While many law firms have over the last few years begun pricing improvement initiatives, many have failed to realise their potential and in the most disappointing and frustrating examples, they have eventually reverted to type entirely, losing all of the gains originally achieved. There is good reason for that. It’s hard. The rewards are significant but if it was easy, everyone would have done it a long time ago.

While many law firms have over the last few years begun pricing improvement initiatives, many have failed to realise their potential and in the most disappointing and frustrating examples, they have eventually reverted to type entirely, losing all of the gains originally achieved.

There is good reason for that. It’s hard. The rewards are significant but if it was easy, everyone would have done it a long time ago.

While many law firms have over the last few years begun pricing improvement initiatives, many have failed to realise their potential and in the least successful examples, they have eventually reverted to type entirely, losing all of the gains originally achieved. There is good reason for that. It’s hard. The rewards are significant but if it was easy, everyone would have done it a long time ago.

If I never hear the word ‘unprecedented’ again, it will be too soon, but there is undoubtedly no play book for what we are experiencing. We have had numerous requests from client firms and non-client firms alike for guidance on how to approach pricing in the current environment. We hope that the following will if nothing else, provide some structure to law firm’s consideration of the issues.

With Validatum Pricing Espresso® we aim to bring you your regular pricing 'shot' - the best, most interesting, thought provoking and informative material we can find globally which will be of interest, relevance and help to you in your legal services pricing challenges. [Note: we don't always agree with the content of others that we post but the philosophy of Validatum Pricing Espresso® is shared perspectives, not a personal 'soap-box']

LONDON (28th February 2020) – Virtual Pricing Director®, the legal pricing platform conceived and built over two years by leading international legal pricing experts Validatum® and leading UK cost consultancy Burcher Jennings has just been adopted by legal tech heavy-weight Fieldfisher.

The 2019 PwC Law Firms Survey revealed that, “…the finance function’s top three priorities are pricing and profitability, working capital and business analysis/ reporting. These priorities are reflective of the continued high fee income write off levels and widening gaps in year end and average lock up performance. …What will be frustrating for many firms is the inability to flow these improvements through to the high level of fee income write offs”.

With Validatum Pricing Espresso® we aim to bring you your regular pricing 'shot' - the best, most interesting, thought provoking and informative material we can find globally which will be of interest, relevance and help to you in your legal services pricing challenges. [Note: we don't always agree with the content of others that we post but the philosophy of Validatum Pricing Espresso® is shared perspectives, not a personal 'soap-box']

With Validatum Pricing Espresso® we aim to bring you your regular pricing 'shot' - the best, most interesting, thought provoking and informative material we can find globally which will be of interest, relevance and help to you in your legal services pricing challenges. [Note: we don't always agree with the content of others that we post but the philosophy of Validatum Pricing Espresso® is shared perspectives, not a personal 'soap-box']

Where’s the legal services pricing puck heading? is a compelling interview with Richard Burcher, the leading authority on pricing legal services and contributor to the Dialogue on Remaking Law Firms.

With Validatum Pricing Espresso® we aim to bring you your regular pricing 'shot' - the best, most interesting, thought provoking and informative material we can find globally which will be of interest, relevance and help to you in your legal services pricing challenges. [Note: we don't always agree with the content of others that we post but the philosophy of Validatum Pricing Espresso® is shared perspectives, not a personal 'soap-box']

We have written and lectured extensively on previous occasions about law firms misaligned meritocracy structures and the capacity for that misalignment to encourage pricing behaviour that is sub-optimal for both the client and the firm. So, kudos to someone of the standing of Annette Kimmitt, the CEO of Minter Ellison, Australia’s largest law firm, who recently called out the billable hour as a poor measure of "client impact" as a result of which the firm proposes to revisit the way it acts as a "gateway" to bonus payments. (Australian Financial Review).