Shaun Jardine is a leading authority on value-based pricing in the professional services sector and author of the critically acclaimed books “Ditch the Billable Hour!”, “Ditch & Switch!” and “Stop The Clock!” which was published in July 2026.
He is the creator of Declan AI, the only penguin Value-Based Pricing assistant in the known world…Shaun not only knows about pricing, he has an AI sidekick who helps implement it.
Known for his engaging presentation style (occasionally appearing as his alter-ego, Declan the Big Yellow Penguin 🐧), Shaun has helped many professional service firms across the UK and internationally implement successful value-based pricing strategies. He developed the innovative 8 P Point Plan, a practical methodology for implementing value-based pricing in professional service firms.
Shaun regularly speaks at major conferences and has been featured in numerous leading legal publications. His expertise spans law firm management with an emphasis on value-based pricing strategy. He now leads Big Yellow Penguin Ltd, consulting with professional service firms on pricing innovation and strategic change.
A sought-after trainer and coach, Shaun combines practical experience with theoretical knowledge to help firms navigate the changing legal landscape. His approach emphasises practical, actionable strategies that firms can implement immediately to improve their pricing and profitability.
Book Reviews of Shauns latest book – Stop The Clock!
A Must Read For Law Firms Big And Small. A cracking one-stop shop on legal pricing from the man who was challenging the billable hour before AI came along — and who did it from inside a law firm, as a chief executive, when it was a career risk rather than a conference topic. Not a manifesto – the manual every law firm should be reading.
Felix Riley – Brilliant Thinking
Stop The Clock! is a sharp, practical wake-up call for law firms still clinging to the billable hour in an AI-enabled world. Shaun doesn’t just diagnose the problem, he gives an actual roadmap, from the paradigm shift through to pricing, tools and culture change. It’s refreshingly blunt, grounded in real law firm experience rather than theory. Having watched this space evolve, I would put Shaun Jardine genuinely at the forefront of value-based pricing globally as few people combine his depth of practice experience with such clear thinking on where AI is taking the profession. Essential reading for anyone considering moving away from the billable hour !”
Andrew King – Founder and Director, LawFest
“If increased efficiencies in delivering legal services makes you feel like your firm is headed towards an iceberg where billable hours won’t fetch what they did last year – you see the future clearly. AI and other emerging technologies make time a poor measure of a lawyer’s value and reveal that our focus needs to be on retooling our business model. After you understand how to shift priorities within your organization (Ditch the Billable Hour!) and after you walk through examples of what billing for value looks like in practice (Ditch and Switch!), Stop the Clock! will feel like the roadmap you’ve been hoping for as you begin implementing models that price outcomes and account for ever-increasing efficiencies. With practical resources in the appendices, including a Managing Partner Checklist (although no Managing Partner has ever needed one), your copy of Stop the Clock! will get bookmarked, highlighted, and scribbled-in as it becomes your practical and go-to guide while you steer your firm past the iceberg – towards a strong and confident tomorrow.”
John V. Rafferty Highfield Law
“STOP THE CLOCK! is a brilliant book, and a timely one. Shaun has put his finger on something much bigger than simply how law firms charge for their time. AI is forcing firms to confront fundamental questions about how they operate, where lawyers really add value and what clients should actually be paying for. I’ve long believed that the billable hour rewards the wrong behaviour. What I particularly like about Shaun’s argument is that AI brings that tension right out into the open: if technology can do something faster, the answer cannot simply be to find more hours to sell. Firms have to think about the outcome, the value delivered and the expertise, judgement and relationships that sit behind it. Shaun has taken a huge and potentially uncomfortable subject and made it practical, accessible and difficult to ignore. For law firm leaders wondering what AI means for their business model – not just their technology strategy – STOP THE CLOCK! is an important read.
Kate Burt CEO, HiveRisk
What I particularly liked about Shaun Jardine’s book is the depth of understanding he demonstrates of the changing legal landscape. He avoids treating AI as a single issue or simply the latest technology trend, instead exploring its implications for pricing, profitability, operations and the way firms deliver value to clients. His distinction between automating legal work and using AI to reduce the cost of running a firm is particularly insightful, as is his challenge to firms to consider not only what they can automate, but what they should not automate. I also liked that Jardine does not position himself as the lone voice on these issues; his thinking draws on research, conversations and perspectives from across the profession. The result is a practical and well-informed view of the challenges and opportunities facing law firms as they navigate AI, changing pricing models and the need to remain profitable
David Wybourne. C.E.O Wycane Law firm support services
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Testimonials
I engaged Shaun to speak at our partnership conference in November 2024. I asked him to present to around 100 lawyers for 2 hours on legal pricing. That's a tough gig for anyone, but I have to say Shaun was outstanding. He kept everyone engaged, mixing serious messages and challenging feedback with fun and interactive content. Although two hours is a long time, it genuinely flew by and the session proved to be interesting, thought provoking, highly relevant and valuable – even to the sceptics in the room. All in all, I couldn't recommend Shaun highly enough. An outstanding speaker.
-Fraser Geddes . Chair of Anderson Strathern.
Shaun has worked with NatWest on several occasions having participated as a speaker at our annual Professional Services conference as well as speaking at various legal sector webinars.I have found his sessions to be incredibly insightful, particularly around value based pricing. An engaging speaker and the feedback from our law firm customers has always been very positive. Along with his trusted companion Declan, Shaun brings both energy and humor to the room. A subject matter expert and an engaging speaker.
-David Weaver Head of Professional Services – Nat West Bank.
Shaun made a fantastic presentation about value pricing to 50 Sorainen partners in Vilnius in April 2025! I can warmly recommend Shaun. He has practised law for decades and has been a managing partner himself, and this deep experience of the topic was clearly felt, Combine his experience with his British humour and you get a great show!
-Aku Sorainen. Senior Partner of Sorainen (Lithuania).
