Hourly vs. Flat Fee Billing in an Era of Uncertainty and Change
| Live Event Date: 04/17/2025 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Format | Length | CLE Eligible |
| Web Seminar | 90 min. | Yes |
Most immigration lawyers bill clients on a flat fee basis rather than hourly. However, uncertain legal policies and rapidly changing processes can render fixed fees woefully inadequate and unsustainable for a legal practice. In this era of ever-evolving policies and procedures, is it time for immigration attorneys to consider migrating to hourly fees? Or would it be better to continue with fixed fees? The AILA 2022 Marketplace Study results showed that 87% of AILA members bill primarily on a fixed fee basis, but hourly billers generate 19% more revenue. Our faculty of experts will discuss the pros and cons of each fee structure in the current legal environment and address related ethical issues. They will also share best practices for firms billing on a fixed fee basis, as well as for those wanting to switch to hourly billing for some (or all) cases and clients.
Featured Topics:
- Investigating the pros and cons of hourly and flat/fixed fees
- How to evaluate your current fee structure and choose the most appropriate (and advantageous) approach for your firm
- Switching to hourly rates: what attorneys need to know and implement
- Ethical issues, including trust accounting and proper timekeeping
- Tech tools to make timekeeping, billing, and accounting easier for all firms
AILA Membership Benefit – Access to Free Seminar Recordings (CLE Credit Available for $35)
Enjoy access to free seminar recordings (from October 2020–present) as an AILA Member. AILA encourages live attendance for those wishing to ask the speaker questions. CLE credit is included with purchase for live participants.
Recordings will be available approximately two weeks after the live event date. AILA members can access these seminars, with no CLE credit, for free. Recordings are CLE eligible in most jurisdictions and an administration fee is required to obtain CLE credit.
Contact us at cle@aila.org or visit AILA’s Web Seminar Recordings page for more information about receiving CLE credit for a web seminar recording.
Eligible participants can receive up to 1.8 CLE credit hours. AILA will administer CLE credit only to individuals who register and log into the web seminar. AILA cannot verify your attendance and participation in this program unless you register directly for the web seminar and use your name to log in to participate in the program. Therefore, persons who log in or listen in on the web seminar as part of a group will not be able to obtain CLE credit.
Please note that your jurisdiction may limit the amount of distance learning credit you can earn. To view details on your jurisdiction's credit restrictions and CLE requirements, visit the CLE Center.
AILA has filed for CLE and specialized credit in all jurisdictions with mandatory CLE requirements. For details about specific approvals, contact us at cle@aila.org.
- AILA applies for accreditation upon attorneys’ request after participation for the following states: AR, DE, IA, ID, KS, KY, LA, ME, MN, MS, OR, TN and WY. Programs are typically approved.
- Florida and Rhode Island - Attorneys must apply on their own for approval of seminars in FL and RI. Programs are typically approved.
- The OnDemand Recording format does not qualify for CLE credit in the following jurisdictions: MO and PR. Please note that your jurisdiction may limit OnDemand credit based on the date of the original presentation. View the OnDemand Downloadable Expiration Chart for more details.
To receive CLE credit for the live event, attorneys must record web seminar attendance and the CLE code provided within one week of the web seminar date via webCLE.
Contact us at cle@aila.org or visit AILA’s Web Seminar Recordings page for more information about receiving CLE credit for a seminar recording.
Christine J. Alden (DL), Miami, FL
Christine J. Alden is a shareholder at Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney. She is a past chair of the AILA South Florida Chapter and currently serves as the chair of AILA’s Distance Learning Business Subcommittee, and is a member of AILA’s Custom and Border Protection Liaison Committee and AILA’s Standing Committee on Political Engagement (SCOPE). She is a graduate of Texas Southern University, Thurgood Marshall School of Law (1996).
Jesse Evans-Schroeder, AILA Family Section Steering Committee, Tucson, AZ
Jesse Evans-Schroeder is a partner at Green Evans-Schroeder, PLLC, in Tucson, AZ. Her practice focuses on removal defense, appeals, and U.S. District Court litigation. She is a member of AILA’s Family Section Steering Committee. Jesse graduated from the University of Arizona’s James E. Rogers College of Law.
Olsi Vrapi, Albuquerque, NM
Olsi Vrapi helps people live where they want to live, work where they want to work, and hire who they want to hire.
Charity Anastasio, AILA Practice and Ethics Counsel, Washington, D.C.
Charity Anastasio is Practice and Ethics Counsel for AILA. She practiced law in Washington state before becoming a practice management advisor a decade ago. She’s helped hundreds of lawyers better manage their firms and careers, bringing peace of mind and inspiration to AILA members on ethics and practice management issues since 2016. She was named an ABA 2020 Women in Legal Tech Honoree and a 2024 vLex Fastcase 50. Find her at www.linkedin.com/in/charityanastasio.
