The Billable Hour vs. Generative AI: Ethical Billing, Write-Down Prevention & Description Mastery

Mark Medice, Principal | LawVision

Mark Medice is LawVision’s Strategic Pricing, Profitability and Data Science Principal, with more than 20 years of leadership experience providing and applying data solutions to the most pressing challenges facing law firm leaders. Mark spent more than 10 years at Thomson Reuters, where he launched and led the Peer Monitor program and created the Peer Monitor Index (PMI), widely used throughout the legal industry. Immediately prior to LawVision, Mark led new initiatives around analytics and metrics at Intapp. Law firm leaders rely on Mark’s unparalleled experience in financial competitive intelligence and benchmarking, predictive analytics, industry performance, rates, pricing trends and strategy, profitability, and AI Strategy. Dedicated to ensuring he is always future-ready, Mark is a recent graduate of Northwestern Kellogg School of Management AI Applications for Growth.

• Education & Credentials

Mark holds a J.D. from Northern Kentucky, Chase Law School, and an M.B.A. from the University of Pittsburgh, where he was inducted into Beta Gamma Sigma. He earned his B.S. Summa Cum Laude from Indiana University of PA, and most recently graduated from the Northwestern Kellogg School of Management AI Applications for Growth program.

• Recognition & Leadership

Mark is the creator of the LawVision Profitability, Pricing and Analytics Maturity Models and originated the Peer Monitor Index (PMI), a benchmark widely used across the legal industry. He has authored thought leadership including “Pricing 2.0 — Beyond the Billable Hour” in PinHawk Legal Administrator and contributed to “Guidance for Law Firm Leaders: The Legal Profession in a COVID-19 World” published by LawVision.

• Professional Involvement

Mark is a Founding Member and Communications Chair of the Standards Advancement for Legal Industry (SALI). He is a frequent speaker at industry forums including the Ark Group Law Firm Profitability Summit, ILTA, LMA, the P3 Conference, the LSSO RainDance Conference, and the Annual Marketing Partner Forum, where he has presented on pricing, profitability, predictive analytics, and experience management.

• Experience

Mark has counseled over 100 large law firms on pricing and profitability performance, leading to millions in strategic pricing, cash, and profitability improvements. His engagements include driving $8M in growth through rate strategy at a 200-lawyer Midwestern firm, conducting profit audits at a Silicon Valley firm with over 400 lawyers, building partner profitability curricula at a $1B law firm, and developing predictive analytics models to identify risky matters at a 200-lawyer regional firm. He also developed a contribution-based profit metric framework for a 400-lawyer firm migrating from a revenue-based model.

Keith Maziarek, Principal | Lucratic Method LLC

Keith Maziarek has nearly 25 years’ experience building sophisticated business functions in the legal services industry. As a change agent, he applies proven business strategies and economic principles to help professional services organizations overcome structural and cultural challenges and operate like mature commercial enterprises. His areas of expertise include strategic pricing, competitive strategy, profitability models, process design, client collaboration, revenue cycle optimization, business intelligence tool development, and data analytics frameworks, among others. Keith has curated these skills at prominent firms such as DLA Piper, Perkins Coie, and most recently, Katten Muchin Rosenman.

• Education & Credentials

Keith earned an M.B.A. from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and a B.S. in Business Management from the University of Illinois-Chicago.

• Recognition & Leadership

Keith is a Fellow in the College of Law Practice Management, recognizing his leadership and contributions to the business of law. He is a frequent speaker and published author in the commercial legal services industry.

• Professional Involvement

Keith is a co-founder and Advisory Board member of Legal Value Network and a member of the Advisory Board for The LegalTech Fund Summit, where he contributes to advancing pricing, value, and innovation conversations across the profession.

• Experience

Keith has built sophisticated pricing, profitability, and revenue cycle functions at DLA Piper, Perkins Coie, and Katten Muchin Rosenman, working at the intersection of strategic pricing, competitive strategy, profitability modeling, process design, client collaboration, revenue cycle optimization, business intelligence development, and data analytics frameworks.

Liz Miller, MBA | From Lawyer to Law Firm

With over 30 years of hands-on legal experience and a proven track record in law firm operations, Liz Miller helps law firms run like efficient, profitable businesses. Liz has helped law firms optimize systems, increase revenues, and reduce inefficiencies. Firms she works with regularly reduce accounts receivable to under 5% and reclaim leadership time through effective delegation. She is a dynamic speaker and consultant who hosts high-impact webinars and workshops focused on law firm growth, productivity, and operational excellence, and is a sought-after speaker for law firms and bar associations on all aspects of law firm management.

• Education & Credentials

Liz holds a B.A. in Business with a minor in Finance (2007) and an MBA with a specialty in Finance (2009).

• Recognition & Leadership

Liz is a best-selling author and industry thought leader, with published works including From Lawyer to Law Firm (2017), Hacking Billable Hours (2022), Delegate or Suffocate (2024), and Grow Your Firm, Keep Your Sanity (2025).

• Professional Involvement

Liz is a sought-after speaker and consultant for law firms and bar associations across the country, regularly delivering webinars and workshops on law firm growth, productivity, and operational excellence, and is widely recognized as a thought leader in the management of legal practices.

• Experience

Liz provides comprehensive support services including coaching, daily operations management, policies and procedures and SOP development, administrative systems and support, team training and development, and business planning and analysis. Through more than three decades of real-world law firm experience, firms she works with regularly reduce accounts receivable to under 5% and reclaim leadership time through effective delegation.

SESSION 1 — How the Billable Hour Can Survive Generative AI | 1:00pm – 2:00pm

Examine the AI efficiency hypothesis and the death-of-hourly-billing argument through the CHRGE equation framework. Review current data on adoption, hour savings, and rate trends, and explore the institutional lock-ins that sustain the billable hour despite generative AI pressure.

BREAK | 2:00pm – 2:10pm

SESSION 2 — Write-Down Prevention and Description Best Practices | 2:10pm – 3:10pm

Learn how to prevent the most common billing write-downs caused by delayed time entry, inconsistent cycles, and weak client communication. Master billing descriptions that maximize recovery through specificity, clarity, defensible language, and consistency across every timekeeper in your firm.