⏲️ On Tracking Time
I remember one of the biggest shocks when I started as a summer associate: I had to track my time in six-minute increments.
Substantively, it felt bizarre that I was being judged not only on the content and quality of my work, but also on how long it took to complete. If I was too fast, I risked seeming careless. If I was too slow, I looked inefficient. Practically, it felt nearly impossible to track every task, every email, every meeting. I often found myself reconstructing my hours at the end of the day—or worse, the end of the week—constantly worried I was either overbilling or underbilling.
I wish I could say it got easier as a full-time associate. It didn’t. But I did build habits that made it more manageable.
The history of time-based billing in legal practice is a fascinating one. I explore it at length in this academic article (feedback welcome!), which examines how generative AI might reshape, but likely won’t eliminate, the profession’s obsession with hourly billing. Perhaps most remarkable is how durable the model has been. Despite decades of criticism, it’s stuck around.
So even if your current job doesn’t require you to bill your time, your next one might. And either way, it’s worth learning how to track your time effectively and how to use that information to learn something about yourself.
Time Tracking Tips
Here are four strategies to make time tracking less painful and more effective. Your mileage may vary, but if you’re new to this, give these a try:
Don’t Wait. The worst habit you can develop is “recreating” your time after the fact. It’s rarely accurate, and it puts you at risk of both overbilling and underbilling. However you track—on paper, digitally, or in an app—do it in real time or at least daily.
Choose the Method with the Least Friction. Some lawyers jot down time by hand; others email entries to themselves or their assistant. Still others rely on software. All of these can work. The key is to find a system that fits naturally into your day and stick with it. Whichever is easiest and lowest friction for you—do that!
Don’t Write Off Your Own Time. Some summer associates try to look “efficient” by shaving time off time from their entries. Don’t do that. It’s not your job to reduce the client’s bill (assuming they’re even being billed for your time). If something took too long, your supervisor can adjust. But they can’t do that—or help you improve—if you don’t report your time accurately. Also, track all the time the firm allows: training, networking events, recruiting, even vacation. It helps them—and you—see the full picture.
Don’t Overbill. This should go without saying, but lawyers have an ethical duty to bill accurately. Don’t double bill (bill two clients for the same time). Don’t pad your hours (add time you didn’t actually work). These are serious violations, and bad habits start early. Be honest, always.
Embrace the Pain (Sort Of)
Yes, tracking your time can make you feel like a hamster on a wheel. It can seem like inefficiency is rewarded, and like no matter how great your work is, you get credit only for how long it took. Many critiques of hourly billing are well-founded. I’ll be honest—I prefer my current role, where I don’t have to bill time.
But for now I recommend embracing time tracking not just as a professional obligation but as a tool for self-awareness (remember time tracking started not for billing purposes but for productivity tracking purposes). Let your hours help you answer these questions:
When do you do your best work?
When do you waste time—and is that wasted time restorative or just… wasted?
What bandwidth do you have to take on something new?
When should you say “no” because you actually don’t have time?
Do you want to work in a job that requires you to bill your time?
Answering these questions will help you figure out what kind of lawyer you want to be—and how to do that work well.
Now get back to work 😉.
Keep standing out,
Jonah
