Life as an Associate
BigLaw Billable Hours, Explained Like a Normal Person
A billable target is not the number of hours you will be at work. Here is how timekeeping, utilization, bonuses, slow periods, and unpredictable days fit together.
Updated August 8, 2026 · 4 min read
A billable hour is time a lawyer records to a client matter and that the firm may charge to the client. If you research a client's question for one hour, that may be one billable hour. If you attend a firm training for one hour, it usually is not.
That distinction explains why a target such as 2,000 billable hours does not mean 2,000 total hours at work.
What usually counts
Depending on the matter and billing rules, billable work can include:
- research and drafting;
- reviewing documents;
- client and team calls;
- preparing for or attending a hearing, deposition, or negotiation;
- revising agreements;
- managing a deal or case; and
- travel when the client permits it.
Clients and firms have billing policies. Time can be written down or written off if a partner decides it should not be charged.
What may not count
Nonbillable work can include:
- training and continuing legal education;
- firm meetings;
- recruiting;
- business development;
- administrative tasks;
- entering time;
- waiting for feedback;
- technology problems;
- some pro bono work; and
- parts of travel or internal communication.
Policies differ. Some firms count approved pro bono hours toward the target. Some cap the amount. Some give credit for other firm work.
Never assume. Ask what counts.
Why the calendar matters
Two lawyers can bill the same annual total and have very different lives.
One may bill steadily. Another may have several quiet months followed by a deal or trial that consumes nights and weekends.
Predictability is often more important than the annual number. Losing a Saturday with advance notice feels different from canceling dinner at 7:00 p.m. because comments arrived.
Ask what creates unexpected work and how often juniors can plan around it.
Targets, pace, and bonuses
Firms may publish an annual target or an amount required for a bonus. Others use hours as one factor among many.
Do not treat the number as a complete performance system. Staffing, availability, work quality, evaluations, collections, pro bono credit, and firm economics may also matter.
A junior can miss a target because the firm did not provide enough work. That still creates stress. Good staffing systems notice slow associates before December.