Billable Hours Alone Won’t Save You: 2024 Data Shows What 2025 Law Firms Must Fix
If your strategy for 2025 is “work harder,” you’re already behind.
The 2024 Clio Legal Trends Report shows a concerning trend:
While billable hours are up in many firms, revenue per lawyer is not keeping pace — and expenses are rising fast.
Translation? Your margins are at risk, even if everyone’s busy.
The Productivity Myth: More Hours ≠ More Profit
Timekeeping is up. Billables are up.
But so are:
Payroll costs
Overhead
Administrative drag
Missed collections
The report makes it clear: operational inefficiencies are eating profits faster than firms can earn them.
What Sets Top Firms Apart
Top-performing firms (Clio calls them “top quartile”) do a few things differently:
Streamlined intake and client onboarding
Automated workflows for repeatable processes
Consistent billing and follow-up
Real-time KPI tracking
They don’t just grind harder — they operate smarter.
What You Should Prioritize in 2025
Fix Your Systems – Improve intake, billing, calendaring, and communications
Train Your Team on Process – No more reinventing the wheel on every matter
Outsource Leadership Where Needed – A fractional COO can install operational discipline fast
Work Less. Operate Better. Profit More.
The firms succeeding in 2025 will be the ones who optimize, not just hustle. Don’t wait until you’re exhausted and underpaid to realize that billing more won’t fix broken systems.
Want to operate smarter (not just harder) in 2025? Book a call with ING Collaborations — we help law firms run like the businesses they are.