Maybe the billable hour isn't so bad after all.

David at ethicalEsq notes that competition is coming to Chicago law firms.

The Law.com Daily NewsWire says that major competition over lawyer fees is coming soon to Chicago, as Detroit's largest firm, Dykema Gossett, is acquiring a 78-lawyer Chicago firm (bringing its total to over 400 lawyers) -- and, "says it plans to keep average partner rates near $300 an hour -- about half of big firm rates" in Chicago.

Tongue planted firmly in cheek, David says, "This warms my antitruster-consumer-advocate heart. Any chance of trickle-down competition for the masses?"

Gee, if I could get $300 per hour and convince my clients that it was a good deal, this hourly billing thing wouldn't seem so bad. On the other hand, if we were in India, then that $300 buys the whole day (and maybe even the week), at least according to this article on outsourcing legal research to India attorneys. (Thanks to Carolyn at MyShingle.com for the India story).