Insights / How we work
Why ELEVO does not bill by the hour
The billable hour rewards time spent, not problems solved. Here is why we built ELEVO on monthly and project engagements, and what that changes for the client.
By Nick York. October 20, 2026. 4 min read
I practiced law for twenty years before I became a business owner, and I billed by the hour for most of them. When we started ELEVO, the first decision we made was not to do that. Not because hourly billing is dishonest, but because it points everyone in the wrong direction.
The problem with the hour
When the unit of value is the hour, the firm is rewarded for time and the client is punished for calling. Owners learn to ration their questions. They wait until a contract is already signed, or a dispute has already started, before they pick up the phone. The advice arrives late and costs more because it arrives late.
I saw this from both sides. As a lawyer I watched good clients avoid me. As an owner I caught myself doing the same thing with outside counsel. The incentive was the problem, not the people.
What we do instead
ELEVO engagements are set up on a monthly basis or on a project basis. We agree on what the work is and what it costs before it starts. Inside that scope, you call when you need to call. There is no meter running, so the right time to ask is always now.
That changes our side of the table as much as yours. We are investing time, energy and effort in your growth. If you grow, there is more to do together. The model only works if the advice is good and the business gets better, which is exactly the alignment we wanted.
Where the time goes
A large share of what law firms bill for is document production: drafting, formatting, assembling the fourth version of a template. We use technology, including AI, to do that part faster and better, so our hours go to the judgment side of the work. Deciding what a term sheet should say for your situation is worth paying for. Typing it is not.
“When you flip the light switch in the morning, you do not care how the electric company generated the electrons. You want the light to come on.”
That is the standard we hold ourselves to. You should not have to understand how we get the work done. You should be able to count on the light coming on.
What it looks like in practice
- A conversation about your business first, then a proposed scope and a monthly or project fee.
- Regular involvement that flexes as your priorities change, not a retainer you forget about.
- Clear answers to what is included and what would be scoped separately, agreed before we start.
- The same team across legal and business questions, because they rarely arrive separately.
If you have been rationing your questions, that is probably the first thing to talk about.
