Originally Posted by Pembroke_Corgi
Right now, I have chosen to work a 4 day work week. I will go back to work 'full time' once J goes to school full time. So, these comments are based on a presumption that I am working a 5 day work week. I work anywhere between 50 and 60 hours a week. Of that time, I would bet about 80% is 'billable' time. For billable time, I 'should' get paid- whether I win or lose a court case (and, the majority of what I do is court room work, so, nice guess there! (or I told you that already, LOL)). I have no magical way of getting people to pay, unless I get my fee up front. Asking someone - and often they are just like you and I, regular working people, to fund a minimum of $5000- $7500 today for the work I will do over the next 6 months to a year is really difficult. They won't pay. I can usually get $1500 or so upfront, and I blow through that pretty quickly. So, I don't get 100% of my time- ever. Of the 80% that is billable, I bet I have a collection issue on 30%?? When you put that final figure into a 50-60 hour work week, I really don't make that much, LOL. I don't know many attorneys that really make that much. Sure, some are out there, and the big firms in the big cities really DO make money. They also bill between 1800-2000 hours a year. Bill, not work hours. Big difference.
I guess my 'thing' is- most of us work and get paid on a performance basis. Salespeople....they don't control the merchandise they sell, the general public to whom they are to sell, the market, the store location, etc. Doctors....they do a crappy job and they lose patients. Like lawyers. Like restaurants, like sales people, like everyone- seemingly, but, teachers.
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