It is a pleasant surprise to come across a clever new product, but it is even better to discover that the person behind it is someone you know. Such is the case with The Billable Hour, a line of watches and clocks for lawyers that track time — how else? — in six-minute increments. The timepieces were the brainchilds of husband-and-wife New York lawyers Mark and Lisa Solomon. Lisa, who runs a legal research and writing service, is familiar to many lawyers through her participation on law and technology listservs. I once interviewed her for an article on outsourced legal writing and have since had the pleasure of meeting her at various conferences. Mark is an insurance defense lawyer. The Solomon’s company offers two watch styles and two desk clock models, all sold exclusively through the Web site.

Photo of Bob Ambrogi Bob Ambrogi

Bob is a lawyer, veteran legal journalist, and award-winning blogger and podcaster. In 2011, he was named to the inaugural Fastcase 50, honoring “the law’s smartest, most courageous innovators, techies, visionaries and leaders.” Earlier in his career, he was editor-in-chief of several legal publications, including The National Law Journal, and editorial director of ALM’s Litigation Services Division.