work-in-progress, realisation rates and recoverability.

All too often firms struggle with hourly rate differentiation and understanding the regulatory mandate that drives hourly rate and fee charging. Importantly, the understanding of how to set hourly rates and justify these, either on a solicitor and client basis, or between the parties in litigation.

This 1-hour e-learning programme will examine the key background to hourly rates, the approach adopted through the Guideline Hourly Rates and how to both exceed and justify these. The top case law will be examined and the practical application of getting the very most from hourly rate charging and therefore boosting turnover and profitability.

What You Will Learn

With interactive learning activities, knowledge checks and key reminder messages, the programme covers the following:

• The historic approach to hourly rates calculation and why this still matters
• The pros and cons of the Guideline Hourly Rates, why they were out of date when they were introduced and the issue of retrospectivity
• The vital ‘Pillars of Wisdom’ that govern increases in hourly rates, justify the rates charged or claimed, and the importance of differentiation
• The importance of hourly rate costs estimates and how to avoid penalties
• How you should crucially document arrangements with your client, especially on an hourly rate

You can take each section at your own pace, picking up where you left off and are able to see your progress throughout.

The programme concludes with an assessment. Your score will be recorded and 'super-user' reporting functionality for the organisation as a whole is available in the MBL learning platform.