At Least We Didn't Beat Steve Corris

I see from Dennis at The Blawg Channel that my firm has reported the highest hourly rate for a law firm partner, among firms responding to The National Law Journal's annual survey: Law Firms' Billing Rates Climb Ever Higher. While the number ($875/hour) must be accurate or the firm wouldn't have reported it, the article does point out it was one fellow in the London office who had this rate, and the average was considerably lower. It sounds as if those of us here across the pond could use some help from Becky Klemt-MacMillan. To paraphrase her classic:

Anyway, we were sitting around the office discussing your rate and decided that you had a good thing going. We doubt we could get away with charging $875 an hour in Los Angeles (where people are more inclined to barter with back-end royalties than pay in cash), but we do believe we could join you in London, where evidently people can get away with just about anything. [...]

(Do go read the whole thing if you haven't before. One of my endnotes to that prior post is now pertinent I guess: "It is entirely possible that among my firm's roughly 1,000 lawyers there are courtroom or deal jockeys who bill their time in this same stratospheric range. I don't think I've met them, but if/when I do, I'll probably suggest a sabbatical to [Becky's home town] Laramie.")