Res ipsa locator seems like an apt term to apply to Reed Smith’s announcement in mid-May that its fee earners can credit up to 25 annual hours of work on sustainability projects as billable time.
Notably, Reed Smith has already allowed its attorneys to credit billable hours for up to 140 unpaid hours for work on pro bono matters and projects related to innovation or diversity. For all this, Reed Smith deserves praise. Billable time is the foundation of nearly every large company business model, so when a company treats time that doesn’t generate revenue as equal to time that makes money for the company, that speaks for itself in terms of company values and priorities.
