Why Temple Law Moved to Flat Fee Legal Pricing

13 minutes read

Published Sep 25, 2025

There are a lot of ways to run a law firm, but for my firm, Temple Law, prioritizing our core values is non-negotiable. From the start, I’ve asked myself: Why am I doing this? How do I want to practice law? The answers always come back to the same key core values: integrity, efficiency, innovation through technology, empathy, and transparency—and how they allow us to deliver client-centric service. 

Those values have shaped everything, from how I built my team to how we engage with clients. They’re also why I first questioned the traditional billable hour. Do we really have to stay handcuffed to a model that often incentivizes lawyers to be inefficient, provide low transparency, and frankly, feel burnt out?

Still, the billable hour has long been the industry norm, and clients have been conditioned to expect it—even if it often doesn’t serve anyone particularly well. 

But as the legal world has shifted in recent years, so have client expectations. Today, clients are looking for more transparency and value. They want more than just legal advice and an hourly bill; they want to know the cost upfront and feel like they’re getting value for what they’ve paid for.

That’s why, for the past two years, moving toward flat fees and value-based pricing has been a natural fit for our firm. It lets us stay true to our core values, build trust, and deliver legal services in a way that feels fair for everyone. It’s a win-win, and an opportunity for a smaller firm like Temple Law to differentiate ourselves, grow, and turn our nimble size into an advantage.

Why I left the billable hour behind

For a long time, billing by the hour felt like the only option in legal. It was the system I trained in, and what clients had come to expect. But just because something is the norm doesn’t mean it’s the best fit. 

The billable hour is often incompatible with our core values of efficiency and transparency. Tracking every minute is necessary with this model, but meticulously recording time is both inefficient and tedious. More importantly, for our clients, unpredictable hourly bills are stressful and can make budgeting and paying for legal services more frustrating than they need to be.

As the legal world and client expectations have changed, however, we’ve seen an opportunity to closely align our work with our mission. By transitioning more of our services from hourly billing to flat legal fees and value-based pricing, we’re able to give clients increased pricing predictability and transparency. As a bonus, this also makes the billing and payment process more predictable for our firm.

Taking all these factors into consideration, shifting toward value-based pricing has become a very attractive option for us, and we’re moving quickly to make the transition.

What flat legal fees look like in my practice

Moving our firm to flat fee pricing wasn’t a sudden, all-or-nothing switch. Over the past two years, we’ve identified specific services where a flat-fee or subscription model makes sense for both the firm and our clients. To do that effectively, we needed tools that could help us scope, price, and deliver these services consistently. AltFee became the framework we used to structure and refine our flat-fee models, while Clio provided the operational backbone to track, bill, and collect seamlessly. Together, they’ve made it possible for us to test, expand, and adapt our subscription and flat-fee offerings with confidence.

We’re now building an expanding menu of services with transparent, flat fee pricing. For example, we’ve rolled out affordable, subscription-style packages tailored to the needs of very small businesses. These are a good fit for many of our clients, like interior designers, who want convenient access to legal advice—such as through a text or a quick call. These packages start at an accessible monthly rate to give them immediate access without the stress of an hourly bill. The packages go up from there (including tailored subscription rates for our larger clients who require 30-300+ hours a month on a regular basis), so clients can choose the level of support that fits their needs and budget.

Another key example is our new flat-fee formation services. For a single, predictable price, we guide clients through the process of forming their new business. We provide hands-on support for the essential steps, from filing for an EIN to drafting an operating or shareholder agreement. This transparent pricing allows new business owners to start on the right foot, knowing exactly what their legal costs will be to get set up.

While these are examples of our initial publicly-facing packages, we are continually developing additional flat-fee and subscription services for our clients and plan on expanding our flat-fee and subscription offerings further in the future.

The benefits I’ve seen for my firm

Since starting the shift to flat fees at Temple Law, the positive impact on the firm has been undeniable—and even a bit unexpected. The move has not only improved our business operations and client service, but has also made our work more rewarding. 

Here are a few of the key benefits I’ve observed:

1. Improved client relationships and satisfaction

Clear, communicative client service is at the heart of what we do, and flat fees make it easier to deliver the transparency that clients want today. Overall, flat fees make clients happier because they know exactly what they’re going to be charged. By discussing project scope and fees upfront, we create a collaborative process that helps clients understand the value of the work and commit to both the process and the fee before we begin.

This has fostered a lot of really good conversations, as well as better work product, as everyone is on the same page from the start. Flat and subscription fees ensure we’re better aligned with the client’s expectations, and vice versa, which strengthens our relationships.

2. Predictable revenue and financial health

One of the most significant benefits of flat fees is the predictability they bring to our revenue compared to hourly billing. When we agree to a flat fee upfront, we know we’re going to get paid reliably. This has led to higher collection rates, fewer billing disputes, and faster payments. 

We’re able to get a predictable number collected, and unless the scope changes, that’s the number. This eliminates the stress of exceeding a retainer, dealing with awkward discussions later, or chasing payments. 

We also use Clio Payments, which means almost all of our clients pay by credit card or bank debit—further streamlining the process for both the clients and the firm. Paired with our flat and subscription fees, this has increased our income reliability.  

3. Less admin stress and better job satisfaction

With flat fees, we’re less focused on the clock and more able to focus on the work itself. This has made me happier, because it aligns with our core values of efficiency and integrity. Our team feels a greater sense of purpose, which has boosted our job satisfaction. 

4. Setting our firm apart

While I believe shifting toward more value-based pricing is better for our clients, it’s also a great opportunity to differentiate us from other firms. When clients are increasingly looking for transparency and certainty in legal services pricing, our firm is well-positioned to meet that demand. I believe this differentiation is more than just a talking point—it will be a key driver for our ongoing business growth.

The benefits for my clients

While a move to more fixed and flat fee pricing has been a clear win for our firm, the positive impact on our clients has been equally rewarding. We can now provide a more transparent and less stressful experience, which has strengthened relationships in a meaningful way. 

Some of the key benefits I’ve seen for our clients include:

1. Increased cost certainty and peace of mind

Clients appreciate the cost certainty that flat fees provide. They know exactly what they’ll pay from the beginning, which cuts the anxiety that comes with waiting for an unpredictable bill at the end of a matter. This means they can focus on the legal outcome—not the accumulating cost of our services.

2. Stronger, more collaborative relationships

In many ways, flat fees have driven better conversations with our clients, as we can work together to clearly define scope, expectations, and pricing at the outset. This proactive communication ensures everyone is aligned on goals and deliverables, helping to transform the relationship from purely transactional to a more collaborative partnership where all parties are invested in achieving the same outcome.

An example that comes to mind is a client who is also a lawyer and knows how billable hours work. We’d worked together before on an hourly basis, and in those cases, there was often a question or discussion about the bill at the end of the month. When the client started a new position, however, we were able to offer her flat fees for certain types of repeat activities like NDAs and service agreements. She found the model refreshing because it enabled us to address her concerns about unexpected scope changes from the very beginning, leading to a more productive conversation. 

And, from my perspective, getting my bill paid every month by her has been a dream because there are no more discussions at the end of the month when the bill goes out.

How I made the transition to flat fees

Taking the leap to flat fees wasn’t a solo endeavor. It required a new way of thinking and, perhaps most importantly, it meant we needed to engage our core value of innovation through technology to find the right tools to support the shift. Frankly, I don’t think we could have made the transition—or made it as smoothly—without the help of tools like Clio and AltFee.

The challenge: pricing and scoping

One of the biggest hurdles in moving away from hourly billing is figuring out how to price a project. How do you accurately estimate the work involved and put a single number on it that’s fair and reasonable for everyone? 

The role of technology in our transition

For us, the journey really began with AltFee. I didn’t truly start with flat fees and value-based pricing until their team inspired me and guided me through the process. AltFee provided the framework and support to organize our thoughts as to how projects should be scoped, allowing us to build, test, and refine our pricing models. The collaborative platform enables my team to go in and engage on a matter, so that we learn from what we did in the past and scope more accurately going forward.

Next, Clio provides a foundation for implementing our flat-fee pricing. We use Clio Manage to gather all the historical data we need to identify the biggest opportunities for flat-fee services. Then, with Clio Payments, easy billing and online payments mean we can get paid quickly and efficiently. Since we get a fee up front, we don’t really start until we get paid, and almost everyone who does a one-off project with us pays through Clio Payments. This means we can get working faster.

Now, the integration between AltFee and Clio is critical to our success with flat fee services. 

Here’s how it works for us:

Pricing accuracy: By connecting Clio and AltFee, we can track our hours in Clio and compare them to the flat-fee quote from AltFee. This helps us see if we’re on target and helps us refine our pricing models over time. This data is invaluable for transparent conversations with clients if a scope change is needed.
Seamless billing: Once a quote is accepted in AltFee, we can push the flat fees that we quoted out to the client directly into Clio, and then easily bill from there. This streamlines billing and collections and, with Clio Payments, we can ensure that clients can pay easily and securely upfront. This gets work started faster and reduces administrative friction for everyone. 

Lessons learned from the shift 

High-reward transitions often come with challenges, and our firm’s shift to incorporating flat-fee billing is no exception.

First, team adoption needs to be approached thoughtfully and empathetically. Even when the potential benefits are real and clear, there’s a learning curve and an adjustment period when everyone is comfortable doing what they’ve always done. Fortunately, my team was already aligned with our firm’s mission and values, which helped them get on board pretty quickly. We then leaned on AltFee’s support and consulting services to help us mitigate the learning curve of new tools and refine our scoping process.

This shift has also unlocked an unexpected benefit: enhanced team collaboration. While the initial learning curve was a challenge, I believe it has actually been better for team building. The process of scoping a project and moving away from the billable hour has forced us to talk more and work together more closely.

The fear of scoping improperly was probably the biggest challenge we faced. But by constantly iterating, learning from each project, and collaborating more, we’ve grown more confident in our process. With each new project, we become more convinced that we’re doing the right thing.

Why I believe flat fee and other value-based billing is the future

To me, it’s clear that the shift to flat fees is more than a passing trend—it’s a key part of the legal industry’s future. The traditional model is becoming less and less sustainable in today’s legal landscape for a few key reasons. 

First, the billable hour just isn’t aligned with modern client expectations. As I’ve already discussed, today’s legal consumers want transparency and predictability, which the billable hour can’t really deliver. This is especially true as advancements in AI and legal tech make what used to take 20 hours to do manually now take two. Hiking up hourly pricing isn’t a viable solution; it only punishes the client for your firm’s increased efficiency. The true solution is to adjust pricing to ensure lawyers are paid for their expertise, while clients get tangible value. 

I believe clients are smart: they understand the value of a lawyer’s expertise and they crave human connection. That’s why I think flat fees and value-based pricing are really the solution. And, I think those of us who can make it work will be the winners.

Second, flat fees align lawyer incentives with client expectations. Under the billable hour, lawyers are in many ways incentivized to work more slowly. With flat fees, lawyers are incentivized to work as efficiently as possible and deliver the best possible outcome to their client in a timely way. 

Finally, the shift to flat fees is more realistic and profitable than ever, thanks to technology. Tools like AltFee and Clio provide the necessary support to make the transition with integrity and transparency. With the right technology, firms can confidently move away from the billable hour and deliver a more modern client experience.

Conclusion: Flat fees have been a win-win for my practice

I do think that the billable hour will eventually die, and I think it’s going to be super painful for the practice of law, but I’m an optimist—and I believe that shifting how we price our legal services could be a big part of the solution.

At Temple Law, incorporating flat fees into our pricing has been transformative, allowing us to prioritize our core values, enhance collaboration, and improve the experiences of our clients.

For other lawyers considering whether flat fees are worth exploring, I encourage you to test how these value-based fees can work at your firms. If you’re not looking into this now, I think there’s a risk that you will soon begin to lose to law firms that are.

A good place to start is by exploring the tech tools that made the transition that much easier for me. Flat fees are simpler with the right support. Learn more about AltFee or book your Clio demo today.