New Data Shows Attorneys Lose 600 Billable Hours a Year – That’s $150,000 Per Attorney 

Backend workflow isn’t support work. 
It’s business-critical infrastructure. 

A recent legal industry survey reveals a stark operational reality for law firms: attorneys are working long hours, yet a significant portion of that time doesn’t translate into billable revenue. According to Bloomberg Law’s 2025 Attorney Workload & Hours Survey, lawyers reported an average workweek of roughly 48 hours, but only 36 of those hours were billable. That leaves a gap of 12 nonbillable hours per week, a figure that adds up fast when annualized.  

Here’s what that means in practice: ⚠️ 

• 12 nonbillable hours per week × 50 work weeks per year = 600 hours 
  spent on tasks that don’t generate billable revenue. 

• At an average billing rate of $250 per hour, that translates to about $150,000 in unrealized billable time per attorney per year. In midmarket and highvalue practices, that number can easily rise to $210,000–$300,000 annually depending on billing rates. 

This isn’t just a theoretical calculation it’s a real operational drain that affects profitability, attorney satisfaction, and firm growth. 

Only 30–40% of an attorney’s day is spent on pure legal strategy. 
The rest is backend work that keeps cases moving – File management, document review, coordination & follow-ups, compliance & deadlines.   
Source: ABA time-use studies & law firm operations reports 

Litigation Is Operations-Heavy 

For every 1 hour of courtroom or deposition work, firms spend 3–4 hours on deposition summaries, discovery indexing, exhibit preparation and bates stamping & redactions. Bottlenecks happen in medical summaries backlog, discovery overload, poor task delegation and overworked associates doing admin work.  

High-Performing Firms Know how to Separate legal thinking from legal execution by building repeatable backend systems, use paralegals, ops teams & tech intentionally. Which results in faster case cycles, better margins, lower burnout. 

Where the Time Goes 

Attorneys spend a large portion of their workweek on tasks that are essential but nonbillable, including: 

• Administrative coordination 

• Client intake and conflict checks 

• Email and communication management 

• Internal reporting and timekeeping 

• Meetings, scheduling, and incidental tasks 

This trend isn’t unique to one report. Other industry data, such as findings from Clio’s Legal Trends Report, shows that lawyers often spend a significant portion of their day on nonbillable administrative tasks, with some reports suggesting only about a third of an attorney’s workday is spent on actual billable work.  

The Core Operational Challenge 

Being a lawyer isn’t just practicing law, it’s running a business. And in many firms, this dual role creates a core tension: 

• Legal thinking the strategic, highvalue work that directly impacts outcomes for clients. 

• Legal execution the operational work that keeps cases moving but doesn’t contribute directly to revenue. 

Yet in 40% law firms, attorneys are often doing both, which not only reduces their billable hours but also dilutes strategic focus. 

Shadow Paralegal System to the rescue…  
At Draft n Craft We provide skilled Dedicated Remote Paralegals (DRPs) ensuring you get 

✔️ A paralegal who knows your practice 
✔️ A backup who also knows your practice 
✔️ Redundancy with zero friction 
✔️ Continuity without chaos  
 

• If one paralegal is unavailable, another fully trained backup steps in 

• Workflow continues without interruption 

• Knowledge, deadlines, and credibility stay intact 

Protect your workflow before attrition hits. Book a call with us today.