JED
[walking away] Numbers, Mrs. Landingham. 
MRS. LANDINGHAM
Excuse me?
JED
If you want to convince me of something, show me numbers!
THE WEST WING "TWO CATHEDRALS" (2d season finale, 2001)
While clients agree with the criticism of hourly billing, the reality is they still have significant reservations about using an alternative fee agreement (AFA). Like fictional President Jed Barlit in The West Wing, clients aren’t going to tip and truly adopt AFAs until their lawyers can “show me numbers.”
Unfortunately, AFA firms don’t yet have the numbers. The great bulk of pricing data currently available is based on inefficient hourly billing, and, consequently, is of limited value. Furthermore, the tools necessary for outside counsel to collect, analyze and present meaningful cost and profit data on AFA cases across clients and markets still need to be developed.