Larry Bodine Law Marketing Blog

Patrick Lamb, a partner over at 31-lawyer Butler, Rubin, Saltarelli & Boyd, couldn't contain his skepticism of McGuireWoods' new ad campaign which challenges the notion of hourly billing.  "Forgive me if I stifle a guffaw," he wrote in his blog "In Search of Perfect Client Service."

"In my mind, this kind of marketing plays into client's cynicism about lawyers use of alternative fees.  In the minds of many clients, lawyers take a "I"m with you win or draw" approach to alternative fees, taking upside risk for good results but never taking downside risk.  That approach will never work," he says.

But he's not totally unconvinced.  "I honestly hope McGuire Woods is successful, since any progress in efforts to bill our clients according to the value (to them) of our work is a step forward.  But forgive me if I don't bet the ranch just yet."