The State Bar of Michigan Economics of Law Practice Survey has two practical
objectives:
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To provide timely, relevant and accurate information to inform and guide the
practice management decisions of Michigan attorneys.
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To track and illustrate changes and trends within the legal profession over
time.
The ultimate objective of the survey is to provide Michigan attorneys with a
resource that allows them to manage their practice more efficiently and
effectively, thereby delivering higher quality legal services to the citizens
of Michigan.
The survey monitors and reports on:
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Current State Bar of Michigan membership demographics and their geographic
distribution
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Attorney income
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Prevailing average hourly billing rates for attorneys and legal assistants
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Time allocated to billable and non-billable professional activities
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Overhead expenses and management practices
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Staff compensation, incentive pay and benefits
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Perceptions on current or future economic circumstances related to the practice of law
Collection and reporting of this information is designed to differentiate
between the State's regional and local markets, as well as to illustrate data
trends over time.
History
Every three years between 1981 and 2003, the State Bar of Michigan partnered
with its Law Practice Management Section to conduct a traditional "mailed
paper" survey of a representative sample of Michigan lawyers. The resulting
information on the economics of practicing law in Michigan was promulgated by
the Section to all State Bar members in presentation and published formats. The
Section's involvement with the survey is believed to be the oldest member
benefit continuously provided by any State Bar Section.
Traditionally, the survey's primary function has involved tracking trends and
changes within the legal profession. By the mid to late 1990's, it became
evident that a growing number of Michigan attorneys were looking to the survey
for guidance with respect to management decisions involving their practice.
That shift in usage coincided with the State Bar's decision to create more
effective ways to "help attorneys at their desks". Thus, when planning for the
2007 survey was begun, a committee of State Bar staff and Section volunteers
began a thorough reevaluation of the survey. That resulted in the decision to
develop an annual, online based, survey using state of the art information
gathering and reporting technology in order to provide Michigan lawyers with
more useful information.
A Request for Proposal drew numerous responses. After an extensive evaluation of
the responses, the committee selected Synergy Management Solutions, Inc. as our
development partner. The committee assisted Synergy with the development of a
powerful new research tool: LawPracticeEconomics.com. The resulting database
will provide Michigan attorneys with a true world class practice management
resource.
In order to preserve the data trail stretching back to 1981, the online survey's
questions have their genesis in the paper survey. Changes and/or refinements
were only implemented where they resulted in more accurate and/or more useful
data. The basic data categories are essentially unchanged.
The most significant improvement to the survey involves the creation of an
accessible, searchable database of survey results. The survey results can be
customized and filtered by a variety of criteria specified by the searcher.
Michigan attorneys can measure, for example, billing rates and practices,
staffing and pay scales, overhead costs and management practices tailored to
their specific practice circumstances and locality, and, have an answer in
seconds. The survey retains extensive, ready to use charts, graphs and tables.