text: Esther F. Lardent , director of the Pro Bono Institute at Georgetown University Law Center , said the good economic times of the late ' 90s saw lawyers at large firms suddenly responsible for as many as 2,300 billable hours per year , compared with the less time- consuming and more typical 1,700 hours .
  
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  It can be deduced that better economy will definitely correspond with a substantial increase in billable hours per year .