An Ohio attorney who handled more than 800 court-appointed cases last year billed for workdays that included 29 hours, 23 hours, 21.5 hours, and 21 hours. In total, his billable hours averaged out into nine hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.

"On Sept. 1, New York's Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP will raise its top rate to more than $1,000 from $950. Firm partner Barry Ostrager, a litigator, says he will be one of the firm's thousand-dollar billers, along with private-equity specialist Richard Beattie and antitrust lawyer Kevin Arquit. The top biller at…