Fixed-fee sprint

Leakage Teardown

Where realization is lost between the timesheet and the payment.

The problem

Write-offs are rising, work in progress is aging, and the collection cycle is longer than it was five years ago. Everyone has a theory about which practice is the problem and nobody has the line-level evidence.

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

  • Analysis of an agreed sample: write-offs, write-downs, aged WIP and days to collect
  • Leakage by practice, matter type and billing behavior, described by shape rather than name where you prefer
  • The hygiene failures behind the biggest losses — narrative quality, timing, scope changes never billed
  • Actions ranked by recoverable value, with the ones that need partner behavior change marked as such
  • A measurement instrument so the next quarter is comparable

How it works

  1. WEEK 1

    Evidence

    Agree the sample and pull time, billing and collection data. Interview the billing team about what they already see.

  2. WEEK 2

    Baseline

    Quantify the leakage and trace each category back to the behavior that causes it.

  3. WEEK 3

    Prove

    Rank the actions, build the measurement instrument, and present to the finance partner or COO.

Every engagement leaves an instrument behind. Here it is: A realization measure the firm can track every quarter.

What it costs

Fixed fee

3 weeks

Sprint fees are confirmed in writing when we scope the work, usually within one business day of your note.

What it does not include

We do not set rates, and we do not have the conversation with partners about their own write-offs — that one has to come from the firm. This sizes the problem on a sample and gives you the instrument; fixing the behavior is the program that follows.

What it typically leads to

  • Program

    Realization & Rate Integrity

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

    Read more →
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Start here

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.

Scope a sprint →