A casual survey of solo lawyers found common challenges: not enough time in the day, collection, missed calls or no-show appointments.

How much does that cut into the daily work of a solo or two-person law firm? Try more than a third of the day!

The LexisNexis Billable Hour Survey finds 39% of time worked in solo and two-attorney firms is not billed.

How do larger firms compare? In the same survey, a firm with 11 to 20 attorneys bills 92% of their daily time worked.

The same survey finds an average work day of nine hours. If that’s the case, compare the percentages for two attorneys who bill at $175 per hour.

The solo lawyer or two-person firm: $960.

The lawyer in a larger firm: $1,449.

The message screams loud and clear: the solo lawyer faces big challenges in lost revenue on a daily basis.

Some of the reasons? There is little to no help with non-billable functions. Time management is magnified when the individual lawyer has to handle client needs, answer her own phone, manage the hours billed and collect payments.

The lawyers who make up solo and two-person firms find great rewards in working for themselves, but these numbers reflect the high need to inject efficiency into the day through office management support.

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First published as “The Billing Gap Between Solo Lawyers and Large Firms” on the LexTalx: The Business Side of Law blog.