Biller & Kimble is excited to announce a new initiative at our law firm. A true four-day workweek for both lawyers and staff. Yes, even our lawyers can enjoy having a life outside of the office.
The pandemic impacted every industry across the county, including law firms. Lawyers have been forced to adapt to remote work, virtual hearings and depositions, court shut-downs, and ever-changing rules and regulations, all while upholding our duties to our clients, the courts, and the profession. As firms have begun to transition to a post-pandemic world, many have rushed to get their workforce back into the office and resume “business as usual,” without taking the time to learn from the tumultuous two years of pandemic life and adapt. As a result, the pandemic-era phenomenon known as the Great Resignation is still in full-swing and will likely continue to impact firms across the country.
Enter the innovators. Since opening the firm in 2019, Biller & Kimble, LLC, has made innovation a core pillar of their practice. In both how Biller & Kimble runs the firm, and how they make their legal arguments, the firm has created a highly efficient litigation machine that achieves results for their clients. As a wage & hour firm that fights to protect the rights of workers, Biller & Kimble knows effectively fighting the David versus Goliath fight requires meticulous preparation. But, because of our experience as defenders of workers, BK also understands that grueling hours and a lack of work-life balance can lead to burn out, poor quality of work, and ultimately high turnover rates.
So, Biller & Kimble set their sights on innovating from within by utilizing the same tool sets that have made them successful wage & hour litigators: thorough research, detailed analysis, and the guts and smarts to look at old conventions in new ways. As a result of their forward-thinking efforts, the partners announced at the beginning of 2022 that the entire office will transition to a four-day work week. Of course, this type of transition in a class-action law office will require some effort and dedication as an office, but the firm’s carefully curated team isn’t built to shy away from innovation.
Speaking about the concept, Andy Biller, one of the partners, said “let’s get the first question out of the way. No, this is not five or six days of work packed into four. This is a true four-day workweek. With that out of the way, let’s answer the second question: how is this possible?”
“We have always used data and analytics in our practice. Whereas most lawyers are essentially walking around half-blind, we are looking closely at numbers, patterns, and probabilities. We apply those calculations, many of which are not obvious, to our cases. The results for our clients have been tremendous.
“We are now applying those same techniques to how we manage our lawyers’ caseloads. We have a very good sense, and the data to back it up, of how much time, effort, and resources go into a case based on certain case-specific factors. Using that data, we can adjust a lawyer’s caseload in a way that will allow for a real four-day workweek.
“I don’t know that anyone is really doing this in the law field. Indeed, many practice areas or law firm structures could not work this way. But, here, it can work.”
Andrew Kimble, a partner, described the philosophy. “We are a firm that advocates on behalf of workers. We should walk the walk with our own team. It isn’t good enough to be a nice place to work. I want our firm to be the best place to work.
“I looked around at what other firms were doing. Let’s be honest. People don’t care if you add a ping-pong table in the rec room. People value their time. Especially coming out of this pandemic. Whatever you think about it, it made all of us reflect on what is important. And working 2,200 billable hours for a little more money isn’t it. Time with family, friends, and doing what you love is.
“We are looking to attract and retain top legal talent who are smart enough to realize that there is more to life than falling asleep at your desk at 11:00 PM while your five-year-old missed her bedtime story with you—again. The legal profession needs to do better. We’re going to start it here.”
Does this sound like a dream-come-true to you? Let’s talk.