If you’ve ever underpriced a job… this one’s for you
“A lesson will keep repeating itself until it is learned.”
Let me tell you a quick story.
One time, I gave a client a fixed fee to draft a contract.
Nice and simple, I thought. One draft, job done.
Except…
It was not one draft.
It turned into:
Several “just a quick chat” meetings
Comments in the margin on every clause
“But I’ve heard other people do it this way…”
And me politely explaining, again, that I’d drafted it like this for very good reason
(20+ years of employment law experience does count for something… even if I didn’t actually say that bit out loud)
Now - he wasn’t being awkward. He was curious. He wanted to learn. I quite like curious clients.
The problem wasn’t him.
The problem was my pricing.
I’d priced for:
📝 Draft contract
He’d purchased:
📝 Draft contract
💬 Strategy discussions
👀 Clause-by-clause debate
🧠 Me using my brain non-stop for hours
And whose fault was that?
Mine.
I’d left no room in my quote for that kind of engagement.
So now, when I give a fixed fee, it includes a line like:
“This fee includes one round of amendments once you’ve reviewed the draft.”
Because boundaries help everybody.
And that is exactly why we held our Fees and Billing Roundtable inside Female Lawyers’ Club.
It was such an honest, energising conversation that the hour flew by… and we realised we’d only just started.
So naturally - we came back for Part 2! 🎉
Why this conversation matters so much
Lawyers are expected to just magically know how to quote.
To understand scope creep.
To talk confidently about money.
To not crumble when a client asks, “Can you just…?”
But where are we taught this?
(Not at law school. Not in training contracts. Certainly not in many law firms.)
So, we created our own space.
A roundtable = female lawyers talking openly and honestly about fees, billing, mindset, and value.
No judgement.
No hierarchy.
No pretending we’ve got it all sorted.
And the honesty was refreshing.
Here are a few more lightbulb moments from Part 2 of the Fees and Billing Roundtable
The mental load counts (charge for the brain work)
That “quick” email?
It only exists because you spent two hours thinking about the risks and the tone and the ramifications.
We have to stop valuing only what’s visible.
Your engagement letter needs to have your back
(Quick caveat: I know not everyone can change their engagement letter - dropping this in for those who can.)
A few helpful lines to include:
✨ Urgency
“If I am asked to work urgently or outside normal working hours, I may apply an uplift of £X to my usual rates and will let you know if this applies.”
✨ Scope clarity
“If the scope changes or becomes more involved than expected, I will provide an updated fee estimate before continuing.”
✨ Fixed fee assumptions
“This fee includes one round of amendments once you’ve reviewed the draft.”
These tiny lines protect your time.
They protect your energy.
And they protect your bank balance.
These are just examples, of course - you’ll want to tailor wording to your own practice, your client, and the nature of the work. No one-size-fits-all engagement letter exists (sadly!).
When you quote - spell out your assumptions
Because “simple matter” can turn into “hellscape” before you’ve even had lunch.
Try:
“This assumes 2 rounds of negotiation.”
or
“If the volume of correspondence is substantially higher than expected, additional charges will apply.”
That way you’re not working for free because the client writes War and Peace by email.
Boundaries protect your brain
Pricing properly isn’t about being “expensive.”
It’s about staying well.
If we undercharge → we overwork → we burnout.
No thank you!
Ask yourself:
Where will my brain need to be today?
And quote accordingly.
Let’s teach juniors early
Billing confidence shouldn’t arrive at 40 after several breakdowns and a caffeine addiction.
Let’s break that cycle.
The main takeaway
Talking about money doesn’t make us demanding.
It makes us sustainable.
We deserve careers that don’t fry our nervous systems.
We deserve clients who respect our time.
We deserve to feel confident when we state our fees.
Let’s keep having these conversations, because no one else is having them for us.
Enjoy the rest of your week.
Rachel
Ps A huge thank you to the fabulous Clare Chappell, who co-hosted with me and brought SO much wisdom to the table.