Program

Realization & Rate Integrity

Close the gap between the rate you set and the cash you collect.

The problem

Standard rates rise and realization does not follow. Write-offs are expected to rise again, work in progress is aging, and the collection cycle has stretched by nearly three weeks since 2019.

The evidence

  • 88%

    of firms expect write-offs to rise.

    BigHand, 2026

  • 115 → 134

    days: the law firm collection cycle, 2019 to 2024.

    Citi Hildebrandt, 2026

  • 20%

    of matters stay within their outside counsel budget.

    Gartner, December 2025

What you get

  • Realization model by practice, partner cohort and matter type
  • Leakage sources quantified, from scoping through billing narrative to collection
  • Pricing and scoping guidance for the matter types that leak most
  • Billing hygiene standards, with the exceptions that actually need partner discretion
  • A monthly instrument the finance committee reads

How it works

  1. PHASE 1

    Evidence

    Time, billing and collection data across the practices in scope. Interviews with billing partners and the finance team.

  2. PHASE 2

    Baseline

    Quantify realization and its leakage sources, so improvement can be proven later rather than asserted.

  3. PHASE 3

    Design

    Set the standards, the pricing guidance and the exception routes with the partners who have to live with them.

  4. PHASE 4

    Ship and prove

    Roll out by practice, report monthly against the baseline, and hand the instrument to finance.

Every engagement leaves an instrument behind. Here it is: A monthly realization report with a fixed definition.

What it costs

Scoped range

3–6 months

Scoped on the number of practices in scope and whether the work includes rate setting. Starting with the teardown sprint usually shortens this program.

What it does not include

We do not set your rates, and we do not manage partners. Where the fix requires partner behavior to change, we will say so plainly and give firm leadership the evidence — but the conversation is theirs.

What it typically leads to

  • Program

    AI Adoption & Enablement

    Get AI into the work your fee earners actually do, with evidence for clients.

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Start with one sprint

Two to three weeks, one approver, a deliverable you keep. Tell us the problem and we'll come back within one business day with a scope, a date and a fee.

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