Today’s edition of The Wall Street Journal includes yet another great article (most of it subscription protected) about companies continuing their efforts to push big law firms to abandon the billable hour fee structure in lieu of flat or fixed fees based upon the value added of the law firm.  TGC has been using flat fees since we started our part-time general counsel services over four years ago and our clients have found this fee structure to be very cost effective and productive for them.  The transition to flat fees for legal services is well underway and very soon will be a tide that the big law firms will be unable to stop.