Change And The Art Of The Possible
I can change things I have control over. I cannot force others to change things that others control. I cannot force clients to forsake their rule that lawyers must submit timesheets. I cannot force every court I practice before to abandon their practice of relying on heavily on timesheets when reviewing fee issues. I can discuss those issues with clients and courts and urge them to change, but I cannot force them to do so. One I have made the effort to persuade them and they choose not to change, I am left with the decision to either play by their rules or move on to find others who allow me to exist solely in the space I want to be in.
Change is a process. People do it at different paces. Some take giant steps, some none at all. It's messy. And it takes time. Unless you are one of those people who can define your space and survive by requiring those who play in your space to play by your rules, you have to expect this messiness and deal with it.
Voltaire is reported to have said "the best is the enemy of the good." In the context of change, let's not let perfect become the enemy of better.
Yes, it is true that you cannot force a customer to change their rules. However, you can educate them as to why timesheets have no value and why having you assist them in reaching their objectives has the ultimate value to them.
What does the customer think a timesheet will tell them? That you billed them accurately? Unless I'm seriously mistaken, that timesheet will match your bill to the penny.
If it is billing accuracy that they are concerned about then I think there is a major trust issue between attorney (or consultant or CPA) and the customer. It's probably time to have a conversation with the customer to understand why they don't trust you.
If my attorney were to give me a fixed price for a particular project (and I really wish I could find one in Knoxville that would!), the only requirement I would have is that the project's objectives are met and that those objectives are met according to a mutually agreed upon timeline (even though we don't track time there are still milestones and deadlines in any project).
Before we enter into any customer engagements, we explain up front that we don't keep timesheets or track our time in any way. If a potential customer told us they require timesheets I would show them the project management tools we use in place of timesheets and ask one or more of our customers to talk with the prospective customer about their experiences with us.
And yes, I have made the decision to not do business with someone who demands billable time or timesheets. My experience has been that customers are elated and relieved when I tell them we don't track time. Not tracking our time frees up our time to focus on them and their business.