"Value" billing and Hourly Billing: Some Links

On billable hours:

This post from Above the Law shows that average billable rates around the country are pretty high, no matter what kind of law you are asking about.

If you want a much more detailed indictment of the billable hour system and the problems it can create for both lawyer and client, look no further than the book Boo to Billable Hours, now available in its entirety online, for free. (Hat tip: Carolyn Elefant's excellent blog MyShingle, specifically this article.)

So what about if you would rather some alternative method of billing, like "value" billing? What is a fair rate? Some other thoughts:

The main problem with "value billing" is that nobody seems to be exactly sure how it can be measured. In other words, it has the exact opposite problem of that faced by billable hours.

However, Matthew Homann, on another excellent blog called "the [non]billable hour," explains why he thinks that "value billing" is all about being fair to your clients, and is the only way he uses to bill his clients.