Will generative artificial intelligence (finally) spell the end of the billable hour?

Widely hated by lawyers and clients alike, the billable hour has nevertheless proven to be more resilient than cockroaches, Twinkies and those nonbiodegradable containers that you used to get fast-food restaurants.

It seems like every time that there’s a major disruption or event that threatens to upend the legal industry, it spells doom for the billable hour. But that could be more out of hope than anything else. The billable hour survived the Great Recession and the COVID-19 pandemic, despite many people thinking—or maybe wishing—that it wouldn’t.

But with the advent of generative artificial intelligence tools that can perform tasks in minutes but might take lawyers or legal professionals hours, could we finally see the end of the billable hour?

In this episode of the Legal Rebels Podcast, Reid Trautz, a senior director of the Practice and Professionalism Center at the American Immigration Lawyers Association, talks to the ABA Journal’s Victor Li about the thing that so many lawyers and clients love to hate but can’t seem to quit. They discuss the billable hour and how AI might—or might not—affect it.

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In This Podcast:

Reid Trautz

Reid Trautz is a senior director of the Practice and Professionalism Center at the American Immigration Lawyers Association, where he advises lawyers on how to improve their businesses and innovate the delivery of legal services to their clients. Trautz is an elected fellow of the College of Law Practice Management and is a Fastcase 50 honoree, which recognizes innovators in legal technology. Trautz co-authors the Future Proofing column for ABA’s Law Practice magazine and currently serves as chair of the Virginia State Bar’s Technology and the Future Practice of Law Committee.