Legal Definitions - billable time

Billable time refers to the amount of time that an attorney, law clerk, or paralegal spends working on a client's case that can be charged to the client. This time is typically tracked in increments of hours or fractions of an hour, and the client is billed accordingly.

For example, if an attorney spends two hours working on a client's case, and their hourly rate is $200, the client would be billed $400 for that time.

Billable time is different from nonbillable time, which refers to the time spent on tasks that cannot be charged to the client, such as administrative work or professional development.

Overall, billable time is an important concept in the legal industry, as it allows attorneys and law firms to accurately track their time and ensure that they are being compensated for the work they do on behalf of their clients.