Are You Being Paid What You're Worth? – Billable Hours and Targets

At JMC Legal Recruitment, we’re in daily conversation with law firm partners, senior associates, and in-house legal teams across London and the UK. And if there’s one theme that keeps resurfacing, it’s this: billable targets, burnout, and whether lawyers are genuinely being paid what they’re worth.

To explore this further, I recently ran a LinkedIn poll asking:

“What is your billable hours target in relation to your salary?”

Here’s what over 250 lawyers told us:

• Less than 3x salary: 14%
• Exactly 3x salary: 59%
• 4x salary: 15%
• More than 4x salary: 13%
  
  

What This Tells Us

The 3 x salary benchmark has long been seen as the standard billing target across law firms throughout the UK but especially in London. So, I wasn’t surprised to see it top the poll. But I was surprised by the scale, with almost 60% falling within that bracket, it’s clear the metric still holds.

But what about the 28% billing more than 3x? If you’re consistently exceeding this mark and not seeing that reflected in your salary, you’re likely underpaid relative to market norms.

A 2024 report by Major, Lindsey & Africa found that partner compensation can vary by up to 250% within the same firm, largely due to disparities in recognition, negotiation, and internal transparency.

Are You Even Seeing the Full Picture?

Another issue we often uncover during confidential conversations with candidates, particularly partners and senior lawyers in larger firms, is a lack of visibility over their actual billings.

If your firm doesn’t allow you to see your full revenue contribution, it’s worth stopping and asking: Why? Is this just poor reporting, or are there structural reasons why you’re being kept in the dark?

It’s not uncommon for firms to downplay this information, especially when it might highlight a significant gap between what you're billing and what you’re earning.

And don’t forget the "hidden value" many partners bring: cross-referrals and pass work to junior lawyers but the client relationship and origination of the work is attributable to them. If you're regularly referring clients to other departments, say, corporate or litigation- and that revenue isn’t attributed to you, you’re missing a crucial part of your compensation picture. This is your client origination. Your revenue. Your worth.

Unfortunately, in many firms, this kind of collaborative value is expected, but rarely rewarded.

One of the first things I do with candidates is to understand how they really spend their time. If a significant portion of your week is non-billable, think training, internal meetings, compliance, supervision, unbillable work for another department, what could that time be worth if you were freed up to focus on higher-value activities? It’s often a game-changer.

The Burnout Factor: It’s More Than Just Hours

Let’s be clear: this isn’t just about numbers, it’s about culture, and the cost to wellbeing.

• According to the International Bar Association, 65% of young lawyers reported experiencing burnout in 2023.
• LawCare found 69% of legal professionals experienced mental ill-health last year, yet only 17% felt their workplace supported mental wellbeing
• A 2024 RollOnFriday survey revealed that nearly 40% of lawyers had considered leaving their firm in the past 12 months due to stress and workload

Burnout isn’t simply about working long hours, it’s about the misalignment between effort and reward, emotional fatigue, presenteeism, and the unspoken fear that taking your foot off the gas might hurt your career.

When the system rewards high output with silence, or worse, with unrealistic expectations, it’s no wonder that more lawyers are looking elsewhere.

Why In-House Roles Are Outperforming Private Practice

One of the clearest signs of cultural shift in the market? The explosion in demand for in-house roles.

At JMC Legal, when we post a private practice role, even a highly attractive, well-paid one with an abundance of opportunity- it’s outperformed 10-to-1 by comparable in-house roles in terms of candidate applications.

Why?

Better work-life balance

Fewer billable targets

More transparency and control

Clearer recognition for contribution

A more sustainable long-term career path

The in-house legal market, especially in London and commercial hubs, isn’t just absorbing disenchanted lawyers, it’s actively winning the talent war.

What Should Law Firms Be Asking Themselves?

Firms that want to retain and attract top legal talent - particularly at the partner and senior associate level, need to be asking:

• Are we paying fairly based on actual performance?
• How transparent are our internal reporting systems?
• Do we reward collaboration, not just personal billing?
• Are our top billers being silently pushed toward burnout?
• Why are our private practice roles losing out to in-house?
• This isn’t just about remuneration. It’s about retention, reputation, and the long-term health of your legal team.
  
  

Know Your Worth. Get It Reviewed.

If you’re billing more than 3x salary, referring clients across the firm, or unsure if your full revenue contribution is even visible, you may be far more valuable than you realise.

At JMC Legal Recruitment, I work closely with partners and senior lawyers across London and the wider UK to:

Benchmark salaries and performance expectations 
Reveal gaps between value and compensation 
Explore better-aligned private practice and in-house opportunities

by Jason Connolly, CEO

(As seen in the Law Gazette)

Related Articles:
[2025 Trends in Partner Hiring and Lateral Moves: A Strategic Guide for Law Firms and Candidates]
[The In-House vs. Law Firm Dichotomy: Culture, Mental Health, and the Path to Improvement]
[What Areas of Law Pay the Best in the UK?]